In anticipation of transit demands for the FIFA games in June 2026 as well as general route reliability, Toronto proposes to install transit-only lanes on Bathurst (Eglinton to Lake Shore) and Dufferin (Eglinton to Lake Shore) Streets. Consultation sessions for these projects will be held through May 2025 both online and in person.
Updated Apr 28, 2025 at 1:40pm: Corrections to the Bathurst Street info have been added thanks to responses from the project team.
Updated May 7, 2025 at 10:10am: Links to the presentation decks and maps have been added for both projects.
- Virtual public meeting on May 12 from 6:30 to 8:30pm
- Drop-in events at
- Harbord Collegiate on May 10 from 11am to 3pm
- Humewood Community School on May 14 from 4:30 to 8:30pm
- Consultation materials:
- Virtual public meeting on May 13 from 6:30 to 8:30pm
- Drop in events at
- Stella Maris Catholic School on May 15 from 4:30 to 8:30pm
- St. Mary Catholic Academy on May 20 from 4:30 to 8:30pm
- Consultation materials:
Additional details and registration links for the online sessions are on the project web sites linked above.
The consultation sessions will be interesting, especially to see whether the FIFA games will be used to bulldoze transit proposals that might not otherwise be approved.
Implementation is planned for fall 2025 subject to Council approval.
Only overviews of the proposals have been posted at this time, but I will update this article when more details are available. The overviews are summarized beyond the “more” break below.
Bathurst Street
The City proposes a reserved bus lane on Bathurst from Eglinton to Bathurst Station using the curb lane of the street. From Bathurst Station south to Lake Shore, excepting a stretch around Toronto Western Hospital, the centre lanes would be reserved for streetcars.
For both segments, this arrangement eliminates all curb lane parking. Only accessible parking spaces will remain except in the area between Nassau and Dundas (north and south limits of Western Hospital) which will not be altered. The project team advises:
The Green P parking areas are being considered for permanent removal and would be replaced with No Stopping signs at all times, except at transit stops (No Standing) and at locations with existing school bus loading zones and accessible parking spaces. [email from project team Apr 28/25]
Proposed changes are:
| Eglinton to Bloor | Bloor to Nassau | Dundas to Lake Shore | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accessible parking spaces | Retained | Retained | Retained |
| Unsigned or one-hour parking areas | Removed | Removed | Removed |
| Paid parking | 138 spaces (Dupont to Bloor) | 250 spaces (Lennox to Nassau) | 90 spaces (Dundas to Wolseley, King to Wellington) |
The bus lanes could be used by motorists to access driveways and to turn into cross-streets, and they would be available to Wheel-Trans buses, emergency vehicles, school buses and cyclists.
Several additional or extended turn restrictions are proposed:
| Davenport Road | No left turn NB 7am to 7pm except Sundays |
| Dupont Street | Remove NB left turn restriction No left turn SB 7am to 7pm except Sundays |
| Barton Avenue | No left turn SB at all times |
| Bloor Street | No left or right turns at all times |
| Harbord Street | No left turn NB 7am to 7pm except Sundays Advanced left turn SB extended to 7-10am and 3-7pm |
| Dundas Street | No left turn SB at all times |
| Queen Street | No left or right turns at all times |
| King Street | No left or right turns at all times |
| Wellington Street | Add advanced left turn from 7 to 10 a.m. and 3 to 7 p.m. NB |
| Niagara Street | No left turns at all times |
| Front Street | Add advanced green SB at all times |
The TTC proposes “to improve road safety, four mid-block bus stops lacking nearby protected crossings” would be removed:
- Dewbourne Avenue
- Ardmore Road
- Heathdale Road
- Barton Avenue
At Barton Avenue there has been a traffic signal here for decades. It is not a “mid-block stop”. This is an example of the TTC attempting to remove a stop in the name of “safety” when the real issue is the close spacing south to Bathurst Station and north to Olive/Wells which also has a traffic signal.
Dufferin Street
The City proposes conversion of the curb lanes both ways on Dufferin from Eglinton to King to reserved bus lanes.
Proposed changes include:
| Eglinton to St. Clair | St. Clair to Bloor | Bloor to Dundas | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accessible parking spaces | Retained | Retained | Retained |
| Unsigned or one-hour parking areas | Removed | Removed | Removed |
| Paid parking | 8 spaces removed | 7 spaces removed | |
| Dundas to Queen | Queen to Dufferin Gate | ||
| Accessible parking spaces | Retained | Retained | |
| Unsigned or one-hour parking areas | Removed | Removed | |
| Paid parking | Permanently remove 75 spaces already “temporarily” removed | ||
| Permit Parking | 72 spaces in Area 2 and 56 spaces in Area 3A removed |
The bus lanes could be used by motorists to access driveways and to turn into cross-streets, and they would be available to Wheel-Trans buses, emergency vehicles, school buses and cyclists.
School loading zones for Fairbank Public School and St. Mary of the Angels School would be retained.
The permit parking areas are well-used at 80-85%, and the City is studying alternatives for these spaces.
Proposed turn restrictions and signalling:
| Rogers Road | Extend SB advanced left-turn to 7am to 7pm (except Sunday) |
| St. Clair | No left or right turns SB and NB at all times |
| Davenport | Extend left turn restrictions SB and NB to 7am to 7pm (except Sunday) |
| Dupont | Remove SB and NB left turn restrictions Add advanced left turn signal SB 7am to 7pm (except Sunday) Add advanced left turn signal NB at all times Add no right turns SB 7am to 7pm (except Sunday) |
| Bloor Street | Change existing time and day restrictions on turns to no left or right turns all day |
| College Street | Add advanced left-turn SB No left-turns at all times NB |
| Dundas Street | Add no left turns SB 7am to 7pm (except Sunday) |
| Queen Street | No left or right turns SB and NB at all times |
| Liberty Street | Add advanced left-turn SB |
Midblock stops would be removed at:
- Croatia Street
- Eversfield Road
Steve Munro 
On Bathurst I would be tempted to paint the streetcar tracks red, use only for streetcars, police and tow trucks (to keep things open and moving).
Run Trippers out of St. Clair West and south via Bathurst. We have the streetcars (highest capacity vehicles) – use them for the maximum capacity/volume.
During pre- and post game time periods, run the cars as express cars, stops at St. Clair West, Bathurst, and the Game site. Regular buses can be used to offer “local” Bathurst service in this time frame. Have transit priority, or traffic officers at every light.
Save the articulated buses for Dufferin St. Again dedicated express trippers with few stops would be key.
Streetcar trippers should also be run from Dundas West, Spadina and a King/Church/Wellington loop.
All streetcars/buses in Game transport service should have “skins/wraps” from various World Cup teams/sponsors to highlight the event and make the cars standout to riders going to games.
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Wow, it’d be great if people could get away from games fast on the streetcar, rather than having them stuck in horrific traffic like all the cars.
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What level of service is proposed for Bathurst streetcars that would justify the lane reservation and is it realistic to expect the city and TPS to enforce it? I am of course thinking of the Bay Street reserved lane which has never been enforced and the King Street transit corridor which is seldom enforced.
Steve: During the games, TTC plans to run more service than today, but afterwards is quite another question. As for enforcement, I am dubious. Bay Street is a joke for another reason: 19Bay is one of the least frequent services in the city and it still has a reserved lane (at least officially).
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They should have started turning to use cobblestones between the streetcar tracks on Bathurst Street. Nudge the single-occupant autos off the tracks. Start with the tracks south of Queen Street, if they don’t go with a streetcar right-of-way on Bathurst Street.
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