A Toronto street that’s desperately needed a streetcar line for years might be receiving a more immediate solution to help mitigate congestion and traffic next year.
Set to be discussed by Toronto City Council on Dec. 17, interim bus lanes along Queens Quay East are being proposed as a temporary measure to help ease traffic along the rapidly developing waterfront corridor until the Waterfront East Light Rail Transit (WELRT) can be built.
TTC buses that currently serve the area, namely the 114 and 121, have been plagued by delays, which, according to a staff report presented to City Council’s executive committee, have been causing significant issues for commuters, residents, and businesses.
The TTC notes that ridership has grown steadily along the waterfront over the past few decades, and that the existing Union Station streetcar loop can’t accommodate the demand from new riders, especially when transit is added to the east.
“Current delays are having a material impact on the East Bayfront community which is home to a rapidly growing resident population, businesses, and visitors including students attending local post-secondary institutions,” the staff report reads.
The temporary bus lanes wouldn’t affect vehicular traffic in either direction along Queens Quay, and would use existing shoulder and curb lanes to provide service, a Waterfront Toronto spokesperson told the Star.
If approved, the interim bus lanes would run along Queens Quay East from Bay Street to Parliament Street starting in the second quarter of 2025.
The forthcoming WELRT is just one part of the city’s multi-billion dollar revitalization of the waterfront, and will provide service from Union Station to the foot of Bay Street, continuing east to the Distillery Loop and into the Port Lands.
The 3.8-kilometre LRT line aims to serve the developing East Bayfront and Port Lands neighbourhood, and provide a much-needed link between the waterfront communities and the rest of the city.
The $2.6 billion project is still waiting on pledges from the provincial and federal governments, although the City has already committed $142 million to the design and infrastructure work needed for the line.
City staff are expected to provide an update on the LRT project next year, offering more clarity on when residents and commuters in the area can expect to finally see the long-anticipated transit upgrade.
Meanwhile, the corridor is already primed for the future LRT with forward-looking infrastructure, including a new bridge spanning the Keating Channel.
