Transportation

The LRA supports inclusive, active, and safe transportation options. Examples of our advocacy include:

Leaside Neighbourhood Transportation Plan

About a year ago, recommendations from Phase One of the Leaside Neighbourhood Transportation Plan (LNTP) were released at a Zoom public meeting and approved by North York Community Council. The LNTP, initiated by then-Ward 15 Councillor Jaye Robinson, is tasked with seeking measures to reduce speeding and congestion within Leaside, as well as looking at parking policies, and traffic volume. The idea is to support traffic control measures that at effective in themselves, not dependant on increased police presence.

The LRA has been disappointed that the recommendations so far ignore Leaside’s major traffic entry and exit points, intersections like Bayview Avenue/Moore Avenue; McRae Drive/Bayview; Laird Drive/Parkhurst Blvd; and Broadway Avenue and Glenvale Blvd. at Bayview. Phase One focuses on potential solutions within Leaside, not on additional sources of traffic entering Leaside. At this point the LNTP team are saving study of these (and other major intersections) for Phase Two, until the Eglinton Crosstown opens and has been in service for some time. This could mean years of delay.

We are continuing to advocate for moving up study of Phase Two, rather than waiting for our traffic problems to grow even worse.

More info: Leaside Neighbourhood Transportation Plan (City of Toronto)

Safety issue: Sutherland/Bayview intersection

One of the LNTP’s proposals is to install a traffic light on Bayview at Sutherland Drive, to provide a safer crossing for pedestrians, cyclists and the TTC South Leaside Route 88 buses. A traffic light raises contentious issues. What was not addressed was how to prevent encouraging flow-through traffic from turning into and out of Sutherland, as drivers seek shortcuts. 

We are all in favour of greater safety and opposed to attracting more through traffic. The city’s Transportation Services has been tasked with looking for an acceptable alternative to a traffic light. Debate and deputations have been deferred by North York Community Council, and the LRA will continue to participate when it returns to the NYCC agenda.

Road reconstruction

The city has been sending out construction notices across Leaside, and badly needed infrastructure repairs are underway. Most of these are affecting only short stretches of local streets, while others such as Sutherland Drive between Millwood Road and Astor Avenue are more major. One or two projects are also related to updating electrical or other engineering needs of the Ontario Line, by Metrolinx and Hydro. The latter are reported to still be in the design stage, with detailed information not yet available.  

As you travel through Leaside you will notice that where intersections are under construction they are being ‘built out’ in a curved shape, to slow or pace automobile turning movements. 

The LRA continues to support improving the look of our internal streets while making the neighbourhood safer!

TTC diverted routes

During the lengthy Moore Avenue sinkhole repair, which closed Moore Avenue between Moore Park and Leaside for weeks and led to massive traffic tie-ups and even more massive driver confusion, the TTC Route 88 (from St Clair station to Thorncliffe Park) needed to be diverted. However, the TTC’s posted signage arrived late and was both unclear and misleading. Nothing appeared on the TTC web site. Worse, the bus was diverted in a variety of ways which kept changing.It is clear that there was a communications breakdown both within the TTC and with the public, and that a better set of procedures is needed when diverting routes, so that riders know what’s happening.  The LRA has participated on several TTC service review committees in recent years, and we hope to be able to contribute some suggestions.

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