Here’s how much time people are saving since Toronto cracked down on traffic

At the end of a summer full of inopportune road closures, daily traffic jams and incessant complaints, the City of Toronto has shared some evidence that the steps it has taken to manage traffic are working.

On Thursday, the City released how driving times have improved in downtown areas where congestion headaches had devolved into the worst of the worst, worthy of targeted efforts.

40 years living in toronto and same infrastructure with quadruple the people. Yeah it’s fair to say our politicians are short term thinkers.

— Keeping it real (@Patrick30042459) June 28, 2024

These are King Street, plagued with roadwork and drivers who don’t respect its Transit Priority Corridor; Spadina Avenue, where streetcar track work has forced buses to operate in mixed traffic; and Liberty Village, an all-around perpetually gridlocked nightmare.

On King, new signs and traffic signals for different road users and a fleet of traffic officers have cut the time streetcars take to traverse the stretch between University Avenue and Jarvis by between 28 and 44 minutes (compared to peak 2023 travel times). Also, there are 60 per cent fewer drivers disobeying posted signage than in late 2023.

Toronto cut streetcar travel times in half by cracking down on cars https://t.co/RhJClNGkXW

— blogTO (@blogTO) February 9, 2024

Along Spadina, meanwhile, the implementation of a temporary dedicated bus lane on the thoroughfare’s messiest portion (from Richmond to Lake Shore) has proven successful, reducing travel times by up to a whopping 40 minutes during rush hour.

Enforcement agents managing flow at key corners have also been helpful in this case, as has a new left-turn lane from Spadina onto Lake Shore Boulevard. The lane has had the added benefit of easing congestion on the Gardiner Expressway, lowering time spent in traffic on the construction-riddled highway by five to 18 minutes.

With meaningful coordination, stronger relationships with the City, and support from our elected officials, we will move buses and streetcars better.

The Spadina bus lane saved 45 minutes at the worst times of the day.

Ridership jumped 33% in the weeks after implementation. pic.twitter.com/B5yfUMFo7s

— Laurence Lui / 呂朗鳴 (@larrylarry) September 12, 2024

And finally, motorists who were regularly getting trapped in Liberty Village a few months ago have been aided by traffic agents and local police, who have helped keep things moving during major events and peak hours.

Lane restrictions in the area have also been limited, while a major infrastructure project that was contributing to the issue — watermain and streetcar track replacement work on King Street between Dufferin and Strachan — was wrapped up 10 weeks early.

Toronto neighbourhood is a traffic nightmare due to constant construction https://t.co/PxgIVM0Ga2

— blogTO (@blogTO) March 11, 2024

The City adds that it’s found that having authorities present in problem areas “eliminates instances of vehicles blocking intersections 96 per cent of the time, reduces travel times by up to 33 per cent, and decreases the risk of collisions or near misses between vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians.”

Here’s hoping their enforcement continues and that the steps taken keep on working.