Spadina Avenue to get dedicated bus lane, after city council approves temporary measure | CBC News

Spadina Avenue will get a dedicated bus lane starting Tuesday, after city council voted unanimously this week to approve the measure in a bid to tackle congestion.

The lane will run southbound between Richmond Street W. and Lake Shore Boulevard W. It was initially supposed to be installed overnight Sunday, but that work has been moved to Monday, according to Coun. Ausma Malik, who was the driving force behind the lane in council.

“By making sure buses and cyclists on Spadina have their own space, we make sure traffic as a whole is moving. It also will mean buses can travel the whole of Spadina again, making a smoother trip without needing to walk two blocks to pick up a connection,” Malik said in a statement over the weekend.

The implementation of the dedicated lane is part of a broader effort to mitigate the effects of the temporary closure of the 510 Spadina streetcar line, which is undergoing essential track repairs and modernization of the overhead power lines.

“I know firsthand that this construction has had a big impact on neighbours and workers and businesses and on all road users,” Malik said during Thursday’s council meeting.

“I’m hopeful that this will help ease the traffic flow and traffic times.”

The city says the bus lane is expected to be in place until January 2025, at which point streetcars are expected to be operational again. 

Two southbound traffic lanes for general traffic will be maintained to minimize disruptions for other road users, according to the city.

TTC spokesperson Stuart Green recently said the priority bus lane would be “hugely beneficial” for the TTC and its users, whose travel times have tripled since the switch to buses.

In order to install the dedicated bus lane, on-street parking, as well as a taxi stand on the west side of Spadina Avenue, will be temporarily removed.

Malik has emphasized the necessity of this measure.

“Seeing bus after bus backed up on Spadina in peak hours and traffic at a standstill is not acceptable,” she said.