I wanted to kick off this month’s column with a joke about road construction in Leaside, but I’m still working on it ☺… No matter how hard I try, the topic of traffic in Leaside just doesn’t seem to lend itself to humour.
Carol Burtin Fripp’s May headline in Leaside Life declared, “Spring means peak construction,” and last October, she warned, “Fall means more traffic and noise.…” I used to look forward to summer – not because our family heads to a cottage, but because everyone else does. The resulting reduction in traffic felt almost blissful back then, especially when compared to what we experience on our roads today. So, we might as well add summer to Carol’s list of seasons that are unfavourable for traffic in our ’hood. On the bright side, at least we get a bit of a break from road construction during winter.
Last September, I mentioned that the Leaside Business Park Association (LBPA) had secured a grant to fund a transit construction mitigation study for the Leaside Business Park. The goal of the study was to gather “baseline data” and recommend strategies to improve the safe and efficient movement of goods and people, given the increasing demand for all modes of travel in this valuable industrial-zoned employment area.
Traffic congestion: a concern for residents and businesses
At its most recent networking event, held at the Amsterdam Barrel House, the LBPA announced that the study, conducted by Paradigm Transportation Solutions (Paradigm), has been completed, alongside a park-wide door-to-door canvassing campaign. During this initiative, the LBPA sent 450 invitations to local businesses asking them to participate in an online survey, knocked directly on the doors of 464 individual businesses, and collected direct feedback from 220 of them.
The study confirms what we residents already feel: traffic congestion is a significant issue at key intersections along Laird Drive and Eglinton Ave. East. Some intersections are already operating at critical levels, even before construction for the Ontario Line and the new Maintenance Service Facility truly begins. The study projects that by 2031, traffic congestion in the business park will worsen at many of these intersections if no mitigation strategies are implemented. Besides traffic congestion, pedestrian safety concerns and the lack of cycling infrastructure were also identified as areas needing improvement.
Some interesting data points from the study include:
- 88% of trips to the park are from within the city
- 70% of all trips are by passenger vehicle
- 13% of all trips are by public transit
- 79% of trips are of distances 9 km or less
- 56% of passenger vehicle trips are single occupancy
- 36% of trips are for “work” while 32% are for “shopping”
Will the rubber meet the road: how will Ward 15 candidates
solve the problem?
On a hopeful note, 56% of survey respondents believe that the Eglinton Crosstown and Ontario Line will improve traffic conditions in the future. However, the primary issues currently affecting public transit use in the park are related to bus frequency, schedule adherence, and access, particularly due to overcrowding during peak hours.
Looking ahead, this study has been submitted to the City for review. Paradigm has identified 20 potential mitigation actions, but it remains unclear which specific follow-up actions will actually take place. Considering the growing body of research on Leaside’s transportation issues – like the Leaside Neighbourhood Transportation Plan, Laird in Focus, and the City of Toronto Cycling Network Plan – but little progress in terms of tangible results, it seems like a good time to ask Ward 15 Councillor candidates about their plans to put these strategies into action.
Do you think the eventual opening of the Eglinton Crosstown and Ontario Line will improve traffic conditions in Leaside? Should the City prioritize improvements to Leaside’s pedestrian and cycling infrastructure in the future? Are you happy with the way parking in Leaside currently works? Let us know at .
