As Metrolinx moves ahead on the Ontario Line, changes to local bus transit and routes are coming. And while the Ontario Line itself is not coming through Leaside, its construction definitely affects us.
Cars are already avoiding the Thorncliffe area because of construction on Overlea Boulevard. In mid-2025, Beth Nealson Drive will be closed between Laird Drive and Overlea for 18 to 24 months, but of course construction may (will?) take longer. This will create major issues for passengers using the 88 South Leaside bus route, and not just for Leaside residents.
The TTC has prepared options for rerouting buses during the Metrolinx construction. But these still create numerous inconveniences for transit customers.
For at least the construction period of up to two years, Leaside and Thorncliffe Park will not both be connected by the single continuous bus route currently in place via the 88A and 88B buses. The routes will be split and modified, resulting in significantly reduced service to the Leaside Library and schools located in residential middle Leaside. Any transit connection for Thorncliffe residents with several Leaside schools and with the Leaside Library will also be lost.
To travel from St. Clair and Yonge to Thorncliffe, Route 88 passengers will be directed to head northeast to the new Line 5 Laird station (assuming the Crosstown is in service) and catch a southbound Thorncliffe-bound bus. Vice versa to go west.
The direct transit link to Laird Drive connecting Overlea to the busy commercial and service areas along Laird and the Leaside Business Park will be severed.
Finally, the two Route 88 bus stops on Millwood Road closest to the Leaside Memorial Gardens will be removed during the construction, greatly inconveniencing both nearby residents and users who depend on the TTC to access the City-owned facility.
I attended Round Two of the TTC’s 2025 Annual Service Plan meeting, representing the Leaside Residents Association in mid-November, and raised these issues and others.
What will the economic impact be on our retail and industrial areas? What impact could there be on Leaside’s schools, which are already attended by many out-of-area children? Will these re-routings be restored, or changed again, following Metrolinx’s Beth Nealson construction project?
And finally: are there alternative options which would be less disruptive?
We need more answers before decisions are made by the TTC board in January 2025.
The LRA board of directors meets at 7:30 p.m. on the first Wednesday of every month, at the Trace Manes building on Rumsey, just south of Leaside Library. You are welcome to join us there. Our next meeting is on Wed., Dec. 4th. Our December, January, February and March meetings will be on Zoom. For contact information and more details and updates, you can find us online at leasideresidents.ca and press the Contact Us button, or at leasideresidents.ca/contact-us.
