Bloor Street West – Runnymede Road to Shaw Street

The project area stretches on Bloor Street West from Shaw Street to Runnymede Road. It connects to the existing bikeway on Bloor Street West, which runs from Avenue Road to Shaw Street.

In 2016, the City implemented the first pilot project to install and evaluate cycle tracks on Bloor Street West between Shaw Street and Avenue Road. Since then, it has become the second busiest in the city with approximately 5,220 daily users. On average, 13% of people living in the project area cycle to work or school. In some areas, this number is as high as 29%.

Based on the results of the 2016 pilot project in fall 2019, City Council directed City staff to begin the design and consultation of extending bikeways on Bloor Street West from Shaw Street to High Park.

City staff utilized the learnings from the 2016 pilot project to inform the western extension. The following is a timeline of events that took place prior to the 2020 installation:

Project Goals

The goal of this project was to create a safe, multi-modal and vibrant Bloor Street West by:

• developing a primary east-west cycling corridor that builds upon the existing bikeway on Bloor Street West.
• creating a comfortable cycling space that physically separates cyclists from drivers.
• exploring opportunities to improve safety for all road users, particularly the most vulnerable such as pedestrians and cyclists of all ages and abilities.
• considering and accommodating all users and uses such as parking, loading, travel by car and TTC bus operations.

Project Design

The design included:

• a dedicated, protected bike lane  on the north and south sides of Bloor Street West from Shaw Street to Runnymede Road.
• one vehicle lane maintained in each direction with turn lanes at key intersections.
• reduction of on-street parking in some areas to accommodate cycling safety and bus stops.
• addition of permanent on-street parking as well as commercial and accessible loading zones in some areas.
• installation of additional bike racks and bike parking locations, as well as Bike Share stations.
• no changes to Wheel-Trans, emergency services, garbage pick-up or other City services.

Design Considerations

In-depth data analysis was used to inform the design process, including:

• collisions, with a focus on vulnerable road users.
• mode share, including traffic, transit, cycling and walking volumes.
• cycling routes and transit connections.
• pick-up and drop-off by ride-hailing vehicles and TTC Wheel-Trans.
• on-street and off-street parking capacity and utilization.
• future land development proposals.
• bicycle parking supply and Bike Share utilization.

Designing bike facilities

Bike facilities are designed to support safe and accessible use. The Project Team consulted with City staff and agencies including TTC, Emergency Services and traffic engineering.

The design of the bike facilities was informed through consultation and feedback received from local stakeholders and community groups, residents, and businesses, data analysis, and review of technical information.

The bike facilities are designed to maintain safe building access for people arriving on foot, bike, transit and by car.

Determining on-street parking needs

City staff conducts multiple counts to assess on-street parking demand during the busiest times of the week. This was done on a block-by-block basis. Available off-street parking is also considered.

Impacts on loading and deliveries for businesses

The City addressed existing loading and delivery needs through consultation with businesses, organizations and building owners on Bloor Street. In the existing Bloor Bikeway, businesses’ loading needs are accommodated using mostly side streets and back alleys. Some have had to modify their loading process.

Accommodating accessibility needs

TTC Wheel-Trans vehicles and accessible taxis are allowed to load passengers in the bikeway. In addition, on-street accessible parking and loading spaces are being investigated in the design where feasible.

Impacts on safety

Bikeways provide safe options for people who want to bike to school or work, for shopping, recreation and other trips.

An important purpose of adding bikeways is to improve safety for people of all ages and abilities, including people who walk, take transit, ride a bike or drive a car. Studies in Toronto and elsewhere have shown that adding bikeways improves safety for all road users. By adding bikeways and reducing traffic lane widths, motorists tend to slow down. Slower speeds reduce the number of collisions, and their severity if they do occur.

Physical separation

The extension was designed to provide separation for people cycling from cars. Driving, parking and stopping of motorized vehicles are prohibited in bike lanes and cycle tracks. In most locations, the bike lanes were separated from vehicles using a physical barrier, such as plastic flexi-posts, concrete curbs, planter boxes, or some combination of the above.

After installation

After installation, the City continues to:

• observe the new behaviour
• conduct new traffic counts on Bloor Street West and nearby streets
• evaluate before and after conditions

After monitoring and evaluating, the City will consider modification, such as:

• changing signal timing and traffic lights.
• adding or adjusting turn restriction or through restrictions.
• enhancing TTC stops and Wheel-Trans access.
• increasing parking set backs to improve sight lines.
• improving intersection safety.

More detailed information on the project design can be found on the Public Drop-In Event’s information panels.

Design Roll Plan Sections (from west to east on Bloor Street West)

After opening the files below, zoom in to view the details.

• Pavement Marking Plan – Shaw St. to Ossington Ave.
• Pavement Marking Plan – Ossington Ave. to Dovercourt Rd.
• Pavement Marking Plan – Dovercourt Rd. to Dufferin St.
• Pavement Marking Plan – Dufferin St. to Brock Ave.
• Pavement Marking Plan – Brock Ave. to Lansdowne Ave.
• Pavement Marking Plan – Lansdowne Ave. to Symington Ave./Sterling Rd.
• Pavement Marking Plan – Symington Ave./Sterling Rd. to Dundas St. W.
• Pavement Marking Plan – Dundas St. W. to Keele St./Parkside Dr.
• Pavement Marking Plan – Keele St./Parkside Dr. to Kennedy Park Rd./Ellis Park Rd.
• Pavement Marking Plan – Kennedy Park Rd./Ellis Park Rd. to Beresford Ave.

Consultation Summary

The public comment period was open from January 24 to February 14, 2020.

View the Consultation Report for more information.

Public Drop-In Events

The City hosted two public drop-in events on January 27, 2020, at St. Wenceslaus Church and January 30, 2020, at the Lithuanian House.

At the events, attendees were able to view the information panels in print and discuss one-on-one with the project team. The same information was available at both events.

Those who were unable to attend either event were invited to submit an online feedback form between January 24 and February 14, 2020.

Businesses and Organizations Drop-In Events

The City hosted four drop-in events in the project area for building owners, business owners and organizations in each of the Business Improvement Areas (BIAs) on Bloor Street West in the project area.

Drop-In events were held at:

• Lithuanian House on November 13, 2019, for the Bloor by the Park BIA area
• St. Wenceslaus Church on November 18, 2019, for the Bloorcourt BIA area
• Swansea Town Hall on November 19, 2019, for the Bloor West Village BIA area
• New Horizons Tower on November 20, 2019, for the Bloordale Village BIA area

At the drop-in events, building owners and representatives of businesses and organizations in the project area on Bloor Street West had an opportunity to:

• view project information on the Bloor West Bikeway Extension
• ask questions and speak with City of Toronto staff
• provide feedback on the project in relation to properties and businesses (parking, loading, accessibility etc.)

Those who were unable to attend either event were invited to review the consultation material before filling out businesses and organizations stakeholder survey. The survey closed on December 9, 2019.