Staff may still find a way to include Lake Shore Boulevard West into the Active TO program this year after the city said it would have to scrap the closure due to a massive construction project on nearby roads, Mayor John Tory said.
Speaking to CP24 on Wednesday morning, Tory said city staff have been asked to explore how that busy route may still be included in the program.
“That was a very popular stretch on Lakeshore West but the fact is we have a huge construction project going on that affects King Street, Queen Street, The Queensway.
“It is a massive construction project that will, by the way, provide significant benefits for cyclists and pedestrians and streetcars, transit, and so on, but is going to be so disruptive that we just have to be conscious of the fact that you can't, as much as you want to do these things, close the whole city down.”
Tory said staff will investigate whether the closure could be accommodated on some weekends when it is quieter.
“The bottom line is we have a balancing act... to perform here,” he said.
In an effort to provide more space for pedestrians and cyclists amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the city launched ActiveTO last May, closing down parts of Lake Shore Boulevard West, Lake Shore Boulevard East and Bayview Avenue on weekends.
The popularity of the program, which was only supposed to run in the summer months, prompted staff to extend ActiveTO for another month until the end of October.
Tory said the city is now looking at ways to expand ActiveTO to other parts of the city outside the downtown core.
He added that staff are working to get this year’s program going as soon as possible.
