A controversial closure of King Street for the first weekend of the Toronto International Film Festival is “unlikely” to happen again next year, Mayor John Tory says.
King Street has been completely closed to traffic between Peter Street and University Avenue for a fourth year in a row, allowing the roadway to be transformed into a “festival street” with extended patios and a stage.
The closure, however, has also snarled traffic on nearby roads and forced the busy 504 streetcar to divert.
Speaking with CP24 on Friday, Tory called the traffic impacts an “acceptable price to pay given what TIFF contributes to the economy” but nonetheless said that the closure is unlikely to be permitted during future festivals due to a planned pilot project aimed at speeding up the streetcar along King Street by limiting traffic and removing on-street parking spaces.
“With the King Street changes that are coming in terms of trying to move the transit vehicles better, you are unlikely to see this sort of thing next year because King Street will have changed in a way that probably won’t allow this to happen,” he said.
The TTC objected to shutting down King Street for the first weekend of TIFF this year but city staff opted to allow the closure anyway.
Tory said that while many people have voiced objections to the closure, others have told him that they support it.
“You would be surprised. The people that are complaining are the ones that have the louder voice but there are a lot of people who are very, very happy,” he said. “I was on the street last night and there were thousands of people walking up and down that stretch and enjoying the festival.”
King Street was shut down between Peter Street and University Avenue on Thursday morning and is not expected to reopen until 6 a.m. on Monday.
