Toronto will expand its popular ActiveTO program once again amid new data suggesting that the weekend closures are resulting in up to a three-fold increase in cyclist traffic.

The city will stage a minimum of four ActiveTO closures on each weekend in July, including a one-day closure of a portion of Black Creek Drive on July 17.

The city also plans to close a portion of Lake Shore Boulevard West on three separate weekends in July after previously suggesting that the closure could not be accommodated this year due to a long-term construction project at the intersection of King Street, Queen Street and Roncesvalles Avenue.

It is, however, shortening the route on two of the weekends so that it terminates at Jameson Avenue rather than Stadium Road.

“ActiveTO continues to be a popular and successful program that supports Toronto’s ongoing response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The July schedule clearly shows how determined we are to come through on our promise to provide more space to more people, at locations around our city on weekends, and to keep flexible and enjoyable routes,” Mayor John Tory said in a press release accompanying the July schedule. “I encourage all residents to take advantage of the many and varied ActiveTO locations that will be available throughout July and I look forward to seeing what’s in store for August.”

The city says that approximately 16,700 to 34,000 cyclists used the Lakeshore Boulevard West closure over a 15-hour period during the two May weekends that it was in place. That is up from the 4,600 to 10,800 cyclists observed along the route when the closure was not in place.

The closure, however, did lead to a significant increase in travel times along the Gardiner Expressway and the Queensway.

In fact, the city said that when it was in place traffic data suggested that commute times along those routes were two to three times longer.

“On the one hand the incredible use that it gets makes you want to make it available as often as possible but that has to be balanced against the fact that it also triples the traffic time and it's not because it triples the traffic time in and of itself, it is because that in turn causes people then to make decisions to go into the local neighbourhoods and cause a very disruptive circumstance for thousands people who live in those neighbourhoods. So my job as with everything is to sort of balance those interests and what we've done I think achieves that which is to say we're going to have it on some weekends, as opposed to others,” Tory said of the traffic considerations during a briefing on Wednesday. “We're also going to open up new places to have ActiveTO so we're not backing away from the principle. This is a good program and we should have it.”

This is the July schedule for ActiveTO:

July 3-4

  • Lake Shore Boulevard West (eastbound lanes), between Windermere Avenue and Stadium Road
  • Lake Shore Boulevard East (eastbound lanes), between Leslie Street to Woodbine Avenue
  • The Meadoway in Scarborough (Brimley Road to Scarborough Golf Club Road)
  • Roads within High Park

July 10-11

  • Roads within Exhibition Place
  • Lake Shore Boulevard East (eastbound lanes), between Leslie Street to Woodbine Avenue
  • Bayview Avenue, between Front Street East and Rosedale Valley Road, and River Street, between Bayview Avenue and Spruce Street
  • The Meadoway in Scarborough (Brimley Road to Scarborough Golf Club Road)
  • Roads within High Park

July 17-18

  • Black Creek Drive (northbound lanes), Trethewey Drive to Lawrence Avenue (Saturday, July 17 only)
  • Lake Shore Boulevard West (eastbound lanes), between Jameson Avenue and Stadium Road
  • Lake Shore Boulevard East (eastbound lanes), between Leslie Street to Woodbine Avenue
  • Bayview Avenue, between Front Street East and Rosedale Valley Road, and River Street, between Bayview Avenue and Spruce Street
  • The Meadoway in Scarborough (Brimley Road to Scarborough Golf Club Road)
  • Roads within High Park

July 24-25

  • Lake Shore Boulevard East (eastbound lanes), between Leslie Street to Woodbine Avenue
  • Lake Shore Boulevard West (eastbound lanes), between Jameson Avenue and Stadium Road
  • Bayview Avenue, between Front Street East and Rosedale Valley Road, and River Street, between Bayview Avenue and Spruce Street
  • The Meadoway in Scarborough (Brimley Road to Scarborough Golf Club Road)
  • Roads within High Park

July 31 – August 1

  • Lake Shore Boulevard West (eastbound lanes), between Windermere Avenue and Stadium Road
  • Lake Shore Boulevard East (eastbound lanes), between Leslie Street to Woodbine Avenue
  • The Meadoway in Scarborough (Brimley Road to Scarborough Golf Club Road)
  • Roads within High Park