At the Transit Alliance’s Green Cities conference, Toronto Chief Planner Jennifer Keesmaat made an important announcement: the City of Toronto has officially launched the King Street Pilot Project, a study that has been mentioned in passing but, until now, hasn’t been seriously discussed.
“This is the busiest transit corridor in the City of Toronto, with 65,000 riders a day,” she said. “But you know, what I know, if you have ever ridden the king car. Service is slow, it’s unreliable, you can’t get on, there is a frequency issue, and the irony is it’s partly to do with the cars in the corridor.”
The study area stretches along the 6km corridor from Dufferin St. to River St. along King. More details on the King Street Pilot Study can be found at the city’s website, which was launched during the Green Cities conference on Jan. 25th.
Watch her full announcement here:
Keesmaat said there would be a number of options presented to the public on Feb. 13th, and hinted at the inclusion of a car-free corridor as one of the tactics to relieve congestion.
“This is about recognizing the latent demand that already exists. Along King Street, all those people in liberty village who quite frankly have given up on transit,” she said. “This is a tangible way of taking a policy and turning it into a reality that will transform the lives of many commuters in this city, but will also enhance the way we are understood as a green city. And, of course, if we get it right on King, we can get it right elsewhere.”
“We can transform our city.”
