ActiveTO routes announced for May long weekend in Toronto

With the Victoria Day weekend upon us Toronto has major ActiveTO road closures including parts of Lake Shore Boulevard East, Lake Shore Boulevard West and roads within High Park. All will be closed to vehicular traffic to give residents more space for exercise and provide safe access to pedestrians and cyclists. The new ActiveTO Bayview multi-use trail is now open for use until April 2022.

Toronto’s more than 1,500 parks and 11,000 hectares of ravine spaces are also open for fresh air and exercise everyday, including weekends.

The following ActiveTO locations will be available from Saturday, May 22 at 6 a.m. until Sunday, May 23 at 9 p.m.:

• Lake Shore Boulevard East (eastbound lanes only), between Leslie Street and Woodbine Avenue
• Lake Shore Boulevard West (eastbound lanes only), between Windermere Avenue and Stadium Road.

As part of ActiveTO, roads in High Park will be closed to vehicles for all three days of the long weekend. Vehicle access will be restricted starting Friday at approximately 11 p.m. until Tuesday at approximately 7 a.m.

The planned temporary ActiveTO Bayview multi-use trail along Bayview Avenue, between Mill Street and Rosedale Valley Road is now available to people walking and riding their bikes and will stay in place every day until April 2022, including weekends. The Bayview Avenue multi-use trail provides an important full-time temporary protected space for residents to get exercise, further connects and expands Toronto’s cycling network, and provides a detour for the planned Lower Don Trail construction closure this summer. The corridor will also safely accommodate vehicles. For the duration of the project, Bayview Avenue, between River Street and Lawren Harris Square, and between Front Street East and Mill Street, has been converted to one-way southbound only for vehicles.

“I encourage residents to use these ActiveTO spaces this long weekend, and to enjoy any of Toronto’s many parks or trails for exercise. These routes are flexible and staff have been actively adjusting traffic plans based on last weekend’s observations. We continue to provide more spaces on weekends for people, and more safe, full-time routes that people can use every day to ride a bike or go for a run or walk.– Mayor John Tory

City of Toronto says its staff will continue to actively monitor traffic congestion on all routes throughout the weekend and adjust signal timing where required.

Here is how traffic congestion will be managed along the Lake Shore routes:

• actively adjust signal timing at the intersection of Windermere Avenue and Lake Shore Boulevard West throughout the weekend
• place additional paid duty officers at key intersections and access points along Lake Shore Boulevard West and the Brookers Lane off-ramp to allow for safe access to roads on the southside of the roadway
• place additional Traffic Agents at key intersections where pedestrians and people on bikes access the closure
• introduce more signage, well in advance of the closure, to advise motorists on the Gardiner Expressway sooner so that they avoid the area and choose a different route
• improve traffic management plans at the Gardiner/Lake Shore Boulevard split and at the Windermere and Lake Shore Boulevard West intersection to allow for better traffic flow.

Motorists are reminded to plan their trips in advance to avoid the closures if possible and should consider using a wayfinding app to understand detours and travel times.

“This long weekend, the City’s ActiveTO routes, parks, ravines and trails, provide residents with a great opportunity to stay active and take advantage of the warm weather, while enjoying a walk, run or bike ride,” said Councillor Jennifer McKelvie (Scarborough-Rough Park) Chair of the Infrastructure and Environment Committee.

ActiveTO routes are open to people on bikes and pedestrians. Residents planning to use ActiveTO routes or visit High Park should do so only with members of their own household and are asked to access them by bike or as a pedestrian due to limited nearby parking and no on-site parking available.

Parking lots along Lake Shore Boulevard West, at Sunnyside Park, Budapest Park and Sir Casimir Gzowski Park, will be closed all weekend during ActiveTO closures. Overnight parking is not permitted in these lots and any vehicles should be moved before midnight on Friday.

City staff will close lanes on Allen Road on June 5 and are planning to expand ActiveTO weekend closures to vehicles along Black Creek Drive and roads within the Exhibition Place grounds later this summer.

Bike Share Toronto stations are available along ActiveTO routes. Download the PBSC app to get started .

ActiveTO was designed in response to COVID-19 to provide more space for people to practise physical distancing while outside, support the overall wellbeing of residents and to quickly connect and expand Toronto’s cycling network by installing safe, separated temporary bike routes that mirror major transit lines.

• Learn more about ActiveTO, including information about the new ActiveTO Bayview Cycling Corridor.
• Maps and details for available paths and trails are available.
• Details about access to High Park are available.

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