Speak Up For Scarborough Transit

Take Action

On May 2, 2023, City Councillors will meet to finalize plans for the replacement bus service for Line 3. Your voice is needed to help City Councillors understand the impact that the Scarborough RT shutdown will have, and why emergency transit measures are needed.

• RSVP to the April 30th workshop from TTCriders to learn more about this issue and tips for speaking to City Councillors on May 2.
• Send an email to the Executive Committee (copy and paste below).
• Share the latest info about the Scarborough RT replacement plans on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. 
• Attend the May 7 Jane’s Walk Scarborough RT photowalk organized by Nithursan Elamuhilan to document the RT and learn more.

Link to agenda for May 2 Executive Committee meeting:  Executive Committee - Meeting 4 - TMMIS (toronto.ca)

Link to May 2 staff report: https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2023/ex/bgrd/backgroundfile-235966.pdf

What's new about this report?

With your help and support, TTCriders convinced City Councillors to save the RT rail corridor and convert it into an off-street busway, so buses don’t get stuck in traffic. A dedicated busway in the rail corridor would save transit users time in each direction! A TTC staff report from April 2022 estimated that a busway would save up to 10 minutes for riders. 

But we're worried that the TTC is backtracking... The plan to convert the rail corridor into a busway has not been funded, and the 2025 target opening date for that busway disappeared from the latest report. The report says: "The bus replacement service will continue operating on-street until either the existing SRT right-of-way between Kennedy Station and Ellesmere Station is converted to a dedicated busway (subject to funding availability) or the SSE begins service, whichever occurs first." 

In the meantime, replacement bus service will need to run on the street on Kennedy, Midland and Ellesmere, and compete in traffic with other vehicles.

The good news is the report by City staff recommends bus-only lanes on the street!

Our efforts to prioritize buses have paid off. Now we need to make sure Councillors vote yes to the strongest possible plan for on-street bus priority, and to see the busway conversion through.  

More information: Emergency transit solutions for Scarborough 

Transit users urgently need: 

• Full funding to create an off-street busway in the Scarborough RT corridor. This was approved by the TTC in April 2022, but funding has not been secured and the target opening date of 2025 for the busway has disappeared from the latest report. A dedicated busway in the rail corridor would save transit users time in each direction! A TTC staff report in April 2022 estimated that a busway in the right-of-way (ROW) would save up to 10 minutes for riders (see Fig. 4). 

[Graphic from April 2022 TTC staff report] 

• The strongest possible priority measures on the street for replacement buses while this busway gets constructed, such as red bus-only lanes, transit signal priority and other improvements on Kennedy, Midland, and Ellesmere, including: 
  • A dedicated left-hand turn from Ellesmere onto Midland for buses travelling southbound. The proposal for buses to make a U-Turn on Midland will add time and inconvenience to transit users (see Fig. 7)

• Transit Signal Priority priority measures that are fully active so buses don’t get stuck at intersections.
• Fully accessible bus stops. There is an opportunity to make stops level with buses, which would allow users with wheelchairs, strollers and other devices to more easily and quickly board buses;
• Ensuring that bus stops have enough capacity and shelter. With 70 new replacement buses per hour travelling between Kennedy Station and STC, on top of existing bus service, will there be enough room for all the passengers to safely wait at bus stops? The report notes that bus pad areas will be expanded but this is also an opportunity to improve bus stops with adequate shelters, lighting, and sidewalk space;
• Reducing congestion at intersections. The current plan could be improved by continuing red bus-only lanes right up to the intersection, and adding a separate turning lane for other vehicles (see Fig. 6).

Other measures that will support connectivity when the RT closes include: 

• Bicycle and walking paths along the RT corridor for better connectivity. While red RapidTO bus lanes allow for bicycles, they do not replace safe, dedicated infrastructure for bicycles and active transportation. 
• Free transfers between TTC and GO trains and buses to unlock more transit options in Scarborough. 
• A reversal of TTC service cuts, and additional funding to get more frequent transit service in Scarborough.
• Full funding for the Eglinton East LRT.
• Public green space along the RT corridor, including the preservation of the concrete structures so this historic landmark can be used by the public.

Bus Lanes, Signal Priority, and other improvements 

The staff report recommends installing red bus-only lanes and other forms of transit priority so that replacement shuttle buses travel more quickly. The replacement buses will travel northbound on Kennedy Road, southbound on Midland Avenue, and along Ellesmere (map below). Over 70 buses per hour will be used on this route, more than 1 bus every minute. The estimated capital funding required to implement the transit priority measures is $7.35 million and is funded in the TTC’s capital plan. City staff will monitor the results and may keep some of the priority measures after the Scarborough subway opens.

Dedicated busway after 2025

The TTC approved a plan in April 2022 to convert the Scarborough RT rail corridor into a dedicated busway. Buses would run on a new bus-only roadway, where the RT tracks currently run at ground-level between Kennedy Station and Ellesmere Station. After Ellesmere Station, buses would continue their journey to Scarborough Town Centre on-street on Ellesmere Road and Brimley Road. 

Funding for the $58.6 million cost to construct the busway has not been secured. Converting the decommissioned right-of-way will reduce the operating costs of replacement bus service. 

Flat, single fare in Toronto between GO and TTC

There are 7 GO stations in Scarborough across two GO train lines, but many TTC users do not use them because they require an additional fare. These costs add up. A single, flat fare within Toronto would mean that riders can transfer from the TTC to GO without an additional fare, or from GO to TTC and only pay a single, flat TTC fare for the entire trip. This would allow seamless travel between TTC and GO buses and trains, and improve connectivity in Scarborough when Line 3 shuts down. More affordable transit creates a more equitable city -- why should we pay more to use the GO network? TTCriders is calling for the provincial government to fully fund a flat-fare across all of Toronto.

Eglinton East LRT

The Eglinton East LRT is a light rail line that is proposed to connect Kennedy Station, University of Toronto Scarborough and Malvern Town Centre via Eglinton Avenue East, Kingston Road, Morningside Avenue, Sheppard Avenue and Neilson Road. City Council has allocated $1.2 billion to the EELRT but the $3.9 billion project still needs funding from the provincial and federal governments. 

Keeping the public space around the RT corridor for cycling, walking, and recreation

Scarborough needs more public green space and options to get around. Keeping the concrete structures of the RT after it closes can preserve a historic landmark for this area of Scarborough. The bridge could be reused as a linear park, serving the communities of Dorset Park and Scarborough Centre. At the same time, the RT corridor between Ellesmere Station and Kennedy can serve as a public space for communities along it. This can include pathways and bicycle paths to allow people to walk, bike and roll along the corridor. We are asking that the RT corridor be retained as a public space.