RE: EX25.4 - RapidTO: Transit Priority on Dufferin Street and Bathurst Street
Dear Mayor Chow and Members of the Executive Committee,
TTCriders is a membership-based transit advocacy organization representing thousands of people who rely on public transit every day. We are writing to express our support for the implementation of RapidTO dedicated transit lanes and to urge you to honour the full promise of these improvements.
We commend the City’s continued commitment to implementing dedicated transit lanes on Bathurst and Dufferin Streets south of Bloor. This progress matters. These improvements will help thousands of transit users get to work, school, and home faster and more reliably, and we will celebrate that win. But we cannot ignore the significant gap left by the decision to back away from extending these lanes north of Bloor.
More than 75,000 people rely on the Dufferin and Bathurst routes every single day. Furthermore, public consultation revealed 68-77% of residents support prioritizing transit. These routes—particularly Dufferin—have long been held up as cornerstone corridors in Toronto’s promise to prioritize transit riders. That promise must be kept.
This need becomes even more urgent as Toronto prepares to welcome tens of thousands of visitors for the FIFA World Cup in 2026. Fast, reliable, and accessible transit will be key to keeping our city moving. Dedicated lanes are not just red lines painted on the road, they are a proven and necessary tool for improving service, growing ridership, and rebuilding public confidence in the TTC.
Mayor Chow and nearly every member of this Executive Committee signed a TTCriders pledge to deliver 10 RapidTO lanes by the end of this council term. Time is running out, and now is the time to act.
We are calling on the Mayor’s Executive Committee and City Council to:
1. Approve and accelerate the full implementation of dedicated transit lanes on Bathurst up to Eglinton and Dufferin up to Wilson as originally proposed, and commit to timelines for this implementation.
2. Advance planning and timelines for RapidTO corridors on Jane Street, Finch Avenue East, Steeles Avenue West, and Lawrence Avenue East.
3. Provide clear direction to Transportation Services to implement supporting measures, including turn restrictions, loading zones, parking solutions, and traffic impact mitigation.
Transit riders are watching. It’s time to deliver the bold, reliable transit network Toronto needs and that this Council has already committed to.
Sincerely,
Andrew Pulsifer
Executive Director, TTCriders
Read analysis from TTCriders about what's being proposed in the TTC budget in 2026 and how to get involved! Members of the public can speak directly to City Councillors during budget hearings on January 20 and 21 at locations across Toronto.