FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 23, 2025
Toronto, ON–TTCriders, a membership-based transit advocacy group, and Toronto Environmental Alliance (TEA) celebrate the passing of RapidTO, dedicated transit lanes on Dufferin and Bathurst at today’s meeting of Toronto City Council.
Toronto, ON–TTCriders, a membership-based transit advocacy group, and Toronto Environmental Alliance (TEA) celebrate the passing of RapidTO, dedicated transit lanes on Dufferin and Bathurst at today’s meeting of Toronto City Council.
“Giving priority to the 75,000 daily riders on these lines is a huge step forward,” said Andrew Pulsifer, Executive Director of TTCriders. “Implementing these lanes will make transit more reliable and encourage more people to take a bus or streetcar instead of driving.”
While the plan was watered down from its original proposal of lanes extending to Eglinton, Council reaffirmed support for expanding RapidTO today once City Staff have time to establish parking replacements, turn restrictions and mitigate local traffic infiltration. We expect clear timelines for full implementation of dedicated transit lanes north of Bloor as originally proposed to have the greatest benefit to transit users and congestion. Public consultations on both lanes revealed strong support for full implementation all the way up to Eglinton, with 77% supportive on Dufferin and 68% supportive on Bathurst.
This plan was approved by Mayor Chow’s Executive Committee on July 16 and went before the full City Council for the final vote, where it passed 20-3 Councillors Brad Bradford, Stephen Holyday and James Pasternak voted against priority for transit riders.
“We are very encouraged that Council has supported this initial phase of work, which will help move more residents rapidly along the Dufferin and Bathurst corridors, while making important progress towards Toronto's climate goals," said Emmay Mah, Executive Director of TEA. “We also expect the City to bring this project to completion, so Toronto residents can enjoy the full benefits of the RapidTO network, including moving forward with long promised transit lanes along Jane Street, Finch East, Steeles and Lawrence."
“Transit users will continue to speak up and fight for common-sense solutions like dedicated transit lanes,” said Pulsifer. “These have already been proven effective in other cities around the world, including New York, Montreal, Bogota, London and many others. Toronto needs the TTC to keep up with existing best practices to become truly a world-class transit system.”
Thousands of people spoke up through petitions, consultations, and by packing the room to speak to Councillors at meetings, declaring that they want dedicated lanes all the way up to Eglinton. We look forward to our city leaders working together to ensure their voices are heard.
Media Contact:
Andrew Pulsifer
Executive Director, TTCriders
-30-
Scarborough-Rouge Park will be electing a new City Councillor on September 29. We’ve asked candidates whether they’ll invest in more TTC service, protect and expand Scarborough's bus lanes, approve fare capping to expand affordable transit, and more. View candidates’ detailed answers to our survey, information about their transit platforms, and more.
Read our letter submission for the pre-budget consultations ahead of the 2025 Federal Budget. This budget is a critical time to invest in transit reliability, affordability, maintenance, and expansion of Toronto's transit to tackle congestion and provide affordable ways of getting around.
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.