The 145th Canadian National Exhibition starts today in Toronto, running to Monday September 2! I know it is a part of so many people’s annual summer tradition, mine included.
And it means people will be coming from near and far to Exhibition Place, with additional traffic, road closures, and diversions.
If you are looking to attend, the best way to get there is via TTC, GO Train, walking or biking. Metrolinx is increasing GO service on Lakeshore East and West Lines for the duration of the CNE. Plan your route here.
If you live in Liberty Village and are worried about traffic congestion - I share your concerns. I am committed to working with our Special Events team to inform residents about plans and advocate for additional measures that build off of existing progress.
Weekend Road Closures
From 5 a.m. on Saturdays, to 11:59 p.m. on Sundays, and Labour Day, Dufferin Street/British Columbia Road will be closed weekly between the Dufferin Street Bridge and Lake Shore Boulevard West and Dufferin Street Bridge during the CNE.
In order to address the traffic in the area resulting from the weekend closures implemented by the CNE within the Exhibition Place grounds:
- Police officers will be present at Liberty Street and Dufferin Street as well as King Street West and Dufferin Street to ensure traffic entering the area is not commuter or cut-through traffic in order to safeguard the residential communities south of King Street West.
- Officers will also be guiding non-resident or non-locally intended traffic exiting Liberty Village north on Dufferin Street to King Street West and beyond, and away from Springhurst Avenue.
- Two Traffic Agents will also be present at the intersection of Hanna Avenue and Liberty Street to assist with traffic flow in that area.
Signs were posted throughout the immediate area on Thursday August 15th to advise motorists of these weekend closures.
The overhead VMS (Variable Message Signs) on the Gardiner Expressway as well as the PVMS (Portable Variable Message Signs) on Lake Shore Boulevard between Parkside Drive and British Columbia Road are also being used to advise motorists of these weekend closures.
New and Enhanced Measures for this Year’s CNE
I share the serious concerns of Liberty Village residents and visitors about worsening traffic congestion. Over the summer, I’ve advocated to Transportation Services staff for increased resources and measures, particularly to deal with surges of traffic around special events, as part of the Liberty Village Traffic Action Plan.
With that in mind, these are additional measures in place for this year’s CNE:
- Presence of police officers and traffic agents for weekend closures, as described in the previous section
- Adding significant additional signage:
-
Southbound signage on Strachan north of East Liberty to keep southbound traffic on Strachan to Lake Shore Boulevard; (sign advises No Access to Lake Shore Blvd via Dufferin, 5:00AM Sat to 11:59PM Sun and Labour Day. Aug. 16th through Sept.2nd )
- Road Closed Local Traffic Only sign southbound on Dufferin at King Street West;
- Two temporary No Left Turn Signs for westbound traffic on Liberty approaching Dufferin to reduce non resident and non locally intended traffic from Springhurst Avenue;
- Utilizing the two overhead VMS (Variable Message Signs) on the Gardiner Expressway between the Hwy 427 and the Jameson ramp;
- Utilizing PVMS (Portable Variable Message Signs) on eastbound Lake Shore Boulevard between Parkside drive and British Columbia Drive.
See the below map for more details and don't hesitate to reach out to my office with any questions or concerns at [email protected].
