I share the serious concerns of Liberty Village residents and visitors about worsening traffic congestion. While I know many of the challenges are not new, and are a result of planning decisions over many years, they have worsened with construction and events in the area, and the situation is at a critical point. My commitment is to keep working with seriousness to address the issue and make progress together.
I have been working with City staff over the past few months to examine action to alleviate immediate pressures and develop long-term solutions. At Council in July, we approved my motion for a Liberty Village Traffic Action Plan to identify and implement short, medium and long term solutions with a dedicated focus.
We moved quickly to:
- Stopping non-essential construction until King Street West construction work concluded, including an immediate halt on weekend work
- Traffic officer coverage on streets during peak times to direct traffic
- Modify pavement markings and signage and install new traffic cameras at key intersections, including at Dufferin/Strachan, Wellington/Strachan, and another in progress at Liberty/Hanna
- Taking action to manage the impact of special events on the neighbourhood
- And, we were able to re-open King St W, 10 weeks ahead of schedule
Working together, we had a big impact. We saw a 50-67% wait time reduction at key intersections.
Our work isn't over. On October 10 at City Council, we moved a report on the progress we made, and outlining what was coming next. I also moved motions to:
- Ensure current and future developments comply with this plan, as well as the public realm strategy and the upcoming regeneration study
- Continue measures from the summer, like dedicated staffing at key intersections ( East Liberty/Strachan/Ordnance, and Liberty/Dufferin)
- Implement pngoing community consultation with local stakeholders
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Advocate to Metrolinx for:
- 15 minute GO service
- Liberty New Street coming ASAP
- Innovative ideas for Ontario Line construction to keep dump trucks off of East Liberty, Strachan, and Ordnance
You can see my comments at Council here and view the final report and my amendments here.
My commitment to you is to keep working on improvements that make it faster, safer and more reliable to get where you need to go.
November Update on Ontario Line Construction
In November, Metrolinx announced they would keep dump trucks off neighbourhood streets in Liberty Village and develop a better construction plan for Exhibition Station, following the Liberty Village Traffic Action Plan and local advocacy together with the Liberty Village Residents’ Association and the Liberty Village BIA.
We’ve recently confirmed:
- A significant reduction in the number of daily trucks
- Metrolinx will use Dufferin as a key access point, not Strachan
- They’ll also put in place foundational parts of Liberty New Street to use during construction, including turning lanes, with commitment to expedite its opening to align with opening of the station.
This is encouraging progress that shows it is possible for Metrolinx to plan construction better working with community stakeholders.
With this new plan, I’ll keep working with City staff and with you to hold Metrolinx accountable, and to identify and implement continuous improvements as work on this critical transit infrastructure intensifies.
Take this 1-minute survey to share your thoughts about next steps!
Thanks to everyone who has shared your traffic management ideas and experiences in Liberty Village to help develop the Liberty Village Traffic Action Plan. We’re moving forward with implementing this plan and responding to your priorities.
This work is both urgent and long term. As the city continues to grow and host major events like the FIFA World Cup in 2026, I’m determined to find better solutions to Liberty Village's traffic challenges. By working together, we can create a safer, more accessible neighbourhood for everyone.
