Traffic along key Toronto artery to worsen drastically thanks to contentious development

If Toronto’s gridlock is unbearable enough to make more than half of residents consider moving away as it is now, it’s hard to imagine how bad it will be in the years to come as the city expands at record pace.

Projections show that congestion could worsen by some 75 per cent by the 2040s depending on what measures are (or, in the region’s case, more likely aren’t) taken.

And while rush-hour commuters may eventually end up having to slow to below 20km/h for drives along our 400-series highways, there is another route that has been highlighted as a future pain point for drivers.

Lake Shore Boulevard, currently experiencing even more brutal delays than usual due to the ongoing rehabilitation of the parallel Gardiner Expressway, will apparently see traffic worsen by 23 to 40 per cent in less than a decade, all owing to Doug Ford’s controversial “revitalization” of Ontario Place.

The figures come from a transportation impact assessment conducted on behalf of the city late last year, and shared by groups such as Ontario Place for All, which has been vocally opposed to the conversion of the public green space into a private megaspa, parking garage and a senselessly relocated Ontario Science Centre, among other attractions.

“The Ontario Place redevelopment would bring significant changes in traffic movement on Lake Shore Boulevard west and area. As a busy transportation corridor, the street already experiences large amounts of traffic,” wrote Deputy Mayor Ausma Malik when requesting the review over the summer.

She noted that the motion was considered “urgent” given that work on the waterfront property had already begun at the time, and that the Science Centre had just been abruptly, permanently closed contrary to expert advice and public pushback.

Of course, the green space has been mostly levelled now. 

And additional details about the parking garage the Province contractually obligated itself to provide the Therme spa have also come to light — among those details, the fact that it will have more than 3,000 spaces, bringing a slew of drivers to the area.

With congestion pricing, limited traffic zones, and more in our potential arsenal, hopefully, there are some steps we can take both now and down the line to adequately mitigate unmanageable congestion amid a rapidly increasing population and incessant construction.