Toronto is finally getting a car-free street but critics say it’s not enough

by Nisean Lorde for Post City Posted: May 9, 2024 Photo: A sketch of the Old Cherry Street pedestrian zone, courtesy waterfronttoronto.ca

Plans for Toronto’s new Villiers Island neighbourhood include one car-free pedestrian zone and one full street that is “pedestrian priority.”

Blueprints for the Villiers Island precinct plan were released late last month and show that the pedestrian zone — the north block of Old Cherry Street — will have two levels of wide sidewalks, separated by trees. The centre of the street will be for pedestrians but will be left open for emergency vehicles (and perhaps bikes). The area seems to also be adorned with cherry blossom trees.

The “pedestrian priority” street, Centre Street, will have wide sidewalks (35 per cent of the right-of-way, up to 4 metres wide, compared to 15-17 per cent for cars) and trees, a one-way lane of vehicle traffic and a bike lane.

Other local streets will have two lanes of vehicle traffic (one each way) but still have 35 per cent sidewalks (up to 3.5 metres wide) separated by trees from the roadway. Foundry Street will be about 35 per cent sidewalks and 33 per cent combined car and bike lanes.

The widest rights-of-way, such as Commissioners Street, will include streetcar tracks, two lanes of vehicle traffic (one each way), two bike lanes and plenty of trees. The sidewalks are at the edges and appear to be 3 metres wide.

However, critics of the plan say that one car-free street is not going far enough to prioritize pedestrians and is way too car-centric.

One X user responded to Walk Toronto’s commentary on the new plans for the community by saying that there’s “no excuse” for cars to be allowed on any of the pedestrian-oriented streets within the blocks. “This design is explicitly car oriented because it is designed by wealthy, car owning staff,” they wrote. 

Another X user questioned why Toronto struggles so much with pedestrian-centred design when other cities around the world have managed to easily accommodate pedestrian-only corridors.

Montreal has been testing out car-free streets through the summer months for a few years now, with the mayor designating 11 different streets across seven neighbourhoods to be closed to car traffic for up to six months this year. Vancouver is also testing a car-free pilot in Gastown this year on Water Street this summer.

The Villiers Island precinct will be a new waterfront community that embraces new parks and public spaces, bringing residential, office and commercial space to the underused Port Lands, and ecological richness from the naturalization of the mouth of the Don River. The parks and river valley will be unique ecological assets, and the landscape will extend throughout the island, in streetscapes, public spaces, and walkways.

Toronto City Council also announced that it is taking action to build more affordable homes, including more affordable housing, on Villiers Island, by investing in infrastructure, spaces, and community amenities, and delivering Canada’s first climate-positive community.

Article exclusive to POST CITY

BACK TO HOME