Dedicated bus lanes, traffic camera changes and sleds are on Toronto council's agenda

Dedicated bus lanes, sleds and traffic cameras are among the issues on Toronto City Council's February agenda for discussion this week.

The council begins its three-day session on Tuesday – its last before debating the budget next week. Here's what you can hear more about:

Special bus routes

Bus-riding Torontonians could soon get some relief from slow bus travel by adding bus-only lanes on some routes if council votes to move forward.

In the proposed next step in the surface transit network plan, called RapidTO, staff will examine adding bus-only lanes on Finch Avenue East, Dufferin Street, Lawrence Avenue East and Stiles Avenue West. Staff are already exploring other avenues.

The TTC's Dufferin bus route received a mock gold award from a coalition of transit stakeholders in January for being Toronto's slowest bus route, with a peak travel time of 10.6 km/h.

Rebina Subadar, a frequent user of the Dufferin bus, told executive committee members on Jan. 30, “It's very slow and has a lot of potential to be a fast route.”

He says on a good day it takes him an hour to get downtown from his home in Black Creek, but some days it takes him twice as long.

According to the city, 70 percent of all TTC trips currently involve a surface transit trip.

The staff report mainly asks for support for the surface transit network plan. There are no guaranteed deadlines associated with voting.

Alejandra Bravo, spokeswoman for the ward that covers Dufferin Street, said the dedicated bus lane would be a “powerful intervention”.

“In terms of accessibility, nothing is more important than the bus,” he said.

Sledders are back on the agenda

Sledding is back on this week's council agenda, with a proposal that, if passed, would see sledding return to 45 hills in Toronto.

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The city did not post sledding signs on many of the city's hills this season. (CBC)

For safety reasons, signs have been posted prohibiting sledding this winter. The new motion was proposed by Beaches-East York Coun. Brad Bradford and Mayor Olivia Chow will install new signs “warning of potential sledding hazards and where to find designated sledding hills that the city inspects or maintains.”

“We don't want to live in a bubble society,” Bradford said. “Banning sledding is just ridiculous, and frankly, it's a shame. We're developing a reputation as a fun town.”

The proposal would also ensure that city staff work with a local council before banning sledding on any hill in their district.

There was not much snow in the city this season. Environment Canada says rain or thunderstorms are possible on February 10.

Warning to those who crossed the red traffic light and exceeded the speed limit

It can be difficult to fight a ticket if traffic passes through red lights and automated speed cameras.

After Nov. 1, anyone ticketed for a red light camera or automated speed camera can no longer fight a fine in provincial court. Instead, they had to appeal to a quasi-judicial municipal tribunal hearing officer.

City staff and members of the Infrastructure and Environmental Protection Committee proposed the change, which they believe would improve Vision Zero, the road safety plan aimed at reducing deaths and injuries on city streets.

An additional 75 automated speed enforcement (ASE) cameras will be installed in Toronto by 2026 to encourage drivers to slow down. But to accommodate those cameras, a new ticket management system must be adopted, city officials said. (Michael Wilson/CBC)

Deputy Mayor Jennifer McKelvey, who chairs the group, said: “If we get this system in place, it will allow us to expand the automated speed enforcement program, which is what the council has been asking for.”

The city currently has about 300 red light cameras and the council has authorized staff to increase the number of speed cameras to 150 as soon as possible.