Brad Bradford proposes removing 12 km of Scarborough bus lanes; transit advocates push back
Mayoral candidate Bradford would remove priority bus lanes on four Scarborough roads, converting two to HOV lanes, citing stalled LRT funding.
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Brad Bradford announced Wednesday he would rip out priority bus lanes on Kingston Road, Morningside Avenue, Kennedy Road, and Midland Road if elected mayor—converting the Kingston and Morningside lanes to HOV lanes while keeping the ones on Eglinton Avenue East.
The lanes, painted in fall 2020, were meant as a temporary fix while the city waited for the Eglinton East LRT to arrive. That transit project has stalled under Olivia Chow's leadership and is no longer on Ontario's list of funded priorities. Bradford has made building the Eglinton East LRT his top transit commitment; he frames the removal as a response to that broken promise.
"The temporary fix became permanent, and the people stuck in traffic beside an empty red lane are paying for a promise City Hall broke," Bradford said.
TTC figures show trips in both directions along Kingston Road, Morningside Avenue, and Eglinton Avenue were faster per day compared with 2019, with reliability improved. Chow tabled a motion in April calling on federal and provincial governments to each fund one-third of the Eglinton East LRT's cost.
TTCriders, the transit advocacy group, strongly opposes Bradford's plan. Executive director Andrew Pulsifer said the lanes are working: "Scarborough riders constantly tell us that these lanes are working. They move tens of thousands of riders, giving them a faster, more reliable trip. We should be expanding measures like these, not ripping them up."
Driving in a bus lane carries a fine plus three demerit points. Bradford said the priority lanes on Eglinton Avenue East would remain until the Scarborough East LRT is funded and under construction.
How much faster is the commute with the bus lanes compared to the 2019 baseline without them?
What specific conditions would trigger Bradford to reverse this decision if elected?
We'll update this story as answers emerge.
The facts
Which four Scarborough roads would lose bus lanes under Bradford's plan?
Kingston Road, Morningside Avenue, Kennedy Road, and Midland Road would have their priority bus lanes removed if Brad Bradford is elected mayor.
What would happen to the bus lanes on Kingston Road and Morningside Avenue?
Those two roads would have their priority bus lanes converted to HOV lanes under Bradford's proposal.
When were these bus lanes originally painted?
The lanes were painted in fall 2020 as a temporary measure while the city awaited the arrival of the Eglinton East LRT.
What does TTCriders say about the current bus lanes?
TTCriders, the transit advocacy group, says the lanes are working and move tens of thousands of riders with faster, more reliable trips, and argues they should be expanded rather than removed.
