ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½

The shops that line this corridor are more than just storefronts, they’re gathering spaces — owned and operated by people who call Bathurst home. Many of us live just steps away from our businesses. Since the pandemic, this stretch has been revived. Boarded-up windows once defined the street, but now, there’s a vibrancy and rhythm.

Today, that hard-fought resurgence is under threat. The RapidTO proposal for Bathurst implements 24/7 dedicated transit lanes — initially from Eglinton Ave. W. to Lake Shore Blvd. W., but adapted by city staff this week from Bloor St. W. to Lake Shore Blvd. W. It may appear the city is backing down somewhat, but this is still only a recommendation that city councillors need to vote on.

The aim of the plan is to ease bus delays and improve transit reliability. The original plan calls for eliminating 480 parking spots along the way. The plan is being fast-tracked to meet FIFA 2026 deadlines and in doing so, risks flattening the complex needs of the neighbourhoods into a one-size-fits-all solution.

No parking. No stopping. No loading zones. No access.

Public consultation has been minimal — just two in-person meetings, two virtual sessions and a one-month online survey. That’s not collaboration; it’s box-checking. The result has been a manufactured conflict: transit riders versus small businesses, drivers versus cyclists. Lost in this surface-level debate are the lived realities of the people most affected — residents, shopkeepers, seniors, and parents.

To date, over 3,000 people have signed petitions opposing the current plan. Walking door to door, I’ve been struck by how many of my neighbours hadn’t even heard about the proposed changes. The city’s outreach campaign — 72,000 flyers across four wards — barely scratches the surface, reaching only about 15 per cent of affected residents.

Only after public consultation had ended did our councillor, Dianne Saxe, begin meeting with concerned residents and businesses. She later proposed compromises, but they sparked new concerns in other parts of the ward — highlighting the rushed and reactive nature of this entire process.

This pattern is becoming all too familiar in ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½: top-down planning with little transparency, accountability and even less public trust.

In the meantime, businesses along this strip have faced online harassment and boycott campaigns. On Reddit, members of the cycling community have labelled us “anti-transit� or “anti-bike� — simply for asking for meaningful consultation, data-driven planning and workable solutions.

The TTC has painted this issue in black-and-white terms, but it’s never been that simple. No viable alternatives have been presented. One compromise we’ve suggested: introduce HOV lanes and extend rush hour periods by 30 minutes on either end — preserving parking during off-peak hours while improving traffic flow. Data collection could then guide future adjustments.

A permanent, sweeping overhaul of infrastructure on an accelerated timeline for FIFA is not responsible planning. At minimum, the city owes us evidence — clear, measurable data that shows these changes will deliver without dismantling the communities they affect.

This is about more than metrics. It’s about people.

It’s about seniors visiting the medical facilities.

Parents dropping their kids at school or daycare.

Families attending funerals, weddings, or services at places of worship.

Residents with accessibility needs.

Shop owners — like me — who are trying to keep the lights on.

The TTC talks about improved service times, but that promise falls flat if buses bunch, gap, or stall due to underlying reliability issues. Dedicated lanes don’t address scheduling or operational flaws and infrastructure alone doesn’t solve systemic problems.

On Wednesday, on behalf of our community. I encourage others who share these concerns to join me. Sign the petition. Raise your voice. Tell City Hall: Stop making decisions for us and start making decisions with us.

We belong in the room where the future of our neighbourhood is being decided.