Regent Park located just east of Toronto's downtown core is undergoing a major revitalization affecting several of its streets. Shuter Street, located South of Dundas Street East and between Yonge Street and River Street, is often used as an alternate route by motorists, bicyclists, and pedestrians to get to and from downtown. Additionally, Shuter Street contains schools, daycares, and a community centre. The City’s proposed upgrade to the street is part of a broader urban policy trend to improve safety and movement for people walking, biking and driving on city streets.

Like many urban areas the City of Toronto and its many roadways has been designed and constructed primarily for use of automobiles. However, this model is increasingly viewed as problematic, especially in the heart of the city where congestion has reach near peek capacities. With more and more people turning to cycling as a mode of transportation, the need to protect cyclists and the need to manage on the street parking more effectively has caused the rise in demand to alter the present car-centric design for urban thoroughfares.

Analysis and research by the Cycling and Pedestrian Projects Team for the City of Toronto, has identified a number of key design features that would be part of the upgrade, these include: installing cycle tracks to improve comfort and safety for people cycling and to reduce conflicts between road user; removing parking on one side of the street; more Pay & Display spaces and more free/3-hour parking spaces; improving street conditions for people walking, cycling and driving including better pavement quality, accessibility (AODA) improvements and pedestrian crossing upgrades; retaining almost all permit parking space. (Some changes to permit parking hours maybe considered to allow for additional Pay-and-Display parking between Jarvis St. and Sherbourne St.), and finally, no changes to motor vehicle lanes –no traffic impacts.

The current plan to expand the City’s cycling net work (part of the ActiveTOprogram) has both its supporters and detractors, cycling advocates are certainly encouraged by the plan, but argue that it is still not enough. Those who are opposed, claim that ultimately drivers will suffer with that much less room on the road for cars.

Surprisingly, the tide is turning. In regions of the City that were once highly car-dependent, residents are now opting for increased cycling infrastructure. It has been proposed that the cycling network will be expanded by 25-kilometers. In 2020 three major elements of the plan will occur, --  1) City staff and adjust and finalize design based on feedback from the public, 2) City staff will recommend a design to the Infrastructure and Environment Committee and to City Council for consideration and approval, and 3) road construction and installation of the approved plan with begin.

At the Public Drop-In Event called A Safe Shuter Street took place at the Regent Park Community Centre on January 20, 2020. Staff from the Cycling and Pedestrian Projects Team for the City of Toronto were on hand to meet the public to receive questions and suggestions, as well to provide more in-depth information about the various changes and up-grades. Local residents, many of them cyclist, but also pedestrians and motorist turned out to view the presentation and lend their opinions to the proposed plan – which for the most part was deemed a success.

by Dimitrije Martinovic
Dimitrije is a staff member of the Focus Media Arts Centre.