Existing Avenue Road sidewalks

The 2.1-kilometre stretch of Avenue Road between St. Clair Avenue and Bloor Street West is a six-lane, high-speed road that is unsafe and hostile to pedestrians and cyclists. Research done by the City of Toronto shows that 85% of vehicles on the road routinely travel at speeds above the 50 KPH posted limits. The sidewalks are substandard and dangerously narrow, especially when considering the speeding cars and trucks.

Existing Avenue Road sidewalks – Cottingham to Davenport

Avenue Road – Davenport to Dupont
Avenue Road – Dupont to Cottingham
1. Southwest corner, at Dupont, beside Church of the Messiah
2. A bit further south, the utility pole is beside an entrance, but there is a sign pole (behind the utility pole) that is an obstruction.
3. Approximately mid-block between Dupont and Chicora
4. Continuing southward, just south of Chicora.
5. Just north of Pears. The postal box could be pushed back but the utility pole leaves a width of only 113 cm.
6. Just a short distance north of Davenport.
7. Northeast corner of Pears, on the east side of Avenue Rd, heading north.
8. A bit further north, the parking station leaves a passage of only 106 cm, with 112cm at the utility pole.
9. Still on the same block, when there is more snow. In the winter, it is often like this.
10. Final photograph on this block.
11. Northeast corner of Roxborough. This sidewalk gets further narrowed by bins on garbage day.
12. Just south of the CPR tracks, withUtility poles in the middle of the sidewalk.
13. Cottingham Manor apartment building, showing the narrowest measured pinch point. Sidewalks continue to be narrow all the way to St. Clair, but this is as far as we measured.

These Avenue Road sidewalks must be safe along this high density street that includes…

  • five schools located on or within walking distance of Avenue Road: De La Salle College, Browns Junior Public School, Cottingham Junior Public School, The Mabin School, and Avenue Road Arts School
  • four seniors’ residences:
    Bradgate Arms, The Amica at Balmoral, Hazelton Place and Belmont House
  • three places of worship: Church of the Redeemer, Hari Krishna Temple and Church of the Messiah
  • four parks that border Avenue Road: Ramsden Park, Jay Macpherson Green, Sergeant Ryan Russell Parkette and Robertson Davies Park
  • an additional 2000 new condominium units housing over 4000 new residents living along Avenue Road in the next 2 to 4 years.