TTC to remove some stops along the new priority bus lane

The TTC is going to remove some stops on the new Eglinton East priority bus lane, but some transit advocacy groups aren’t supportive of the plan.

The new bus lane is 8.5 kilometres which will run along Eglinton Avenue East, Kingston Road and Morningside Avenue. It will be installed fully during October.

So far, around 2 kilometres have been completed on Morningside Avenue.

And while the bus lane is supposed to help ease one of the most heavily used corridors in the city by improving transit reliability, and equity and inclusion of neighbourhood improvement areas, 24 of the 69 bus stops will be removed.

• See also:
  • TTC has started rolling out the new bus-only lanes

“TTC stops will be consolidated to mimic the future Eglinton East LRT stops: fewer stops, faster and more reliable service,” the TTC 2021 Annual Service plan states.

New routes with fewer stops. (TTC)

According to a survey by the transit commission, they noted that the consolidation was done due to; planned stops on the future Eglinton East LRT, ridership at each stop, signalized crosswalks or intersections, connectivity to other transit agencies and stop spacing.

“Fewer stops means faster and more reliable service,” the survey adds.

However, some transit advocacy groups are not supportive of the development.

The TTC Riders group, said that removing local stops could impact accessibility and walkability.

“And TTC is reducing service frequency on bus-only corridors. They say faster travel on bus lanes means they can run fewer buses and have same amount of service, but we want service to improve,” they said on social media. 

The #TTC is reducing local stops and service along the Eglinton East bus lane corridor. Do you take the bus on Eglinton E, Kingston, and/or Morningside? Email [email protected] to get connected to other riders. Or fill out the TTC survey here: https://t.co/92c1HniCNs @cllrainslie https://t.co/k7EpwCmbqj

— TTCriders (@ttcriders) September 30, 2020

Another group, Markham and Eglinton Unite!, said the removal of the bus stops on both sides of Cedar Drive & Eglinton, will impact working class, immigrant, and racialized families “who live in the half dozen high rises around these stops.”