A major street in midtown Toronto will soon be transformed as the City moves ahead with a sweeping push to improve roads around town.

The City of Toronto plans to move ahead with its Davisville Avenue Complete Street project next year, which would see a stretch of Davisville Avenue from Yonge Street to Mount Pleasant Road reimagined in conjunction with the broader Complete Streets program.

This city-wide initiative aims to improve car-centric streets to meet the safety needs of all road users, taking cyclists, pedestrians and transit users into account, in addition to drivers and associated needs like on-street parking and loading. Other aspects of the project will see streets beautified with greenery and other streetscape improvements.

City of Toronto

In the case of Davisville, the project area covers a busy stretch of the street just east of the TTC Line 1 subway station of the same name, populated by several residential towers, a public school, and has a new community and aquatic centre on the way.

While minimal details about the roadway's redesign are available, the street in question was identified for cycling improvements in the City Council-approved 2025-2027 Cycling Network Plan Near-Term Implementation Program. 

The Davisville Avenue Complete Street project is an opportunity to reimagine Davisville Avenue from Yonge Street to Mount Pleasant Road as a Complete Street. Installation is expected to take place in 2025, with some work in 2026. https://t.co/FQqWF295jh (1/2)

— Toronto Cycling and Pedestrian Projects (@TO_Cycling_Ped) November 13, 2024

If that entails the addition of cycling infrastructure, Davisville Avenue could prove the next battleground in the province's controversial bid to restrict municipalities from constructing bike lanes. 

Doug Ford's Ontario PC government tabled Bill 212, the Reducing Gridlock and Saving You Time Act, in late October. The legislation would allow the province to veto any bike infrastructure that would remove traffic lanes, essentially turning over control of cycling infrastructure to provincial administration that famously has no love for cycling.

A complete street, by definition, would have to include cycling infrastructure in some form, so the project's viability could boil down to the challenge of squeezing in a bike lane without removing vehicle lanes.

However, local councillor Josh Matlow believes that bike lanes may be doable here should the City opt to construct them during the planning stages.

Matlow explains to blogTO that "it's already broken up in different parts due to recent safety measures, but also historical [road upgrades] done years ago with different bump outs. So there'd be no operational lane that's an actual functional true lane that would be removed."

Given "that the curb lane is already interrupted at several points, including pinch points at the crosswalks, and that there hasn't really been controversy locally," Matlow doesn't foresee major resistance to this project.

He says that, in its current form, "the street doesn't really work. There are old bump outs that are crumbling, bollards that are rusty."

Matlow says that between "a lot of redevelopment over the years" and a "general consensus in the community that we want to approve the street and make it safer, make it more functional and make it more beautiful," the project brings great potential to the area.

He also notes that no decision to install bike lanes has been made as of yet, and states that whether these curb lanes are transformed into cycling infrastructure or something else like parklets is "part of the consultation."

With that said, Matlow stresses that "with Doug Ford, he could surprise you with anything," though he doesn't see this project being a candidate "for his populist ire."

Meanwhile, as the start of the project draws nearer, the City has created an interactive map where members of the public can share feedback on the current condition of Davisville Avenue.

Visit the project page to access the interactive mapping tool to provide your feedback about shaping the future of Davisville Avenue by December 5. Consultation is planned for early 2025 and will seek public feedback on a proposed design. https://t.co/68HhIvJnYi (2/2)

— Toronto Cycling and Pedestrian Projects (@TO_Cycling_Ped) November 13, 2024

Local residents, businesses and other members of the public can drop pins on specific points within the project area and flag concerns to City staff that will be explored until December 5, 2024.

These comments will inform a second phase of public consultation planned for early 2025, where a proposed design will be revealed for review ahead of construction.

The majority of work on the transformation of Davisville Avenue is expected to be carried out in 2025, though some of the work is anticipated to stretch into 2026 before the roadway reopens as a complete street.

blogTO has also contacted the local Yonge Street BIA for its take on the reconstruction project, though the community agency could not be reached for immediate comment.