Speaking from Queen Street, Ana Bailão made her first announcement on common sense measures to fight traffic in Toronto. With Toronto commuters trapped in chaos and gridlock as Mayor, Ana will:
- Reduce fares on the 501 streetcar and the Scarborough SRT on-street bus replacement to $2 for single rides until the Queen Streetcar is rerouted to Adelaide from Dundas, and the Scarborough BRT construction is complete.
- Prohibit lane closures on Richmond, Adelaide, and Dundas between Bay and Victoria until Ontario Line construction completes.
Beyond these two measures, as Mayor, Ana would extend construction schedules downtown and on the TTC so work can be expedited and finished ahead of schedule, including the installation of cell service across transit. She will also implement steep penalties for construction debris left in traffic lanes and on sidewalks needed by pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers, if left more than 24 hours after a project completes.
As Mayor, Ana will also make sure City Hall is coordinating across divisions to plan construction to occur simultaneously instead of consecutively to reduce delays and closures.
Speaking about her plan, Ana said “Construction is a sign of a growing city and is needed to build homes and fix services for residents, but it shouldn’t significantly impact commuters who use our roads to walk, cycle, and drive to work and school everyday. These are common sense measures to make life easier and get traffic moving again.”