Thank you for your incredible support. The fight to protect our Dufferin neighbourhood and way of life against the ill-conceived RapidTO bus lane plan is escalating.

As our allies on Bathurst Street so eloquently stated: "This is not about opposing transit improvement. It’s about how we improve transit, who we include in the process, and whose needs we erase along the way."

What's Happening on Dufferin?

The City of Toronto has approved a plan to eliminate all curbside parking along a significant stretch of Dufferin Street (from King Street to Lawrence Avenue) to install permanent, 24/7 priority bus lanes.

Despite being publicly framed as a transit enhancement initiative, this plan has been pushed forward with inadequate consideration for the safety, accessibility, and daily needs of the thousands of residents who call Dufferin Street home. Like Bathurst, our street is predominantly residential, not commercial, and our community relies heavily on the very curbside access this plan seeks to eliminate.

The Core Concern for Dufferin Residents:

This isn't simply a minor adjustment to traffic flow. It's a radical restructuring of our residential street that removes essential access for countless individuals with no viable alternatives offered. This project appears rushed, potentially to align with major events like FIFA 2026, and uses the language of "transit equity" to mask its true impact: a disregard for accessibility, a potential cost-cutting measure that sacrifices resident well-being, and a prioritization of speed over community needs.

Consider this: Dufferin Street, unlike some larger corridors, is a narrower, deeply residential artery. Removing all stopping and parking will force essential daily activities onto already congested side streets, creating safety hazards and immense inconvenience.

Echoes of Inadequate Engagement:

Like our neighbours on Bathurst, the public engagement process for the Dufferin RapidTO plan has been deeply flawed and insufficient. Many residents and businesses and communities along the Dufferin corridor feel unheard and were not genuinely consulted before these significant decisions were made.

The City and TTC appear to have finalized the core plan with minimal meaningful input from the very people who will be most affected. Concerns raised about accessibility, residential parking, impacts on local businesses, and the lack of alternatives have been largely dismissed. There is little evidence that community feedback has led to any significant modifications to the proposal.

Safety and Accessibility Rollbacks:

The plan to remove all curbside parking on Dufferin eliminates the vital buffer that currently exists between pedestrians – including children, seniors, and people with disabilities – and moving traffic, including potentially fast-moving buses. Safe drop-off zones for residents, caregivers, and essential services will disappear, increasing the risk of dangerous situations. Shockingly, no comprehensive pedestrian safety audit aligned with Vision Zero principles has been conducted or made public. This plan appears to contradict the City’s own commitment to eliminating serious injuries and deaths on our streets.

Questionable Justifications and Lack of Reinvestment:

Similar to the Bathurst situation, there are concerns that this plan may be driven by factors beyond genuine community benefit. Potential cost savings and revenue generation for the TTC should not come at the expense of the accessibility and quality of life of Dufferin residents. We demand transparency about any projected financial benefits and a commitment that these savings will be reinvested to mitigate the harms caused by the loss of access. We see no concrete plans for increased bus service, dedicated accessible drop-off zones, or comprehensive disability mitigation strategies.

Why This Update Matters for Dufferin:

The situation on Bathurst Street highlights a concerning pattern in the City's approach to rapid transit implementation – a pattern that prioritizes speed and potentially cost-cutting over the fundamental needs and accessibility of established residential communities.

This is not about being anti-transit. It is about demanding a better, more inclusive approach that doesn't erase the needs of vulnerable residents and the fabric of our neighbourhood. We believe that transit improvements should serve our community, not displace and disadvantage significant portions of it.

Our Ongoing Call to Action:

We, the Protect Dufferin community, urge the City of Toronto and the TTC to:

• Pause Implementation of RapidTO Dufferin until a full, independent accessibility and safety audit is conducted with meaningful community input.
• Release all relevant data and reports used to justify this plan for public scrutiny.
• Reopen Consultations with accessible accommodations, multilingual materials, and a genuine commitment to incorporating community feedback into the plan.
• Redesign the plan to incorporate viable alternatives that preserve essential curbside access, expand accessible parking options, and align with Vision Zero principles.

We Are Not Asking for Perfection - We Are Demanding Inclusion on Dufferin Street. This is our home. 

These are our families, our neighbours, our local businesses, and our essential services. We cannot allow exclusionary planning that disregards our needs to become a precedent for our community and the rest of the city.

Help us protect the livability and accessibility of Dufferin Street. Share this update and encourage others to sign the petition!

Learn more and stay informed: https://www.protectdufferin.ca/ 

Thank you for standing with us.