Drivers angry after Toronto highway shut down longer than expected

Two of Toronto's major arteries, the Gardiner Expressway and the Don Valley Parkway (DVP), were shut down throughout Sunday to make way for thousands of cyclists participating in the Bike for Brain Health charity ride, which raises funds to defeat dementia. 

Both the Gardiner and the DVP were scheduled to be closed in both directions from 2 a.m. to 4 p.m., however, many drivers expressed disappointment after the closures remained beyond the scheduled end time. 

Closing one of only two arteries into Toronto at any time makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. The impact and inconvenience to those trying to get into Toronto, or past Toronto from one end to the other far outnumbers those that benefit from the closure. Time to stop doing this.

— David Woodside (@dwoodside) June 5, 2023

Those who opted for transit instead also experienced lengthy wait times as the significant closures resulted in congestion on nearby routes. 

The northbound DVP was the first to reopen around 5 p.m., and the eastbound Gardiner followed suit shortly after at 5:30 p.m. However, it wasn't until 6:30 p.m. that the westbound Gardiner and southbound DVP reopened, leading to lots of confusion about the hold-up. 

Hey @cityoftoronto @Toronto311 why do you say the Gardiner is closed for a bike ride from 2 am to 4 pm, when it is 5:50 pm and it is still not open???
Planned accordingly and still got stuck. Thank you very much.

— TheSnuggleIsReal (@tsnuggleisreal) June 4, 2023

Although drivers were warned to expect significant delays on Sunday, some began to question the logistics of hosting major bike rides in high-traffic areas in Toronto. 

Maybe the city should find other places for These charity rides. The city can’t afford to have these major roads closed down when there is limited to none options.

— ... (@dancintweety) June 5, 2023

However, some who live in close proximity to the major routes — and as a result, deal with constant noise and pollution —were relieved to finally get some peace and quiet. 

It’s favourite day of the year in Corktown: when the Gardiner and DVP are closed for a bike rally and things are quiet finally.

— Dave Scrivener (@davescrivener) June 4, 2023

A police source told CityNews that the private company in charge of managing the closures "was delayed in reopening the highways and removing the barricades."