Here's what Toronto may get instead of controversial new bus lanes

The prospect of dedicated bus lanes coming to two of Toronto's busiest north-south thoroughfares has incited a great deal of drama this summer, with local residents and businesses divided about whether the change would serve as a much-needed transit solution or become the source of even further traffic woes.

With the upcoming FIFA World Cup in mind, the City rushed a review of potentially introducing transit priority projects along Dufferin Street and Bathurst Street last year.

And, while the projects have recently been approved at City Hall, they are set to be scaled back more than initially proposed. But some other measures may make up for it, hopefully bringing some level of peace and compromise to affected neighbourhoods.

The two arteries identified as prime candidates for RapidTO, our new surface transit network plan to "enhance bus and streetcar reliability and improve travel," due to their current gridlock, high levels of TTC ridership, projected development intensification and how much they'll be used by those attending the six FIFA games that Toronto is hosting next year.

The bus lanes were slated to take up one curbside lane in each direction between Dufferin Gate/Lake Shore Boulevard and Eglinton Avenue, necessitating the removal of all on-street parking in the area — a decision many living and working along the routes were not pleased with.

Grassroots organizations opposing the project cropped up early on in the study stages, arguing that the City was being too hasty, looking to expedite the bus lanes "with no plan to support the thousands of residents who rely on curb lane access for everyday life."

The groups, named Protect Dufferin and Protect Bathurst, argued that the lanes would have serious negative impacts on the livability of both neighbourhoods and noted that there are existing parking restrictions during peak hours that already help to ease congestion.

Both groups argued that reserving the lanes solely for TTC vehicles during these hours, not mixed traffic, would end up making traffic much, much worse.

City Councillors ultimately decided to shave about four kilometres off of both routes, extending the lanes northward to only Bloor Street rather than to Eglinton Avenue. While some suspected that this was a result of the campaigns, City staff have said that scaling back was necessary to get the infrastructure installed in time for FIFA next June.

And, transit advocates can rest assured that the City will indeed examine whether to extend the lanes further north post-FIFA, using the game crowds as a test-run for their efficacy.

Also, some lesser-advertised tidbits in City docs indicate other features could be added north of Eglinton to help ease gridlock and improve the experience for transit users.

While council deliberated on the strategy for the Dufferin and Bathurst bus lanes, Mayor Olivia Chow put forward a motion for staff to look into more "creative options" that could be used in lieu of the controversial red-painted lanes.

These include additional restrictions on street parking, and implementing time-of-day use rules, designated loading zones, High-Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes, and/or other "best practices from other jurisdictions."