Queens Quay East Interim Bus Priority Lanes
As of June 4, the Queens Quay Bus Priority Lanes are now in service.
Background on Dedicated Bus Lane
Development has transformed Queens Quay East from a
predominantly industrial corridor into a new urban growth area. The East Bayfront
neighbourhood has grown over 200% in population from 2016 to 2021, compared to
the City-wide growth of 2.3% in the same period.
The growing population has created a strong demand for better transit for those who live and work in the area from Bay Street to Sherbourne Street, and in May 2024, the new 114 Queens Quay East bus was introduced to better serve East Bayfront. In May 2025, service on 114 Queens Quay East was increased to provide more service to the corridor and enhance connections to Waterfront destinations like Ookwemin Minising, and as of June 4, the bus priority lanes started service along Queens Quay East to improve travel times and service reliability.
Benefits of a Dedicated Bus Lane
A new standalone route is expected to improve transit travel times between Bay and Parliament by up to 5 minutes and will improve service reliability for residents and institutions like George Brown College.
Bus service on the dedicated Bus Lane can be scaled up to match future development, avoid construction delays from other projects, and be the forerunner to Waterfront East LRT.
As part of this project, we are also improving customer experience at Union Station by introducing a designated Union Station bus stop on Front Street West.
Impacts to Local Traffic and Parking
There is no expected impact to traffic, as bus lanes (painted red) will
not replace traffic lanes. Bus lanes were only implemented where the pavement
width is wide enough to support additional lanes.
There will be no impact to the existing Martin Goodman Trail; cyclists can continue to use this facility.
A right-turn only lane will be introduced at Lower Jarvis Street and Queens Quay to improve access to Gardiner Expressway ramps.
Ten public parking spaces between Bay Street and Yonge Street on Front Street West will be required to be removed.
Community Consultation
As part of TTC's ongoing community consultations, we collected input on bus service along the Eastern Waterfront. A survey was available from February 7-24. Results and comments were used as a guide to improve customer experience and adjust service to meet customer and community needs. Additionally, public meetings took place online and in-person on February 18 and 19. The presentation can be viewed online.
TTC reported to the board on February 24, 2025, City of Toronto Executive Committee on March 19, 2025, and then City Council on March 26, 2025.