Ridership Surges After Streetcars Gain Priority in Toronto

Oliver Moore reports: "Ridership on the King streetcar has surged 25 per cent during the busiest times of the day in the wake of efforts to speed up transit on the key downtown roadway, according to the Toronto Transit Commission."

Now the TTC is faced with the challenges of success, such as demand that exceeds capacity. The TTC has a plan to redeploy some rolling stock from nearby routes to increase capacity. Another challenge might be harder to resolve: local business owners convinced the priority on transit has had a negative impact on their bottom line. "Many of them are expected to meet Friday with Toronto Mayor John Tory to argue for rolling back some of the transit changes," according to Moore.

For more background on the King Street streetcar, see previous coverage by Planetizen correspondent Katharine Jose. Planetizen also covered the revamped King Street earlier in the planning phase.