Use the message below:

Subject:
I urge you to reconsider the RapidTO Dufferin plan
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Email Body:
Dear Mayor Chow and City Councillors,
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We are very concerned residents of Toronto. Many of us live on Dufferin Street with no driveway and no laneway access to our rented or owned homes; we will experience hardship as a result of the proposed 24/7 RapidTO Dufferin priority bus lanes. Our ability to function and thrive as residents and business owners on Dufferin Street will be greatly impacted:
 

• Our customers, guests, and family will no longer be able to park close to our businesses and homes even during off-peak hours

• It will be difficult to hire tradespeople to repair or renovate our very old homes (100+ years) and businesses with no parking on Dufferin Street at any time

• Deliveries of goods for our businesses and homes will be very difficult unless you're fortunate enough to be directly beside an official loading zone

• Emergency and construction vehicles travelling quickly in the priority bus lanes will be dangerously close to young children on narrow sidewalks in Community Safety Zones with schools along Dufferin

• Overnight parking for Dufferin residents will be very difficult to find as neighbourhood streets fill up

• No data has been presented to demonstrate hour-by-hour ridership on the Dufferin bus for all 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to justify 24/7 priority bus lanes rather than peak-hour bus lanes like many city streets globally

• Disabled family and friends of residents on Dufferin will be prohibited from being dropped off or picked up immediately in front of a business or residence if it is not an official loading zone

We all stand for reasonable, pragmatic implementation of priority bus lanes.

We stand for peak-hour implementation of priority bus lanes during rush hours. Toronto is not a 24/7 city where buses run with frequent service during the night.

We stand for measured implementation of priority bus lanes that begins with the least restrictions to local residents’ access to their homes and businesses, followed by a data-driven examination of the results before moving to greater restrictions on access.

We welcome a pilot of 24/7 priority bus lane implementation for the duration of the FIFA World Cup in June/July 2026.

With respect, we are asking City Council to implement a pilot program to measure the positive impact of the planned traffic turn signal changes and peak-hour priority bus lanes on Dufferin Street, as soon as possible, before proceeding to the most extreme intervention of 24/7 priority bus lanes.

We stand for a strategic way to balance the interests of Dufferin bus users south of Bloor with other road users and residents of homes fronting on Dufferin with no driveways or laneways to access their homes.

Finding middle ground is the best way forward for everyone.

Thank you for your careful consideration of the RapidTO Dufferin implementation that has the potential, if done well, to pave the way for successful implementation on other planned streets throughout the city.

Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[Your Address and Ward, optional]