TORONTO — The Toronto International Film Festival could bring more than just celebrities to the city in September, as the TTC expects traffic to come to a standstill after organizers say they plan to shut down King Street for a second year in a row.
Film festival organizers want to close King Street from Sept. 10 to 13 as part of the festival celebrations, according to a report that will go before the TTC board on Wednesday.
The report signals the TTC is not happy about the news.
“Regardless of the various approaches tried by the TTC to retain and provide a quality service under such circumstances, the reliability, speed, and overall quality of service on the 504 King route were seriously affected,” it reads.
“For this reason, TTC staff do not support the closure of King Street, even though we understand the importance of the festival itself to the economy and international reputation of Toronto.”
The TTC report states that if King Street, between University and Spadina Avenues, is closed for TIFF the route would need to be split in two areas — between Broadview Station and York Street, and between Dundas West Station and Bathurst Street.
The report claims this needs to be done “in order to avoid the same detrimental effects on the 504 King streetcar service as has occurred in previous years.”
It states that while this would still cause a “significant inconvenience” for TTC customers in the area, it would be much less than the “unreliable and slow service” that would come from a complete road closure.
“If the TTC is required to implement this diversion in the interests of overall service quality, streetcar access to the area would be less convenient and more challenging for all people, including people who have visual or physical disabilities,” the report states.
“People would have to walk or otherwise negotiate their way to the site of the celebrations by means of an extended walk from the stops at King and Bathurst, King and York Streets, or King and Spadina.”
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