What to know
- Red RapidTO transit-priority paint installed in November on Bathurst and Dufferin streets is already peeling, with some sections completely stripped of colour.
- The City of Toronto says residual brine, oil, cold temperatures and freeze-thaw cycles likely prevented the paint from adhering properly, while snowplows may have worsened the damage.
- City officials say all worn markings will be repaired next spring under the original installation contract, though no repair cost estimate has been provided.
Recently-installed transit priority markings are already peeling along busy downtown streets, leaving many Torontonians frustrated over lack of planning, but the city says repairs are coming next spring.
It has only been a month since bus lanes along Bathurst and Dufferin streets were painted in red to mark the installation of transit priority, as part of the city’s RapidTO network, but they seem to already be peeling off, with some areas completely stripped of tint.
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The City of Toronto has confirmed to Now Toronto that it is aware of the issue, saying that the peeling could be caused by residual brine and oil in the surfaces, which could have prevented the paint from adhering to the pavement properly.
“Once the surface is exposed, cold temperatures and freeze-thaw cycles can cause cracking, and snowplows may catch any raised edges, resulting in the paint lifting from the surface,” City of Toronto spokesperson Kate Lear said in an email to Now Toronto on Friday.
The paint was originally installed along Bathurst Street between Lake Shore Boulevard W. and Dundas Street W. on Nov. 5, and Dufferin Street between King Street W. and Dundas Street W. on Nov. 16.
Meanwhile, Torontonians have recently noticed the peeling, and taken to social media to express frustration over the installation, which many believe could’ve been done differently or at another time of the year.
“We’ve had paint like this last fine through the winter. I think the installation was just poorly timed with the weather,” one Reddit user said.
“Most commercial paints and epoxies take a solid month to fully cure, can’t believe they were painting this in frickin November,” a different person said.
“It’s not like we have centuries worth of knowledge on winter and salt conditions that the company could have prepared for or anything like that,” another user added, sarcastically.
“You can’t do the job twice if you do it right once,” a different user said.
CITY SAYS REPAIRS COMING NEXT YEAR
The city says all worn-out markings “will be addressed” next spring. The repairs are also included in the original contract for the lanes’ installation.
“Any worn pavement markings identified will be addressed in Spring 2026, as completing this work during warmer temperatures ensures a more durable application. The installation contract includes provisions to address early wear of pavement markings,” she said on Friday.
At this time, Lear said there are still no estimates of how much repairs will cost.
