If you’ve ever wanted to run, walk or bike across the Bloor Street Viaduct – free of vehicle traffic –you’ll have a chance this summer during Open Streets Toronto. For the first time, the car-free initiative that turns streets into pedestrian and active-transport-only hubs will extend its route east of the Don River onto the Danforth.
“By crossing the Bloor Street Viaduct, the people of Toronto will be able to experience our most beloved bridge in a way they never could before. And by including the Danforth, we are bringing one of the city’s most storied neighbourhoods into the fold,” says Emily Munroe, co-chair of Open Streets TO.
Open Streets Toronto’s September route includes the Bloor Street Viaduct.
The street takeover happens from 10 am to 2 pm on two dates: August 21 and September 18. In August, Bloor Street will be car-free from Dufferin to Parliament and on Yonge Street from Bloor to Queen. Then in September, the east-west route will extend over the Don River to include Danforth up to Hampton.
Unlike many street festivals, Open Streets isn’t about vendors, stages and beer gardens out on the streets. Roads will specifically be used for active recreation. Local businesses and community organizations are permitted to set up activity hubs, including yoga, jump ropes and hula-hooping along the way.
Open Streets is one of several organizations reimagining Toronto’s roads. The Laneway Project hosts five Laneway Crawls in neighbourhood back alleys this summer. The next one happens August 20 on Danforth East.
For more street festivals and summer events, check out NOW’s Hot Summer Guide.
michelled@nowtoronto.com | @michdas
