What to know
- Toronto city council has approved a motion to create a new Pedestrian Streets Program.
- The program will identify streets that could be converted into pedestrian-only spaces and establish criteria for future projects.
- Lessons from the Church Street pedestrianization pilot will help shape the city’s approach.
- Staff are expected to return with an implementation plan and budget recommendations in early 2027.
Toronto could see more pedestrian-only streets in the coming years after city council approved a motion this week to create a new Pedestrian Streets Program.
The motion, brought forward by Coun. Josh Matlow, directs city staff to develop a framework for identifying and implementing future pedestrian-only streets across Toronto.
Under the proposed program, staff will establish a process for identifying candidate streets, develop criteria for selecting them, and outline how pedestrian street projects would be planned and implemented.
Toronto has experimented with temporary pedestrian spaces for years through events such as OpenStreetsTO and major street festivals including Taste of the Danforth, Salsa on St. Clair and Pedestrian Sundays in Kensington Market. The new program would create a more formal process for considering permanent or recurring pedestrian-only streets.
The initiative follows the recent pedestrianization of Church Street as part of a summer pilot project. According to the motion, lessons learned from the Church Street pilot will help shape the city’s broader Pedestrian Streets Program.
As part of the process, city staff will also assess the potential impacts of pedestrian-only streets on traffic congestion, public transit, emergency services, site servicing, maintenance and operations, and parking.
The motion cites the growing popularity of Toronto’s street festivals as evidence of increasing public demand for pedestrian-focused public spaces.
“These events are drawing increasingly large crowds, signalling strong public demand for pedestrian-oriented experiences,” the motion states.
It also points to other cities that have successfully implemented pedestrian-only streets, including nearby Montreal, as examples of how permanent pedestrian spaces can support vibrant public life and local businesses.
City staff are expected to report back to council in the first quarter of 2027 on the resources required to implement the program through the 2027 budget process. If approved, the city hopes to have an implementation plan in place for summer 2027.
