Toronto transit riders are pushing for the upcoming Eglinton Crosstown LRT and Finch West LRT to be given transit signal priority to avoid red stop lights, as the opening of the long-awaited lines draws close.
Transit advocacy group TTCriders has launched a campaign called Give Transit the Green Light, in attempt to ensure that both rapid transit projects are fast and reliable once it opens to passengers
Both of the LRT’s are speculated to be opening this year, with Metrolinx already confirming that the Finch West LRT reached completion in 2024, but the Eglinton Crosstown’s current state has been tightly sealed for months.
Recent reports point to a potential September opening for the Eglinton Crosstown LRT after more than 14 years of construction. However, neither Metrolinx or the TTC have confirmed an opening date for both LRT projects.
The projects’ Light Rail Vehicles (LRV’s) will have above ground sections, with the Finch-West LRT primarily running above ground. Despite having their own dedicated lanes for faster service, the LRV’s will still have to encounter red lights.
“That’s just not acceptable,” Shelagh Pizey-Allan, executive director of TTCriders, said in an interview with Now Toronto on Monday. “The question is, who should get priority? Thousands of transit riders or a couple of drivers who are making left turns at red lights?”
Pizey-Allan says that if an LRV is running behind schedule then a green traffic light may be extended to ensure that the vehicle passes through without further delaying the schedule, but says this still provides very little comfort, especially when considering that the projects may already result in slower commute times due to the traffic lights.
“That’s why we’re asking the city council to give transit the green light,” she said.
The campaign has social media users applauding the group’s effort, and joining in on the call.
“Yes! Real LRT’s don’t wait at traffic lights. Active priority please!,” an Instagram user said.
“This is so necessary!” another user said.
In a statement to Now Toronto, the City of Toronto says transit signal priority has long been implemented and continues to expand on the TTC.
“There are currently about 440 transit signal priority locations across Toronto and 83 of these were installed in 2024,” the statement said. “All TTC streetcars and buses are equipped with radio transponders which send coded signals to antenna (“loops”) in the road surface ahead of intersections to ‘request’ a green light at the intersection.”
Pizey-Allan says that the environment and infrastructure committee is set to discuss traffic congestion at an upcoming meeting, which includes a report with an update on expanded transit signal priority projects in the city.
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“Finally, this is something that people are starting to talk about,” she said.
She adds that several streetcar lines in Toronto can also benefit from transit signal priority.
