Starting Monday, July 8, the TTC is modifying the path for buses along the 510 Spadina bus route, it says, “to improve reliability while navigating afternoon gridlock and congestion on the south end of the route.”

From 3 until 7 p.m., Mondays to Fridays only, the buses no longer operate along Lower Spadina Avenue between Front Street West and Queens Quay West. During these hours, buses instead turn left along Front West and then right along Blue Jays Way, looping around back to Lower Spadina to return northward to Spadina Station. The TTC is not providing route 510 service during these hours at stops on Lower Spadina at Fort York Boulevard / Bremner Boulevard and Queens Quay West.

According to a TTC news release, “This change is the result of on-going monitoring of the route since June 23 when buses replaced streetcars to accommodate essential infrastructure work. In the first week of this planned six-month service change, the TTC has seen southbound afternoon travel times triple to more than an hour from approximately 20-25 minutes at other times of day. Buses running south of Front St. are getting caught in congestion and gridlock as motorists attempt to get on the Gardiner Expressway.”

During the afternoon rush hours, southbound bus operators will announce the turn, allowing passengers to exit the bus and continue their journey southward on foot, if they can. Supervisors will be on site at southbound stops on Spadina / Lower at King and Front Streets West for passengers with mobility needs or anyone with strollers, packages or large bags, needing helpto travel south of Front. In these cases, the supervisor will relay a message to another southbound bus advising of an accommodation requirement. With buses running every two to three minutes at this time of day, the TTC says, “We believe that in most cases [passengers] getting off a turning bus will only be waiting approximately 10 minutes for service.”

The TTC is installing two new bus stops to accommodate the rush-hour short-turn:

• on the south side of Front Street West east of Lower Spadina Avenue for passengers exiting southbound buses; and
• on the north side of Blue Jays Way east of Lower Spadina for passengers boarding northbound buses.

For help during afternoon rush hours, while buses don’t operate to and from Queens Quay, ask TTC customer service representatives or other TTC employees for help or directions at:

• Spadina Avenue and King Street West;
• Spadina Avenue / Lower Spadina Avenue and Front Street West;
• Lower Spadina Avenue and Blue Jays Way; and
• Lower Spadina Avenue and Fort York Boulevard / Bremner Boulevard.

The news release further explains:

“The TTC continues to monitor route performance and is looking at other possible improvements and modifications.

“The TTC and City of Toronto are working together to explore additional longer-term measures to reduce congestion and enhance transit priority and cyclist safety [on] Spadina Avenue. Subject to City Council approval, additional measures will be implemented in late July.

“The City has already deployed Traffic Agents at key intersections along the 510 Spadina route from Monday to Friday between noon and 7 p.m. to assist with traffic flows and will adjust traffic signals as needed to support buses to make turns along the diverted route while the TTC operates modified bus replacement service. The City is proactively monitoring traffic on Spadina Avenue and surrounding streets and will make additional adjustments as necessary.”

The TTC has replaced streetcars along the 510 Spadina route since Sunday, June 23.