Spending at King St. businesses has increased since the start of a contentious pilot project to improve streetcar service downtown, according to new city data.

The one-year pilot, which restricts car traffic on King between Bathurst and Jarvis Sts. in order to prioritize streetcar travel, began in November.

Figures released Friday indicate that spending in the project area rose by 21 per cent between October and December 2017, a trend in line with seasonal spending patterns in previous years.

The latest figures also show significant improvements in transit service and minimal negative effects on car traffic, which Councillor Joe Cressy (Ward 20 Trinity-Spadina) said was indication the project is a “win-win.”

“Every month I have seen the transit experience improve,” said Cressy, whose ward covers part of the pilot area. “This is turning into a real success story.”

Share your thoughts

This is the first time the city has published data about the pilot’s economic impact. The spending numbers, which were compiled using point-of-sale data from credit and debit processor Moneris Solutions, don’t support claims made by local business owners who have blamed the pilot for what they describe as deep financial losses.

Some have called for the project’s traffic restrictions to be lifted outside of rush hours, or for it to be cancelled outright.

Milton Nunes, who owns popular restaurant Portland Variety at the corner of King and Portland Sts., dismissed the city’s spending figures as “fabrications.”

He said his sales from November to January were 27 per cent lower than the same period the previous year, and his neighbours have taken a similar hit.

“Everybody is saying the same thing. It’s not just a few people crying,” Nunes said. “Behind the scenes, everybody is complaining.”

He argued that customers no longer want to drive to the area because they’re afraid of getting a $110 ticket for violating the pilot’s traffic restrictions.

“People avoid the area. There’s a stigma that King St. is a war zone,” he said.

Streetcar riders are flocking to the area as transit service improves. Between November and January, daily weekday streetcar ridership on King, which was already the TTC’s busiest surface route, increased 16 per cent, rising to 84,000 from 72,000.

With the exception of eastbound vehicles during the morning rush, average streetcar travel times have been reduced, in most periods by more than two minutes. The pilot has cut the worst streetcar travel times, which are in the afternoon rush, by four to five minutes.

However, eastbound during the morning peak period the average travel time has actually increased slightly, by 0.2 minutes. The TTC attributes the trend to vehicles dwelling longer at stops because of increased ridership. It’s adding more of its new, larger streetcars to the route to keep up with demand.

Service is also more reliable, with at least 80 per cent of streetcars arriving within four minutes of the previous vehicle.

“What we see up to now is that the pilot is demonstrating tremendous success for transit users,” said TTC spokesperson Brad Ross.

The pilot cost an estimated $1.5 million to install, and after the one-year trial period council will have the final say on whether to make it permanent.

Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading...

While it’s in operation drivers in the project area must turn off of King at most major intersections. The city has also removed all 180 on-street parking spots on King between Bathurst and Jarvis.

In response to the concerns raised by business owners, the city has taken steps to draw more customers to the pilot area, including offering free parking at city-owned spaces in the surrounding neighbourhood.

Speaking to reporters Friday morning before the data was released, Mayor John Tory, who had been briefed on the numbers, said the pilot was “on the right track.”

There are “some pockets of concern that we have to address” about the effect on businesses, he said, but “there are many, many positive indications about moving transit passengers faster, increased transit ridership, and traffic that is moving at a pace that is very similar to what it was before the King St. pilot.”

Read more about: