Along Eglinton Ave. West, for about a quarter of a block west of Bathurst St., the south lane is fenced off and filled with trucks, trailers, workers and machinery — with several red “danger” signs plastered on the fence.

Peer a bit closer and you can see Manny Virk’s Dollar Smart in the plaza behind the fencing. While the sidewalk in front of his store is still usable amid the Eglinton Crosstown construction, Virk says he’s seen a 30 to 35 per cent dip in sales since work started on the south side about a month ago, compared to the same period last year.

“A lot of people see the big machines and go somewhere else,” Virk laments.

He’s not the only Eglinton business owner getting anxious about the ongoing construction. From clothing stores to flower shops, various businesses along the 19-kilometre stretch slated for light right transit say they’re feeling the financial sting of snarled traffic, limited parking options, reduced foot traffic and dusty sidewalks.

Helen Carvallo, who works at the French Collection at 253 Eglinton West, says she’s called 311 three times over the last year about dirty sidewalks in front of the clothing store. “We don’t have time to go sweeping and do the city’s job,” she says.

“It’s dusty, it’s dirty — it’s not a pleasant shopping environment,” echoes Melissa Guido, who has owned Bella, a clothing store west of Avenue Rd., for three years.

Guido says she first noticed a negative impact from the construction last summer. Then, over the winter, her store had a 20 per cent decrease in sales compared to the average of the last three years. It’s not a typical drop even for the colder months, she says.

Rob Beben, co-owner of the Eunice Denby Flowers just west of Oriole Pkwy., hasn’t seen a noticeable dip in sales — most of his business is phone orders — but knows lots of other businesses that are suffering from reduced parking in the areas.

Motioning to Eglinton, he says traffic has often been blocked and parking is taken over by construction trucks along side streets. “If you look at this, it’s a constant battle,” he says.

On-street parking isn’t available within the vicinity of construction between Allen Rd. and Yonge St., according to Metrolinx.

But Jamie Robinson, director of community relations and communications for Metrolinx’s Toronto transit projects, says a lot of work has been done when it comes to parking issues. On certain side streets, he says parking regulations have been adjusted — and hours extended — on a temporary basis, thanks to collaboration between Metrolinx and the city.

As for the dust and dirt, Robinson says that’s a city issue. But Ward 22 Councillor Josh Matlow (open Josh Matlow's policard) says the city and Metrolinx need to be co-operating. “If there’s a mess made by their project, they have some ownership over that too,” he says, adding business owners in the area are “living through a construction nightmare.”

“It’s hard for a business to attract customers when there are issues of parking or dirty streets — people don’t want to go there,” says Ward 16 councillor Christin Carmichael Greb (open Christin Carmichael Greb's policard). There have been conversations with City staff about sweeping streets more often, she notes.

Metrolinx recognizes there’s been an impact on businesses, according to Robinson. “That’s a reality when you’re building a construction project of this size and magnitude,” he says, regarding the $5.3-billion light rail transit.

“But there’s a myriad of reasons why businesses may or may not be suffering,” he adds. “We’re just one of those reasons.”

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Maureen Sirois agrees. As chair of the Eglinton Way BIA, which represents around 200 businesses from Chaplin Cres. to Oriole Pkwy, Sirois has heard various complaints and concerns from local business owners, but says other factors — like a particularly bitter winter — also had a negative impact.

And the biggest challenge, according to Sirois? The public thinks the construction is worse than it really is.

There’s nothing stopping shoppers from visiting, despite assumptions that the avenue is “torn up completely,” she explains.

“The customers, in the end, are the ones who are going to decide what happens to Eglinton and other main street retailers,” says Sirois.

“As much as we boast about how wonderful the Crosstown will be in a few years, we all need to be supporting the people who’ve invested everything into their businesses and are being severely impacted by this construction,” adds Matlow.

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