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The 504 King streetcar is Toronto’s busiest surface route, moving 60,000 passengers a day, often at a pace that is slower than I can walk.

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So what does the city do? It make things worse.

On Thursday at 10 a.m., on city orders, the Toronto Transit Commission rerouted the King streetcar to make way for a Toronto International Film Festival street party.

Until Monday morning, the King car eastbound will divert up Spadina Avenue to Queen, along Queen to Church Street, and then back down onto King. Westbound, streetcars will turn up York Street to Queen and down Spadina to King.

“It was a City of Toronto decision,” Brad Ross, a TTC spokesman, said Thursday. “The decision to affect rush hour [Thursday] and [Friday] was not one the TTC supported. It will impact the entire King line, plus Spadina, Queen and Church. We voiced our concern. Give yourself some extra time.”

Steve Buckley, general manager of transportation at the city, says police, economic development officials, the TTC, TIFF, the film office and his office all agreed together to shut King to all cars and streetcars for four days. Asked whether the TTC objected, he said, “That is not our recollection.”