Future of Railway Crossing on Strachan Avenue - Update from Deputy Mayor

Joe Pantalone's office sent out the following update on the Strachan Avenue grade separation. Very good news for the neighbourhood:

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As your City of Toronto Councillor, I am pleased to inform you that Toronto City Council this week APPROVED the following motions on this matter:

"1. City Council strongly supports the Grade Separation Option which lowers the Georgetown/Milton rail corridor, allowing Strachan Avenue to pass over the rail lines, and

2. City Council direct staff to forward this report to the GO Transit Board requesting that the City Council preferred Strachan Avenue Grade Separation Option be included as part of the Individual Environmental Assessment Study of the Georgetown South Corridor Service Expansion and Airport Transportation Link."

As you may know, Strachan Avenue is presently used by 14,000 vehicular trips daily (more than Dufferin Street but less than Bathurst Street). This traffic is bound to increase as Liberty Village and other nearby areas are further developed.

As you may also know, the number of trains (GO Transit, VIA and cargo) will greatly increase as the Union Station to Pearson Airport Rail Link is built and GO Transit adds more lines. Therefore, the present rail crossing on Strachan Avenue has to be changed so that the rail traffic and the road traffic are separated. A number of technical solutions are possible, (you can see the report through the internet at www.toronto.ca/planning/strachanstudy.htm) but, only our proposal will be urban friendly (the proposal recommended by City Council). This proposal was seen by about 150 people in our community at the Public Meeting on November 5, 2008 at the Trinity Bellwoods Recreation Centre, where it received unanimous approval.

The final decision on this matter that will greatly affect our neighbourhoods, and the City of Toronto, will be made by GO Transit and through the environmental process. We have, as a community, taken the first positive step. We will, however, need to be vigilant to make sure that the final decision to allow the needed transit expansion to take place does so in a way that solves problems for us rather than creates new ones.

In conclusion, I hope you find the news in this update useful. I will, as usual, continue to keep you informed once the next steps become clearer.

Sincerely,

Joe Pantalone

Deputy Mayor
City of Toronto

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