Removal of No Left / No Right Bishop Ave / Maxome Ave

I am requesting that the turn restrictions at Bishop Avenue and Maxome Avenue be removed — specifically, the no-left-turn restriction from 3–7 p.m. and the no-right-turn restriction from 7–9 a.m.

The City of Toronto officially classifies Bishop Avenue from Yonge Street to Maxome Ave as a Collector Roads as such they are 40km/h. Collector roads serve an important transportation function, they collect and distribute neighbourhood traffic and provide connections between local streets and the broader road network.

Yet during the morning and afternoon peak periods, the turn restrictions at Bishop/Maxome prevent Newtonbrook East residents from using this designated collector-road connection for exactly that purpose, including travelling to the TTC in the morning and returning to their neighbourhood in the afternoon.

The restrictions are particularly challenging for residents and road users on Gustav Crescent and surrounding streets. Instead of using the designated collector-road network, drivers are forced to make unnecessary detours through local roads at only 30km/h many of which do not have sidewalks.

Ontario Traffic Manual Book 5 provides an important principle for regulatory signs: “unnecessary restrictions should be avoided,” and signs that have been installed but are no longer applicable “must be removed.” This is a requirement under the Ontario Highway Traffic Act see Book 5 (https://otc.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/OTM-Book-5-Regulatory-Signs-Dec-2021-Final.pdf).

The City should review the original warrant and current traffic and safety evidence for these restrictions in light of the subsequent all-way stop. If the original rationale has been superseded, the restrictions are redundant and the signs should be removed.