It will be a complete nightmare getting around Toronto this weekend
Get ready for another hellish nightmare of a commute for practically every mode of transportation besides walking and cycling in Toronto this weekend.
Like the previous weekend, getting around the city will be a massive headache this Saturday and Sunday as numerous overlapping road and transit closures have once again been announced, guaranteeing a frustrating weekend getting around the city.
Road users are cautioned to avoid several major streets, with temporary road closures on Lake Shore Boulevard, Queens Park Crescent, Lansdowne and Islington avenues, and ActiveTO-related closures on Bayview Avenue, River Street, and The Meadoway.
Westbound lanes along Lake Shore Boulevard West, from Strachan Avenue to Windermere Avenue, will be closed to vehicles from 6:30 to 10:30 a.m. on June 11 to support the Ride to Conquer Cancer cycling fundraiser.
Another stretch of Lake Shore Boulevard West, between Seventh and Second Streets, will be shut down to vehicular traffic from 5 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. on the same day for the Grilled Cheese Challenge festival.
A closure of Queens Park Crescent from College Street to Bloor Street West on June 11 will likely cause a dumpster fire of traffic, the closure planned from 12:01 to 10:30 a.m. for the Run for Women event in support of the Department of Psychiatry at Women's College Hospital.
Even after the Run for Women concludes, the street will remain closed until the following day at 6 p.m. for the Word on the Street festival.
But wait, there's even more, as Lansdowne Avenue, from Bloor Street West to College Street, will be closed to vehicles from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., June 11 to make way for the Portugal Day Parade.
Islington Avenue remains closed between Eglinton West and THe Kingsway until June 17 for the RBC Canadian Open.
A number of other road closures will be in effect for vehicles on Saturday and Sunday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. as part of the ActiveTO program's return, affecting Bayview Avenue, from Rosedale Valley Road to Lawren Harris Square; River Street, between Bayview Avenue and Spruce Street; and The Meadoway, from Brimley Road to Scarborough Golf Club Road.
And those are just the festival and event-related closures, there will also be several routes impacted by construction and infrastructure works.
These include Jarvis Street, from Carlton Street to Bloor Street East; Wellesley Street East, from Ontario to Sherbourne Streets; Wellington Street, from Yonge to Church Streets; and The Queensway, between Parkside Drive and Roncesvalles Avenue.
To make matters worse, subway service will also be affected. Another weekend outage means no Line 1 service between Lawrence and St. Clair stations due to construction, while on Sunday, Line 2 trains will start running by noon to allow beam replacement on the Bloor Viaduct.
Motorists and subway riders won't be the only ones suffering, as GO transit routes will also be affected. The Stouffville line will be out of service for the weekend starting on Friday evening.
Replacement buses will be provided between stations on the line and the Union Station Bus Terminal.
In addition, late-evening train service will be suspended on the Lake Shore West Line to Aldershot and West Harbour GO Stations on June 10.
So if there's ever been a weekend where you should avoid the roads and the rails, it's this one. Heed the warning and plan accordingly.
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