Bike Lanes, On-Street Parking
and Business
A Study of Bloor Street in Toronto’s Annex Neighbourhood
February 2009

SmithLeaandStephanieTencer.
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©CleanAirPartnership,2009
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cleantheair.i
TABLE OF CONTENTS

6.Conclusions&Recommendations 25
References 26
AppendixA–MerchantSurvey 27
AppendixB–PedestrianSurvey 28
ii
LIST OF TABLES
Table1.Distributionofsurveyrespondentsbysurveylocation 11
Table2.Distributionofsurveyrespondentsbysurveydayoftheweek 12
Table3.Merchantestimateofcustomersthatdriveandparkinthearea 15
Table4.NumberofdayspermonthvisitingtheBloorAnnex 17
Table5.Moneyspentintheareapermonth 17
Table6.Preferredchangetothestreet 18
Table7.BloorStreetandSpadinaRoadaverageon‐streetparkingusage 20
Table8.BloorStreetandSpadinaRoadaveragehourlyon‐streetparkingusage21
Table9.TorontoParkingAuthorityaverageparkinglotusage 22

LIST OF MAPS
Map1.TheBloorAnnexneighbourhoodwithinthelargerTorontocontext 3
Map2.SuggestedBloor‐DanforthBikeway 5
Map3.TheAnnexLandUse 8
Map4.TheAnnexbuiltformandtransportationnetwork 9
Map5.MunicipalpaidparkingoptionsintheAnnex 8
Map6.Pedestrianinterceptlocations 11
Map7.Studyareaboundary 16
Map8.Pedestriansurveyrespondents’placesofresidence–Scale:Greater
TorontoArea 17


theimplementationofbikelanesonmajorstreetsbeaccelerated.TheBloor‐Danforthcorridoris
aparticularlyattractiveoptionforacity‐wide
east‐westbikelaneinTorontobecauseitisoneof
theonlylong,straight,relativelyflatroutesthatconnectsthecityfromendtoend;thereareno
streetcartracks;andithasoneofthehighestincidencesofbicyclecollisionsinthecity.
Thisreportisaboutthedevelopment
andtestingofnewanalytictoolstodeterminethepublic
acceptabilityandeconomicimpactofreallocatingroadspace.Thestudy–conductedinJulyof
2008–surveyedtheopinionsandpreferencesof61merchantsand538patronsonBloorStreet
andanalyzedparkingusagedatainthearea.
Among
thestudy’sfindings:
• Only10%ofpatronsdrivetotheBloorAnnexneighbourhood;
• Evenduringpeakperiodsnomorethanabout80%ofpaidparkingspacesarepaidfor;
• Patronsarrivingbyfootandbicyclevisitthemostoftenandspendthemostmoneyper
month;
• There
aremoremerchantswhobelievethatabikelaneorwidenedsidewalkwould
increasebusinessthanmerchantswhothinkthosechangeswouldreducebusiness;
• Patronswouldpreferabikelanetowidenedsidewalksataratioofalmostfourtoone;
and
• Thereductioninon‐streetparking
supplyfromabikelaneorwidenedsidewalkcouldbe
accommodatedinthearea’soff‐streetmunicipalparkinglots.
Thespendinghabitsofcyclistsandpedestrians,theirrelativelyhightravelmodeshare,andthe
minimalimpactonparkingalldemonstratethatmerchantsinthisareaareunlikely tobe
negativelyaffected
byreallocatingon‐streetparkingspacetoabikelane.Onthecontrary,this
changewilllikelyincreasecommercialactivity.
Itisrecommendedthatthistypeofstudybereplicatedonothercommercialstreetswherethere

toallmunicipalitiessothattheycanreplicatethestudyintheirownjurisdictions.Thistoolwill
helpmunicipalitiesdeterminewhethervocalopponentsofbikelanesreflecttheopinionsofthe
majorityandwhetherwarningsaboutlossofbusiness
fromreducedparkingareaccurate.
1.2 STUDY DESCRIPTION
Thestudyincorporatedaseriesofsurveysto:a)determinetherelativeimportanceofon‐street
parkingtobusinessactivityonBloorStreetWestintheAnnex,a medium‐to‐high‐density,
traditionalcommercialstreetindowntownToronto;andb)projecttheimpactsonbusiness
activityofreallocatingspaceinthe
Annexfromon‐streetparkingtobikelanes orwidened
sidewalks.Forthepurposesofthisstudy,theBloorAnnexneighbourhoodwasdefinedasthe
areasurroundingBloorStreet,boundedbyPalmerstonBoulevardtotheWest,HuronStreetto
theEast,DupontStreettotheNorthandHarbordStreetto
theSouth(seeMap1.TheBloor
AnnexneighbourhoodwithinthelargerTorontocontext).

Bike Lanes, On-Street Parking and Business 3
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Map 1. The Bloor Annex neighbourhood (highlighted in orange) within the larger Toronto context
(Source data: Google Earth,)
Datawerecollectedusingthefollowingsources:
1. Asurveyofareamerchantstogaugeassumptionsaboutthemodesoftransportation
patronsusetoaccesstheneighbourhoodandinwhatproportions.
2. Apedestrianinterceptsurveytodeterminehowpatronsaccesstheneighbourhood,how
often,andhowmuchmoneytheyspend
there.Thissurveyalsoincludedaquestion
aboutthetypeofroadspaceallocation(tocars,bikes,orpedestrians)theywouldprefer.
3. On‐streetparkingdatatodeterminewhatpercentageoftheon‐streetparkingspacesare
occupiedatdifferenttimesofday.
4. Off‐streetparkingdatato

process.Buteveninthe2008constructionseason,Citystaffwereunabletoconsistentlycount
onallthenecessaryapprovalsatCityCouncil.
Almosteverynewbikelaneintheoldercity–wherestreetsarenarrowerthaninsuburban
areas–hasinvolvedtheremoval
ofatleastsomeon‐streetparking.Theremovalofon‐street
parkingcapacityisabigconcernforsomebusinessownerswhobelievethatthemajorityof
theircustomersarrivebycar.Theyare concernedthatifthereisn’tsufficientparkingveryclose 
athand,itwilldetersome
customersfromvisitingthebusiness.Inmostinstances,thereisvery
littleevidencetosupportornegatethisconcern.
Forquitesometimecyclingadvocates–andsomeCitystaff–havebeenlookingathowto
makeamajoreast‐westbikewayinToronto.Someproposethatthemostattractive
optionisthe
Bloor‐Danforthcorridor,stretchingalmost20kilometresacrossthecity.TheCitydidnot
includethisrouteinits2001BikewayNetworkplan,though earliercityreportsdidrecommend
aBloorbikelane.

Map 2. Suggested Bloor-Danforth Bikeway (Source data: Google Earth)

Bike Lanes, On-Street Parking and Business 6
Theindependentcommunitycyclinggroup,BellsonBloor,hascompilednumeroussupporting
reasonsforchoosingBloorastheCity’smajoreast‐westbikeartery(BellsonBloor,2007).These
include:
• Blooralreadyhasoneofthehighestratesofcyclingintheentirecity.Goodbikerouteplanning
placesbikelaneswherethecyclistsalreadyare;
• Bloorhasoneofthehighestincidencesofbicyclecollisionsinthecity;
• Bloorisoneoffewlong,straight,relativelyflatroutesthatconnectsthecityfromendtoend;
• Therearenostreetcartracks,whichcansometimesinterferewiththesafeoperationofabicycle;
• Thecorridorisalsoservedbyasubwayline,whichprovidesafast,frequent,viablealternativeto
driving;

majorityofbusinessesonBloorStreetbetween SpadinaAvenueandBathurstStreet(thestudy
area–seeMap3.TheAnnexLandUse)
arerestaurantsorbars;therestareeitherstoresor
serviceproviders.

Figure 3. Bloor Street facing east at Bathurst Street

Bike Lanes, On-Street Parking and Business 8
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Map 3. The Annex Land Use (Source data: City of Toronto)
TogettotheAnnexneighbourhoodresidentsandvisitorshavemanyoptions.Twosubway
lines,twostreetcarlinesandavarietyofbusroutesfeedintotwosubwaystations(Spadinaand
Bathurst)ateitherendofthestudyarea.Bloorisoneofthebusiestcyclingstreetsinthecityand

hasmorebicycle‐motorvehiclecollisionsthanotherstreets.However,therearecurrentlyno
dedicatedcyclingfacilitiesthatleaddirectlyintothisarea.St.GeorgeStreet–oneofthecity’s
mostpopularnorth‐southbikelanes–isapproximately300metrestotheeastofthestudyarea.
Bloor
Streetisalsoapopularwalkingroutebetweenneighbourhoodstothewestofthestudy
area,theUniversityofTorontojusteastofthestudyarea,andToronto’sdowntowncore.

Bike Lanes, On-Street Parking and Business 9

Map 4. The Annex built form and transportation network (Source data: City of Toronto)
ForthosewhodrivetotheAnnex,thereison‐streetpaidparkingonBloorStreetandSpadina
Roadatcertaintimesoftheday,dependingonrush‐hourrestrictionsononeorbothsidesofthe
street.Paymentisbymeansof‘pay‐and‐display’machinesscatteredthroughoutthearea,

usuallywithathree‐hourmaximum,andparkingisfreebefore9:00a.m.andafter9:00p.m.
Thereisalsofreeone‐hourparkingbetween10:00a.m.and10:00p.m.onmostsidestreets,with

(TransportationAlternatives&SchallerConsulting,2006).
ThestudyfoundthatpatronsofPrinceStreet’sstoresandrestaurantswouldcomemoreoften,
drawnbythereducedcrowdingonsidewalks,andthatthisincreasedpatronagewouldoffset
byafive‐to‐oneratioanylostretailsalesfromthosenotcomingdue
tothereducednumberof
parkingspaces.
WhenTorontoconsidersimplementationofabikelaneorwidersidewalks,Citystaffoften
prepareaparkingstudythatusesobservationaldatatoshowwhetherornotalltheexistingon‐
streetparkingisneeded.However,thistypeofstudyoftenfailstosatisfy
theconcernsof
businessownersorCityCouncillors–sometimesbecauseofanissuewithdatacollection(e.g.,
datawasnotcollectedonapeakbusinessdayorhour).LiketheNewYorkStudy,thisstudy
endeavourstobemorerigorousbyunderstandingbehaviourandperceptionsofboth
customersand
merchants,inadditiontoassessingparkingcapacity.
3.2 SURVEYS
Thestudywasconductedinatwo‐weekperiodfromJuly8

to19,2008,andemployedtwo
surveys:asurveyofgroundfloormerchantsalongBloorStreetbetweenSpadinaAvenueand
BathurstStreet;andasurveyofpedestrianswalkingonBloorStreetbetweenSpadinaAvenue
andBathurstStreet.SurveyorsfromtheUniversityofToronto’sDepartmentofHealthSciences
werehiredtocarry
outthesurveys.Thecompletemerchantandpedestriansurveysare
includedinappendicesAandB.
3.2.1 Merchant Survey
Incaseswherereallocatingtheparkinglanetoothertravelmodeswithintheright‐of‐wayfaces
oppositionfrommerchants,itisnotclearhowmanyofthetotalbusinessesthedissenting
merchantsactuallyrepresent.Dotheyspeakforthemajorityoraretheyrepresentingindividual
opinionsandinterests?Themerchant

15%
50%

Figure 9. Types of businesses on Bloor

Service
Store
Restaurant/
Bar
48%11%
41%

Figure 10. Types of businesses that responded to
the survey
Restaurant/
Bar
Store Service
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
123
74%

South-West corner at Major 103 19%
4
Mid-block between Robert and Sussex (south side) 50 9%
5
Mid-block between Bathurst and Albany (north side) 28 5%
6
North-West corner at Howland 74 14%
7
Mid-block between Brunswick and Dalton 72 13%
8
North-East corner at Walmer 94 18%
Total
538 100%

Bike Lanes, On-Street Parking and Business 12
Surveyparticipantswereaskediftheyliveorworkinthearea;howoftentheyvisitthearea;
howmuchtheyspendinthearea;thepurposeoftheirvisit;whatformoftransportationthey
usetogettothearea;andtheirpreferenceforabikelaneorawider
sidewalk.Again,
pedestrianswerealsoaskedaboutwideningthesidewalk,asanalternativetoinstallingabike
lane,simplytounderstandwhetherornottheywereopposedtolosingon‐streetparking,
regardlessofthealternativeuseofthespace.Surveyrespondentswerealsoaskedwherethey
liveinorder
togaugehowmanyoftheBloorAnnexpatronsliveclosetoarea.Formoredetail
onthequestionscontainedinthesurvey,pleaseseeAppendixB.
ThesurveywasconductedonaTuesday,Wednesday,ThursdayorSaturday,with afairly
equaldistributionbetweenthosedays(seeTable2.Distributionof
surveyrespondentsby
surveydayoftheweek).ThestudyfocusisonpeoplewhovisittheBloorAnnexarea,andnot
thosepassingthrough,sothesurveyorsavoidedthepeakmorningandafternooncommute

theTPAnowexclusivelyemployspay‐and‐display
parkingmachinesforon‐streetparkingandinmostmunicipalparkinglots(‘GreenP’lots),the
TPAhasarobust,sophisticated,andreliablesystemfortrackingparkingusage.

Bike Lanes, On-Street Parking and Business 13
TPAsuppliedJuly2008usagedataforon‐streetparkingalongBloorStreetandSpadinaRoad,
allwithinatwoorthreeminutewalkofthestudyarea.TPAalsosupplieddataforthree‘Green 
P’lots,alsowithinatwoorthreeminutewalkofthestudyarea:at577
Palmerston,365
Lippincottand19Spadina.ThedatatrackspaymentsmadeusingTPA’spay‐and‐display
machinesforbothon‐streetparkingandoff‐streetTPAlots.
Foron‐streetparking,dataisreportedasthenumberofvalidticketsduring15‐minuteintervals
throughoutthedaysthatcorrespondwith
thepedestriansurveydays(July8,9,10,15,16,17
and19).However,dataforSaturday,July19
th
wasnotavailable,soSaturday,July12
th
was
substitutedinstead.Theresearcherstookhourlysnapshotsbetween10:00a.m.and9:00p.m.–
thehourswhenthemachinesaregenerallyinuse–anddeterminedtheaveragenumberof
validticketsthroughouttheday,aswellasmorning‐midday,afternoon,andeveningaverages.
Fortheoff‐streetlots,
parkingdataisreportedasdailyandeveningpeaks–thehighest
recordednumberofvalidticketsatanygiventimeinthedayoreveningperiod.Again,theTPA
supplieddataforthesamedaysastheon‐streetparkingdata,whichcorrespondtothe
pedestriansurveydays.
Theaverage
validticketcountswerecomparedtotheoverallcapacity–eitheron‐streetorin
lots–todeterminetheaverageusageofon‐streetandoff‐streetpaidparking.

Regardingthemerchantsurveydata,onlygroundfloormerchantswereapproached.This
representsthemajorityofmerchants,asmostsecondandthirdfloorunitsalongBloorStreetare
residential.Nonetheless,therearesomebusinessesthatwere
notincluded,anditispossible
thatthegroundfloorsampledoesnotaccuratelyrepresenttheothers.
Withregardtothepedestriansurvey,thequestionthatasksaboutpreferenceforabikelaneor
awidersidewalkshouldhavebeenmoredescriptive.While abikelaneinherentlysuggests
improvedconditions
forcycling,awidersidewalkdoesnotpromiseanythingotherthana
widersidewalk.Theintentoftheresearcherswastosuggestthatawidersidewalkwouldalso
providemorespaceforbenches,trees,andotheramenitiesthatwouldlikelyimprovethe
pedestrianenvironment.However,unfortunatelythisintentwasnotaccurately
conveyedinthe
surveyquestion.
Finally,regardingtheparkingdata,theTPAemploysapay‐and‐displaysystemthatcanonly
trackpaymentandnotactualusage.Soitislikelythatsomeuserspayformoretimethanthey
actuallyparktheircar,andalsothatsomeusersdo
notpayforsomeorallofthetimetheyuse.
Also,thecapacityofon‐streetparkingdependsonthesizeofcarsparked,asthereareno
designatedspaceswithinablock.So,forexample,therecouldbe10largesportutilityvehicles
or20minicompactcars
–oranycombinationthereof–parkedinthesameamountofspace.
However,theTPAhasbeenusingthisdataasitsprimarysourceforcapacityanalysissothe
researchersfeelthisisareasonabledatasettouse.Infuturestudies,itcouldbeusefulto
combinetheTPA’s
pay‐and‐displaydatawithobservationalrecordingssotoincludeany
noteworthylocalconditions,suchaspick‐up/drop‐offvehiclesthatstopforshortperiodsof
timeandcommercialdeliveriesthatdonotpayforparking

Bike Lanes, On-Street Parking and Business 15

iswherethespacewouldcomefrom toaccommodateabikelaneorwider
sidewalks.Inordertoestimatetheeffect,merchantswereaskediftheythoughttherespective
changewouldbringfewercustomersormorecustomerstotheirbusiness,oriftheyexpectedno
effectivechangetotheircustomer
base.Onthequestionofinstallingabikelaneandremoving
halftheon‐streetparking,almost75%ofbusinessesthoughttheirbusinesswouldimproveor
staythesame,whileslightlymorethan25%thoughtthechangewouldbringinfewer
customers.Onthequestionofwideningthesidewalkandremoving
parking,theresultswere
almostthesame,withonly25%ofmerchantsbelievingthechangewouldhurtbusiness.The
datashowsthatmoremerchantsthinkthatbikelanesandwidersidewalkswouldincrease
businessthandecreaseit.

Bike Lanes, On-Street Parking and Business 16
26%
25%
30%
35%
44%
40%
0%
25%
50%
75%
100%
Bike lane and 50% of on-
street parking removed
Wider sidewalk and 50%
on-street parking removed
No Change

gettoBloorAnnexonfoot,followedbypublictransit,bicycleandfinallycar.Amongstthose
wholiveorworkinthearea,
two‐thirdswalk,14%cycle,another14%takepublictransit,and
only5%drive.Forthosewhodonotliveorworkinthearea,54%takepublictransit,20%walk,
16%drive,and10%cycle.
Walk
Bicycle
Public Transit
Car
67%
14%
14%
5%

Figure 13. Transportation
mode share – live or work
in the area
Walk
Bicycle
Public Transit
Car
10%
54%
16%
20%

Figure 14. Transportation
mode share – do not live
or work in the area
Walk



Bike Lanes, On-Street Parking and Business 17
Table 4. Number of days per month visiting the Bloor Annex
Number of
days
Live or work in the
area (294)
Live and work outside
the area (244)
Walk
(246)
Bicycle
(64)
Public
Transit (171)
Car
(55)
Total
(538)
0-1
2%
30%
7% 5%
24% 29%
15%
2
1% 10% 2% 5% 9% 9% 5%
3
1% 7% 2% 5% 5% 7% 3%

thatthe
Table 5. Money spent in the area per month

Live or work in the
area (294)
Live and work outside
the area (242)
Walk
(246)
Bicycle
(64)
Public
Transit (171)
Car
(55)
Total
(536)
< $25
6% 31% 8% 11% 29% 24% 17%
$25-$99
21%
35%
16% 39%
37% 37%
27%
$100-$499 50%
29%
52% 42%
28% 30%
41%