Speeding reduced. Prior to construction of the first bicycle lanes in the early 1990s, the Toronto Police reported that they had regular speed traps on St. George. Dan Egan explained that when a road is narrowed to provide only one lane in each direction, speed is automatically reduced because there is no room for motorists to overtake other cars. Drivers also slow down at pedestrian crossings.
Traffic collisions decreased. During the period 1991 to 1997, there were about 24 vehicle crashes along St. George. The six-year period following road narrowing saw a decrease of 40% (down to 16 collisions).
Traffic and bicycle volumes. A 1993 traffic count found that St. George carried about 7,300 cars in peak hours daily (or 16,000 in total per day). By 2003, virtually the same number of cars travelled on the road (7,400 in peak hours, 16,000 daily). Dan Egan noted that, in general, downtown traffic volumes in Toronto have not increased for the past 20 years. By revitalizing the street and making it more efficient, St. George was able to carry as much motor traffic as it always had, at lower speeds, while providing more space for pedestrians and cyclists. After the revitalization of St. George, bicycle volumes increased 10%--from 1,500 cyclists per day to 1,600.
As a comparison, St. George and four other streets (Davenport, Gerrard, Sherbourne, and Harbord) were monitored for bicycle and traffic volumes before and after the roads were narrowed and bicycle lanes added. The average bicycle volumes on these streets increased by 23% with no overall change to motor vehicle volumes.
Improved quality of life. Staff from the University of Toronto said that the addition of greenery and architectural features "created a welcoming atmosphere." The university also believes that it can use the area's improvements as an advertisement to potential new students, researchers, and faculty members.
As reported on the University of Toronto Web site, "The St. George Street project opened people's eyes to the opportunities to enhance open spaces elsewhere on the campus. It helped to spread the new way of thinking about living and learning on the campus to the entire University of Toronto community and led to a broad awareness of the importance of the campus open spaces and their ability to improve quality of life."
