Santa Claus, Argos And Raptors Will Cause Weekend Traffic Headaches

Not even Santa Claus could bring drivers what they want most this Sunday – a way to get where they’re going without hassles. The jolly old man in the red suit will be about the only one getting a clear route, as his annual  parade proceeds slowly down a lengthy route that starts at Bloor and ends on Front St.  

As the event continues, traffic on major streets like University Ave. will be cut off to allow spectators to get a glimpse. And as always, the procession will go past the Hospital for Sick Children, so those who can’t get out can at least see Santa pass by.

But St. Nick isn’t the only visitor causing traffic trauma this weekend. The Argos are playing the Blue Bombers in the Eastern Final at Rogers Centre, while the Raptors take on the Warriors at the A.C.C. All of the events start around the same time, with Santa “sleighing” the crowd at 12:30pm at Bloor and Christie Sts. and the CFL and NBA contests getting underway at 1pm.

Some 70,000 people are expected to be at the events and that means a nightmare for drivers. Police are warning motorists who try to get into the core they’ll be going slow at best – and potentially nowhere at most. 

As if all that’s not enough, there are literally dozens and dozens of construction projects going on just about everywhere. So it will be tough to bypass a road block. “We’re doing 50 per cent more work on the side streets,” confirms the city’s Gary Welsh. “We’re doing probably 20 per cent more bridge work this year.” See the list of all the construction projects.

As always, the TTC or GO are your best bets. And they’re working hard to help you get there on time. Both services will be running extra buses and trains to help the crowds navigate through it all.

In addition to regular service, GO will run extra trains from its Oshawa and Aldershot GO Stations. An additional train will leave Oshawa at 10:11am, arriving at Union Station at 11:07am. Another extra train will leave Aldershot at 10:38am, arriving at Union Station at 11:37am.

GO will also add two trains in the afternoon to assist people leaving the Sunday events. Train times will depend on when the parade, basketball, and football games finish. They will leave Union Station starting at approximately 4:20pm.

GO Bus connections to Lakeshore West train service will be available between Aldershot GO Station and Hamilton GO Centre, while Lakeshore East bus connections will be available from Oshawa GO Station through to Newcastle.

TTC

Go Transit

To see the Santa Claus Parade route, click here.

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Alternate Routes

Officials are encouraging people heading down to any of the events to take public transit. But if you have to drive, here are some alternate routes the city is suggesting you might want to consider.

The DVP was supposed to be your best to get downtown, but it was closed southbound at Eglinton and northbound at Don Mills for an accident on Sunday. It was partially reopened by 2pm, but slowdowns were everywhere, including alternates like Bayview Ave., Kingston Road, Warden Ave. and Leslie St.

The Gardiner will remain open but given the two sporting events, you can expect it will be heavier than usual on a  weekend – especially when the games let out.

The Parade will have a “rolling closure” which means parts of the roadway will be reopened once the procession has passed by. So though Santa’s journey will take a few hours, the routes he’s already passed should be back in service long before the parade actually ends. But the city doesn’t have an exact timetable for it – a lot depends on the crowds and the speed of the event.

Going east or west? Toronto Transportation offers Lake Shore Blvd. or Dupont St as alternatives.

Going north or south? Head to Jarvis or Dufferin to get around the road blocks.

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In honour of this weekend’s expected chaos, CityNews.ca has composed the following ditty, to the tune of Santa Claus Is Coming To Town. Those daring to take the car downtown can sing it while they’re stuck in traffic.

(With apologies to J. Fred Coots and Henry Gillespie, who wrote the song in 1934.) 

You better not drive
You better not squawk
Take public transit
Or get set to walk
Santa Claus is coming to town

From Bloor to Front
They’re closing a route
To clear out the way
For the big man’s red suit
Gridlocked streets are coming to town

It’s not just his parade
That you can solely blame
There’s the Raptors at the A.C.C.
And an Argos playoff game

So don’t say you weren’t warned
Don’t claim that it’s new
T.O.’s Sunday streets
Will be like a zoo
Traffic jams are coming to town.