Downtown Yonge St. down to 1 lane each way for month-long festival

Great news for downtown patio enthusiasts, bad news for downtown drivers: Yonge Street is reduced to one lane in each direction for a month-long festival.

Preparations are underway for the Celebrate Yonge festival that starts on Friday and runs until Sept. 16.

“This is the beginning of a conversation on how do we actually make Yonge Street the main street of Ontario and Canada,” local Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam said.

The removal of a lane of traffic north and southbound was done to increase public space between Queen and Gerrard streets, creating more room for patios, open seating areas and cafes.

Bars on the strip will be licenced to serve alcohol on the temporary street patios.

“We’re going to see a row of temporary planters to section off pedestrians from vehicle traffic,” Downtown Yonge Business Improvement Area spokesman Abigail Gamble said.

Wong-Tam and the Downtown Yonge Business Improvement Area are behind the event.

The Yonge Street festival coincides with other major events in Toronto, including the Canadian National Exhibition, the Toronto International Film Festival and Brazilian Day Canada.

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