City defends bizarre new concrete island at York and Adelaide intersection

A seemingly bizarre addition to the York and Adelaide intersection is catching some cyclists by surprise: a newly installed traffic island directly within the bike lane on Adelaide Street.

Cyclists using the bike lane along the north side of Adelaide Street will now be expected to divert around a concrete island that the City of Toronto has placed at the intersection of York Street.

The new island appears to have been added as part of a wider construction project that has been ongoing along York and Adelaide Streets since the spring.

The city is adding streetcar tracks along Adelaide and Richmond streets to allow streetcar service to divert around a closure on Queen Street between Bay and Victoria Streets for Ontario Line construction.

Once work is finished at the end of the month, 501 Queen Streetcar service, which has been replaced by buses east of University Avenue since last year, will be able to resume, using York and Church Streets to take the new diversion.

The city is also replacing an aging watermain along Adelaide between York and Victoria.

The new traffic island has been installed as part of changes to the York and Adelaide intersection, which are in line with these larger construction projects.

“I want the Toronto City Planner who designed this bike lane intersection to tell us all why,” cyclist Aaron Binder wrote in a post on X.

“Someone [many people?] are going to get BEEFED at Adelaide and York.”

City of Toronto defends concrete island

In a statement to 680 News Radio, the city acknowledged that construction is not yet finished but noted cyclists will, in fact, be expected to divert around the concrete obstruction once work is done.

“The concrete island you referred to is for a protected intersection that will enhance cyclist safety on both Adelaide and York Streets,” the city said.

“Once the construction is complete, the protected intersection will be more intuitive, and it will be clear that people cycling through on Adelaide should yield slightly left around the island.”

The city told 680 News Radio that new pavement markings will more clearly indicate the traffic island ahead, but it also admitted that they may catch cyclists off guard.

“After construction is completed, the city will monitor to see if any adjustments are needed,” they added. “The city will also do educational outreach when construction is closer to completion to help all road users understand the changes.”

For vehicle traffic, current construction closures include southbound traffic on York from Queen to Adelaide and eastbound lanes on Queen from University to York.

All work is expected to be completed by July 31, 2024.