CafeTO, bike lanes add to traffic woes: Uber driver
“The City is part of the congestion problem”
The CafeTO program which allows restaurants to use transform the curb lane of live traffic into patio seating is part of Toronto’s congestion problem, says Uber driver Victor. He was speaking to staff on the June 25th Private Transportation Company (PTC) stakeholder consultation video teleconference.
“I’ve been driving over for over six years now, since 2017. My colleagues have said a lot about our wages, so I would like to concentrate more on what I feel is one of the contributors to the congestion in the city. I know Uber is part of the problem, but I would like the city to take a holistic approach of all the causes of the congestion,” Victor explained to more than 100 participants on the call.
The consultations are being held in advance of the November, 2024 staff report to Council which is being researched now. After Mayor Chow and Toronto Council voted to cap the number of rideshare vehicles in October 2023, Uber filed a lawsuit accusing Toronto of providing insufficient notice of its intention to limit the number of vehicles for hire. Toronto then rescinded the cap and provided staff with additional direction on writing the November report. Five stakeholder sessions were conducted in June which included two for the general public; two for the Taxi industry; and one for PTC drivers.
“My colleagues have mentioned the issue of construction; the other one I would like to bring up is the issue of this CafeTO. It takes a lane. This was introduced during COVID because of spacing, but COVID is gone. The City has made it permanent now, when you come to downtown, you find out a lane on the street apart from bicycle lane. Every street in downtown has a lane that has a CafeTO, that one takes another lane,” he described the situation which has frustrated Vehicle for Hire (VFH) drivers since the program’s launch/
“You find out that the street that has three lanes in downtown now have one lane for cars to run on, and that is a very one of the big factors of that causes the traffic congestion.
“The City is part of the congestion problem. Apart from construction, CafeTO, it takes bicycle lanes, all those things. They are not constructing new roads, but the old roads existing. They are reducing these roads were constructed 60-70 years ago.
“There are no new roads the city is creating now. It’s old ones that they are limiting, reducing more and causing that congestion, as three car lanes become one lane.”
