King St. businesses doing fine, city insists

Sales figures are healthy, even with streetcar project, but merchants beg to differ

Spending at King St. businesses has increased since the start of a contentious pilot project to improve streetcar service downtown, according to new city data.

The one-year project, which restricts car traffic on King between Bathurst and Jarvis Sts. to prioritize streetcar travel, began in November.

Figures released Friday indicate that spending in the project area rose by 21 per cent between October and December 2017, a trend in line with seasonal spending patterns in previous years.

The figures also show significant improvements in transit service and minimal negative effects on car traffic, which Councillor Joe Cressy (Ward 20 Trinity-Spadina) said showed the project is a “win-win.”

“Every month I have seen the transit experience improve,” said Cressy, whose ward covers part of the area. “This is turning into a real success story.”

This is the first time the city has published data about the project’s economic impact. The spending numbers, which were compiled using point-of-sale data from credit and debit processor Moneris Solutions, don’t support claims made by local business owners who have blamed the pilot for what they describe as deep financial losses.

Some have called for the project’s traffic restrictions to be lifted outside of rush hours, or for it to be cancelled.

Milton Nunes, who owns popular restaurant Portland Variety at the corner of King and Portland Sts., dismissed the city’s spending figures as “fabrications.”

He said his sales from November to January were 27 per cent lower than the same period the previous year, and his neighbours seen the same.

“Everybody is saying the same thing. It’s not just a few people crying,” Nunes said. “Behind the scenes, everybody is complaining.”

Streetcar riders are flocking to the area as transit service improves. Between November and January, daily weekday streetcar ridership on King, which was already the TTC’s busiest surface route, increased 16 per cent, rising to 84,000 from 72,000.

With the exception of eastbound vehicles during the morning rush, average streetcar travel times have been reduced, in most periods by more than two minutes.

The project has cut the worst streetcar travel times, which are in the afternoon rush, by four to five minutes.