How a traffic light took ten years

Eric Dietterle –

Two sets of traffic lights on Power Street – a block apart at Richmond and Adelaide Streets – are being installed after nearly a decade of waiting.

The signals were first ap­proved in 2016 through a zoning by-law amendment for 48 Pow­er Street. After a pedestrian was struck on May 19, 2019, City Council directed that signals be installed at both intersections by 2021, on a motion by Toron­to Centre Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam.

That didn’t happen.

Over the past four years, I have collected photos of more than 30 crashes that I personal­ly witnessed. Near misses are a daily occurrence. Crashes hap­pen weekly, sometimes on con­secutive days, often spilling into the crosswalk and nearby side­walk.

One block west, the inter­section of Adelaide and Parlia­ment Streets recorded the sec­ond-highest number of red-light camera violations in Toronto. Last year, 2,393 tickets were is­sued at that intersection, accord­ing to City of Toronto open data.

In 2023, the condomini­um board for 48 and 50 Power Street pushed for these signals with Councillor Chris Moise’s office. The response was always that the lights were approved and “coming soon.”

The timeline continued to shift without explanation. After there was no update for over a year, a new timeline of July 2025 was given, which was later pushed to September – which also came and went. No clear explanation for these shifting timelines was given, and follow-up inquiries went unanswered.

In correspondence with the city’s manager of traffic systems design, I was told that a consult­ant was not retained to complete detailed design until the fourth quarter of 2022, and a construc­tion contract was not awarded until three years later.

The delay was partly attrib­uted to the project expanding beyond a typical signal in­stallation, including geometry changes, utility relocation and cycling infrastructure. In the meantime, other traffic signal projects went ahead. In 2024, a pedestrian was killed at Queen and Sackville Streets while on a pedestrian crossover with flash­ing lights. In response, the city moved quickly to install a traffic signal. In correspondence, Moi­se’s deputy chief of staff told me that this decision was “a politi­cal one.”

The contrast in timelines is difficult to understand. After a pedestrian was struck at Power Street in 2019, City Council di­rected that signals be installed by 2021 – but this is happening nearing nearly seven years later. At Queen and Sackville, a 2024 motion led to installation within a year.

Power Street had years of documented safety issues and clear direction from Council. At Queen and Sackville, a trag­ic loss drew widespread atten­tion and immediate action. The difference was not the risk in­volved, but the level of visibil­ity and attention. One situation went years with no movement, while the other became a highly visible moment that demanded a response.

The funding timeline raises similar concerns. Section 37 development funds tied to the 48 and 50 Power Street condos were secured as part of the 2016 approval, with a portion intend­ed for traffic signals at Power Street. Funding was not the is­sue, yet the project stalled for years. That points to a failure not of resources, but of process and priority.

Ultimately, this is not just about one intersection. It is about how long it takes to act on known problems, even after they are identified, and action is approved and funded.

Installing a traffic light to ad­dress a clear and ongoing risk should not take ten years. How many other projects across the city are following the same path, just not as visibly?