Toronto's Church-Wellesley Village goes car-free for summer pilot project

Toronto is set to transform part of the Church-Wellesley Village into a car-free zone for two months this summer. Starting June 19, a stretch of Church Street will close to most vehicles as part of a pilot project. The move follows a council vote of 20-4 in favour of the plan, led by local councillor Chris Moise.

The pedestrianisation will block north-south traffic on Church Street between Wellesley and Alexander streets. However, east-west intersections will remain open to cars. Coun. Moise described the initiative as a first step toward making Toronto a 'first-class city,' similar to European examples like Copenhagen and Paris, where car-free zones have cut congestion and pollution.

The idea has drawn strong support, with interest even coming from residents as far as North Bay. If successful, some councillors hope the project could become permanent or expand to other neighbourhoods. The trial runs until August 21, 2023. Toronto’s plan follows similar moves in other major cities. New York and Montreal already have pedestrian-only streets, with Montreal maintaining three year-round. Meanwhile, London will ban traffic on Oxford Street, Europe’s busiest shopping street, by the end of the summer.

The Church-Wellesley pilot will test how a car-free zone affects traffic flow, pollution, and community life. Depending on the results, the project could return or spread to other parts of Toronto. For now, the area prepares for a summer without most vehicles on Church Street.