sidewalk patio toronto

Toronto wants to reduce size of sidewalk patios

Even though it's still winter, Toronto can't seem to stop talking about patios. That's because our beloved patio season might be in for some big changes.

While the city hasn't made any decisions about whether or not it'll increase licensing fees for Toronto patios, members of the Disability Access and Inclusion Advisory Committee discussed new restrictions for sidewalk patios at a meeting yesterday.

In a draft plan, as CBC News reports, transportation services says the city should enforce how far patios can encroach onto sidewalks.

To ensure accessibility of city sidewalks, transportations services suggests patios should maintain clearways of 2.1 metres on main streets and 1.8 metres on side streets in order to ensure there's enough room for passersbys to move through the city.

These restrictions would be a definite boon for pedestrians as well as those with mobility issues.

According to CBC, the city already has a policy about sidewalk patios maintaining a 2.1 metre clearway, however, not everyone's been following the rules.

Lead photo by

Jesse Milns


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