Balsam & Queen

Traffic volume8-hour count · Oct 19, 2022

This is a three-leg intersection with no south leg. Traffic is heaviest from the west: 3,600 eastbound vehicles entered from that leg, 51% of the total, against 191 from the north. Most cyclists arrived from the east (47 of 91). Evening rush dominates here: 1,218 vehicles in the peak hour from 5:00 p.m., against 976 in the morning peak from 8:15 a.m. Heavy vehicles made up 4.1% of traffic (typical: 3.2%). For scale, a typical counted intersection in Toronto sees 16,177 vehicles over 14 hours. The count is 4 years old — treat it as a snapshot of 2022, not today's volume. It was an 8-hour count, which is not directly comparable with the 14-hour counts the City has used since September 2023.

Peak hours: 976 vehicles in the hour from 8:15 a.m. and 1,218 from 5:00 p.m. (approach figures are vehicles entering from that leg over the whole count — one day's traffic, not an annual average).

Collisions 2016–2025 · within 65 m

The worst year was 2017, with 8 collisions; 2025 recorded 6. 4 collisions (10%) involved an injury; the citywide share is 15%. 9 drivers failed to remain at the scene — 23% of collisions, a higher hit-and-run share than the city's 16%. 1 collision involved a pedestrian or cyclist (3%), a low share for a Toronto intersection. Since January 2026, 1 more collision has been reported; they sit outside the ranking window. The most recent report on file is from Aug 6, 2026.

No collision involving a death or serious injury has been recorded within 65 m of this intersection since the record begins in 2006.

A collision counts when its recorded location is within 65 m of the centreline node, intersection-related or not. KSI = killed or seriously injured, the basis of the danger rankings; records can lag a year or more, so the current year is outside the window. How collisions are counted.

Speeds here, last measured in 2022

On Balsam Ave between Sarah McComb Lane and Sycamore Pl, 162 m from the corner, a 7-day count in June 2022 put the average speed at 28 km/h and the 85th-percentile speed at 36 km/h, with the fastest one in twenty at 43 km/h or more. That segment carries about 1,200 vehicles a day. The reading is 4 years old; the City counts on request rather than on a schedule.

Midblock counts are automatic counters laid across the road for one to seven days; 85% of drivers were at or below the 85th-percentile speed. A reading is not the speed through the intersection itself, and posted limits are not in the count data. How speeds are read.

The crossing

pedestrian crossover

Not within a walk: a care or retirement home.

• Groceries and food21/30

  7 grocery stores within 1 km · 16 places to eat within 300 m

• Transit12/28

  4 stops within 300 m · 6 routes within 1 km

• Library and places to go6/14

  library 797 m away · 2 places of interest within 1.5 km

• Parks and recreation6/10

  2 parks within 500 m · nearest centre 0.9 km

• Schools and child care8/8

  4 schools within 500 m · 4 licensed child care within 500 m

• Crossing on foot3/10

  pedestrian crossover

Our own measure, not a licensed walkability rating: every point comes from a City dataset listed under Sources, and the six parts add up to the score. How the score is built · the full ranking.

Within a kilometre there are 38 RentSafeTO-registered apartment buildings — 728 rental units, 2.5× the median for a Toronto intersection — two social or Toronto Community Housing. The nearest is 59 Balsam Ave (34 m, 19 units, 3 storeys, built 1927), which scored 87 out of 100 at its September 2024 RentSafeTO evaluation. None scored below 70; the average is 89, about the citywide norm.

38 registered buildings · 728 units · 2 social housing · tallest 6 storeys. The score is the City's RentSafeTO evaluation out of 100; buildings of three or more storeys and ten or more units are registered, condominiums and houses are not. Each building links to its full record on LandlordReport.

Two thefts from vehicles and no bike thefts were reported around this corner in 2016–2025.

Police offset every occurrence to the nearest intersection before publishing, so these are thefts on the streets and premises around this node, not necessarily at the corner itself. Other offences are published by neighbourhood only — see The Beaches.

• Traffic counts: City of Toronto, Traffic Volumes – Multimodal Intersection Turning Movement Counts, latest count Oct 19, 2022.
• Serious-injury collisions: City of Toronto / Toronto Police Service, Motor Vehicle Collisions involving Killed or Seriously Injured Persons, records through Oct 11, 2026.
• All collisions: Toronto Police Service, Traffic Collisions Open Data, records through Sep 30, 2026.
• Cameras: City of Toronto, Red Light Cameras.
• Speeds and calming: Midblock Vehicle Speed, Volume and Classification Counts.
• Within a walk: DineSafe (Toronto Public Health), inspections Nov 2023 – Oct 2026; Park Washroom Facilities, Washroom Facilities in City Buildings, Automated Public Toilets, Park Drinking Water Sources; Licensed Child Care Centres; Ministry of Health Service Provider Locations (Ontario) — Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.; City of Toronto School Locations, Parks and Recreation Facilities, Library Branch General Information, Places of Interest and Attractions, Traffic Signals Tabular, Neighbourhoods.
• Apartment buildings: City of Toronto Apartment Building Registration and Apartment Building Evaluation (RentSafeTO), as compiled by LandlordReport (imported Sep 10, 2026).
• Thefts: Toronto Police Service, Theft From Motor Vehicle and Bicycle Thefts open data, occurrences offset by police to the nearest intersection, records through Jun 30, 2026.
• Ward and BIA: Wards and Elected Councillors (Ward 19 councillor), Business Improvement Areas.
• Getting there: TTC Routes and Schedules (GTFS), GO Transit GTFS, UP Express GTFS, VIA Rail GTFS, MiWay (Mississauga) GTFS, Durham Region Transit GTFS, Brampton Transit GTFS, York Region Transit GTFS, Bike Share Toronto, Cycling Network; Topographic Mapping – Physical Area of Parking Lots, Green P Parking with Parking Occupancy, City-Operated EV Charging Stations, Street Furniture – Bicycle Parking, Bicycle Parking Racks, High-Capacity Bicycle Parking, Indoor Bike Stations. Data provided with permission of Metrolinx where GO and UP Express appear.
• Coordinates: 43.67216, -79.28994 · centreline node 13462897.