Balsam & Willow

Traffic volume8-hour count · Mar 28, 2001

Traffic is heaviest from the north: 651 southbound vehicles entered from that leg, 60% of the total, against 437 from the west. Evening rush dominates here: 215 vehicles in the peak hour from 4:45 p.m., against 165 in the morning peak from 7:45 a.m. Heavy vehicles made up 0.6% of traffic (typical: 3.2%). For scale, a typical counted intersection in Toronto sees 16,177 vehicles over 14 hours. The count is 26 years old — treat it as a snapshot of 2001, 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: 165 vehicles in the hour from 7:45 a.m. and 215 from 4:45 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 2021, with 2 collisions; 2025 recorded 0. 0 collisions (0%) involved an injury. 4 drivers failed to remain at the scene — 50% of collisions. None of the collisions in the window involved a pedestrian or cyclist. Since January 2026, 2 more collisions have been reported; they sit outside the ranking window. The most recent report on file is from Mar 27, 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.

How fast traffic moves here

On Willow Ave between Pine Ave and Balsam Ave, 200 m from the corner, a 4-day count in May 2000 put the average speed at 33 km/h and the 85th-percentile speed at 43 km/h, with the fastest one in twenty at 48 km/h or more. That segment carries about 1,100 vehicles a day. The reading is 26 years old; the City counts on request rather than on a schedule. Balsam Ave between Glen Stewart Park Trl and Balsam Rd measured slower: 32 km/h on average and an 85th percentile of 40 km/h (Apr 2001). At the school-zone speed sign on Lyall Ave (399 m away, 30 km/h limit), 0.0% of the 42,583 vehicles logged in August 2026 were doing 40 km/h or more — almost none. 4 speed humps slow traffic on Willow Avenue between Pine Ave and Balsam Ave (installed 2003).

Speed sign

Lyall Ave (eastbound), 399 m — 30 km/h zone. Median 9 km/h, 85th percentile 22 km/h; 0.0% at 40 km/h or more. 42,583 vehicles logged in August 2026; runs weekdays, 7 am - 9 pm.

Traffic calming

Willow Avenue (Pine Ave – Balsam Ave): 4 speed humps (installed 2003)

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.

Not within a walk: a care or retirement home.

• Groceries and food28/30

  1 grocery store within 300 m · 20 places to eat within 300 m

• Transit14/28

  5 stops within 300 m · 11 routes within 1 km

• Library and places to go3/14

  library 1.3 km away · 1 place of interest within 1.5 km

• Parks and recreation6/10

  nearest park 0.6 km · 1 community centre within 800 m

• Schools and child care8/8

  3 schools within 500 m · 3 licensed child care within 500 m

• Crossing on foot2/10

  traffic calming

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 29 RentSafeTO-registered apartment buildings — 1,117 rental units — three social or Toronto Community Housing. The nearest is 983 Kingston Rd (302 m, 14 units, 3 storeys, built 1925), which scored 78 out of 100 at its June 2024 RentSafeTO evaluation. None scored below 70; the average is 90, about the citywide norm.

29 registered buildings · 1,117 units · 3 social housing · tallest 16 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.

Eight thefts from vehicles and two bike thefts were reported around this corner in 2016–2025 — about the median for an intersection with any reported theft. The pace has slowed: 0 in 2023–2025, about 0.0 a year, against 1.4 a year before that. 63% of the vehicle thefts were from the street or other outdoor spots. Since January 2026, 1 more has been reported, the latest on Jan 29, 2026.

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 Mar 28, 2001.
• 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; School Safety Zone Watch Your Speed Program (locations and monthly summary); Traffic Calming Database.
• 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: 43.67996, -79.28921 · centreline node 13461509.