Toronto · intersection

Birchmount & Arbutus

Birchmount Rd & Arbutus Cres · Toronto, Ontario · Dorset Park · Ward 21, Scarborough Centre

In Dorset Park, Birchmount & Arbutus is a busier-than-typical intersection. Nearby is 17 TTC routes within a kilometre.

Traffic volume
21,834
vehicles · 14-hour count, Jul 8, 2025
405 pedestrians · 88 cyclists · #744 busiest
Collisions
35
police-reported, any severity · 2016–2025
5 with an injury · 29 property damage · #2571 of 5,508 · +4 since Jan 2026
KSI collisions
0
killed or seriously injured · 2016–2025
none in the window
Red-light camera
None
not on the City's camera list
Transit
2
TTC stops within 100 m
8 bus routes within 1 km
Cycling
No bikeway
nothing on the City cycling network here
no Bike Share dock within 150 m

Hour by hour, the 14-hour count works out to close to 1,560 vehicles, 1.35× the median counted intersection. There is roughly one pedestrian for every 54 vehicles, well below the typical one per 13. Police have logged an average of 3.5 collisions a year here over 2016–2025 — 1.6 per 10,000 counted vehicles, below the median rate of 5.0. Collisions edged up 6%, from 17 in 2016–2020 to 18 in 2021–2025. None of them involved a death or serious injury.

Map

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Birchmount & Arbutus

Getting here

Transit within 1 km, cycling at the corner, and what's within a 1.5 km walk

Transit & cycling

TTC bus
1795684338129131133 nearest 81 m
Express
995996968903904938939
Blue Night
395343
Nearest stops
8 surface stops within 300 m — Birchmount Rd at Ellesmere Rd; Ellesmere Rd at Birchmount Rd
Cycling
no bikeway on the City cycling network touches this intersection
Bike Share
no station within 1 km

Straight-line distances to the nearest stop or station entrance in each agency's current schedule feed, including temporary diversions.

Within walking distance 1.5 km

Schools (11)
  • Ellesmere Statton Public SchoolEnglish Public · 300 m
  • Alif Canada Elementary SchoolPrivate · 320 m
  • Sathya Sai Elementary SchoolPrivate · 448 m
  • Bond Academy SchoolPrivate · 666 m
  • Um Al-Qura Islamic SchoolPrivate · 872 m
  • Glamorgan Jr Public SchoolEnglish Public · 1 km
  • and 5 more
Parks (8)
  • Mondeo Park458 m
  • Dorset Park544 m
  • Ellesmere Park675 m
  • Manhattan Park1 km
  • Jolly Way Park1.1 km
  • Glamorgan Park1.1 km
  • and 2 more

Around the corner

Food premises, public washrooms, child care and emergency services — distances are straight-line from the node

Restaurants & food

There are 6 restaurants, cafés and takeouts within 300 m of the corner, and 53 eating places within a kilometre. The nearest is Mexitaco, 84 m away, which passed its last DineSafe inspection in May 2026.

Restaurants & cafés6 within 300 m · 53 within 1 km
Grocery & convenience0 within 300 m · 11 within 1 km
Nearest food premisesDistanceLatest DineSafe inspection
Mexitaco · 1601 Birchmount Rd Bldg-184 mPassed, May 2026
Subway · 1620 Birchmount Rd84 mPassed, Jun 2026
Pizza Hut · 592 Ellesmere Rd126 mPassed, Apr 2026
Burger King · 1607 Birchmount Rd143 mPassed, Aug 2026
Tim Hortons · 1621 Birchmount Rd166 mPassed, Aug 2026
Alexis Lodges · 707 Ellesmere Rd220 mPassed, Sep 2026
Fresh Choice Cafe · 520 Ellesmere Rd Unit-110303 mPassed, May 2026
Golconda · 1519 Birchmount Rd369 mPassed, Apr 2026 · 1 infraction

Every establishment Toronto Public Health inspects under DineSafe, screened by name to leave out kitchens inside schools, care homes and offices. A conditional pass means infractions had to be fixed by a follow-up visit, not that the premises is closed.

Washrooms & water

The nearest public washroom is Ellesmere Community Centre Washroom, 702 m away, View centre hours. A drinking fountain is 453 m away at Mondeo Park.

  • Ellesmere Community Centre Washroom · 20 Canadian Rd
    View centre hours
    702 m
Drinking water
Mondeo Park drinking fountain · 453 m

Park washrooms, washrooms in City buildings and automated street toilets, with hours and status as the City publishes them (park washrooms are seasonal). Malls, shops and TTC stations are not included.

Child care

Three licensed child care centres within a kilometre offer 202 spaces; two accept City fee subsidy. The nearest is Kiddies Lodge Day Care Centre (418 m, 69 spaces, toddler, preschool, school age).

Within 1 km3 centres · 202 spaces
Fee subsidy2 of 3
  • Kiddies Lodge Day Care Centre · 764 Ellesmere Rd
    69 spaces · toddler, preschool, school age
    418 m
  • Progress Childcare (Scarborough Inc. #1 (3 Glamorgan) · 3 Glamorgan Ave
    90 spaces · infant, toddler, preschool, kindergarten · fee subsidy · $10-a-day
    941 m
  • Glamorgan School Age YMCA · 51 Antrim Cres
    43 spaces · kindergarten, school age · fee subsidy · $10-a-day
    1 km

Licensed centres only; spaces are licensed capacity, not vacancies.

Emergency services

The nearest fire hall is Fire Station 245 (50 m), the nearest police station 41 Division (3.7 km) and the nearest ambulance station 2.0 km away.

FireFire Station 245 · 50 m1600 Birchmount Rd
Police41 Division · 3.7 km2222 Eglinton Avenue East
AmbulanceAmbulance Station 20 · 2 km2430 Lawrence Ave E

Nearest station by straight line — not a response time, and not necessarily the station that would answer a call.

Apartment buildings nearby

RentSafeTO-registered rental buildings within 1 km, with the City's latest evaluation score

Ten registered apartment buildings with 880 rental units stand within a kilometre of the corner, two of them social or Toronto Community Housing. The nearest is 1555 Birchmount Rd (231 m, 46 units, 6 storeys, built 1950), which scored 71 out of 100 at its September 2025 RentSafeTO evaluation. None scored below 70; the average is 83, below the 90 typical of Toronto intersections. The Landlord and Tenant Board issued 35 final orders naming these buildings in the latest half-year of its catalogue.

Registered buildings10 · 880 units · 2 social housing
RentSafeTO score83 average · none below 70
LTB orders, Jan 2026 – Jun 202635 across the 10
Open fire-code violations0
Tallest12 storeys
Nearest buildingsUnitsStoreysBuiltScoreLTB ordersDistance
1555 Birchmount Rd · North 44 Property Management Inc466195071 · Sep 20255231 m
1545 Birchmount Rd · North 44 Property Management Inc374196076 · Jul 20263276 m
1535 Birchmount Rd · North 44 Property Management Inc374196083 · Jul 20263314 m
1525 Birchmount Rd · Briarlane Rental Property Management Inc.524195689 · Sep 20252346 m
1477 Birchmount Rd213196086 · Sep 20251656 m
1475 Birchmount Rd · Signet Group Inc.285196782 · Aug 20261685 m
7 Glamorgan AveToronto Community Housing · Toronto Community Housing Corporation19612197186 · Sep 20243785 m
5 Glamorgan Ave · Firm Capital Properties Inc14010197487 · Sep 202415887 m

The City's RentSafeTO register — rental apartment buildings of three or more storeys and ten or more units — with the score from each building's latest City evaluation (out of 100; poor scores trigger a full audit). LTB orders are final Landlord and Tenant Board orders naming the address (Jan 2026 – Jun 2026); fire-code violations are open items in Toronto Fire Services' inspection data. Each building links to its full record on LandlordReport. Condominiums and houses are not registered.

Parking

Every mapped lot within 2 km, Green P with peak occupancy, City EV charging and bike parking

All parking lots415 lots · ≈83,440 spaces · 250.3 ha
Within 500 m48 lots · ≈7,030 spaces
Green P (public)1 car park · about 68 spaces
EV charging (City)none within 2 km
Bike parkingnone recorded nearby
Green P car parkDistanceSpacesPeak occupancy
Ellesmere Lot - Near 1050 Ellesmere Road - closed for construction until November 2019 · Surface1.3 km68 *

Nearest lots: 51 m away, ≈26 spaces; 79 m away, ≈28 spaces; 83 m away, ≈34 spaces; 99 m away, ≈74 spaces; 103 m away, ≈9 spaces; 135 m away, ≈48 spaces.

Lot count and area from the City's topographic mapping of parking-lot footprints (every visible surface lot, public or private); spaces are estimated at one per 30 m² of lot. Lots not run by Green P are private, commercial or institutional and may be for customers or residents only. Green P spaces and average daily peak occupancy from the Toronto Parking Authority's quarterly dataset (* = capacity from the 2019 car-park list; rates are not shown because that list is stale — check Green P). EV chargers are City-operated only; on-street and underground parking are not included.

Traffic volume

The City's latest turning-movement count — 14-hour, Jul 8, 2025

This is a three-leg intersection with no west leg. The north leg carries the load — 11,699 southbound vehicles, or 54% of everything entering — while the east leg brought 510. Most cyclists arrived from the south (45 of 88). The morning and afternoon peaks are nearly equal: 1,790 vehicles in the hour from 8:15 a.m. and 1,902 from 4:00 p.m. Heavy vehicles made up 4.5% of traffic (typical: 3.2%). The citywide median for a 14-hour count is 16,183 vehicles. The count is 14 months old; the City recounts intersections on an ad-hoc schedule, so volumes may have shifted since.

From the north11,699southbound · 41 bikes · 4.2% heavy
From the west0eastbound · 0 bikes · 0.0% heavy
Total vehicles21,834405 pedestrians · 88 cyclists · 4.5% heavy
From the east510westbound · 2 bikes · 0.8% heavy
From the south9,625northbound · 45 bikes · 5.1% heavy
AM peak hour1,790 vehicles from 8:15 a.m.
PM peak hour1,902 vehicles from 4:00 p.m.
Count14-hour · Jul 8, 2025

Approach figures are vehicles entering the intersection from that leg over the whole count. A count is one day's traffic, not an annual average; the City recounts on an ad-hoc schedule.

How fast traffic moves here

Midblock speed counts on the intersection's streets, the nearest school-zone speed sign, and traffic calming

The City's counter on Birchmount Rd between Burcana Rd and Canadian Rd (238 m away) recorded an average of 47 km/h in its 3-day count in March 2024; 85% of drivers were at or under 56 km/h. That segment carries about 35,400 vehicles a day.

Street segmentCountedVehicles / dayAverage85th percentile95th
Arbutus Cres · Birchmount Rd – Shropshire Dr · 40 mJun 2007 · 3 days1,033
Birchmount Rd · Burcana Rd – Canadian Rd · 238 mMar 2024 · 3 days35,37647 km/h56 km/h60 km/h

Midblock counts are automatic counters laid across the road for one to seven days; the 85th-percentile speed is the figure engineers use — 85% of drivers were at or below it. Counts are ad hoc, so some are years old. A midblock reading is not the speed through the intersection itself, and posted limits are not in the count data.

All police-reported collisions

Every collision reported to Toronto Police within 65 m, any severity, 2016–2025

The peak year was 2025, the most recent in the window, with 7 collisions. 14% of collisions here involved an injury, in line with the 15% citywide. 2 drivers failed to remain at the scene — 6% of collisions, below the citywide 16%. None of the collisions in the window involved a pedestrian or cyclist. Since January 2026, 4 more collisions have been reported; they sit outside the ranking window. The most recent report on file is from May 25, 2026.

By year

16171819202122232425

Exposure-adjusted: 1.6 collisions per year per 10,000 daily vehicles, using the latest 14-hour count.

2016–2025Collisions
All reported collisions35#2571 of 5,508
With an injury5#2625 of 4,660
Property damage only29
Fail to remain2
Involving a pedestrian0
Involving a cyclist0
Involving a motorcyclist0
With a fatality0
Severity not classified1
Since January 2026 (outside the window)4
All since 201440latest May 25, 2026

Source: Toronto Police Service, Traffic Collisions Open Data — every collision reported to police since 2014, within 65 m of this node. Records through Jun 30, 2026.

Killed or seriously injured

Collisions in which someone died or was seriously injured, within 65 m, 2016–2025 — the basis of the danger rankings

The KSI record for this intersection is empty back to 2006.

KSI = killed or seriously injured. A collision is counted if its recorded location is within 65 m of this intersection's centreline node, whether the police coded it as intersection-related or mid-block. Records can lag a year or more, so the current year is excluded from rankings.

Thefts reported at this corner

Thefts from vehicles and bicycle thefts that Toronto Police have offset to this intersection, 2016–2025

Toronto Police place one theft from a vehicle and no bicycle thefts at this intersection in 2016–2025. Since January 2026, 1 more has been reported, the latest on Mar 18, 2026.

By year

16171819202122232425
2016–2025Reported2023–2025Since Jan 2026Most often from
Theft from a vehicle111other (1)
Bicycle theft000

Source: Toronto Police Service, Theft From Motor Vehicle and Bicycle Thefts open data, records through Mar 18, 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 Dorset Park.

Nearby intersections

Questions

Is Birchmount & Arbutus a dangerous intersection?

Not by the record: no one was killed or seriously injured here in 2016–2025, though police reported 35 lesser collisions. High counts usually track high traffic volume rather than a design flaw; volume is shown alongside so the numbers can be read in context.

How busy is Birchmount & Arbutus?

A busier-than-typical intersection. It ranks #744 of 2,390 counted intersections for vehicles, 1.35× the median for a counted intersection.

How fast do cars go at Birchmount & Arbutus?

The City's most recent speed count near the corner, on Birchmount Rd between Burcana Rd and Canadian Rd (March 2024), found an average of 47 km/h and an 85th-percentile speed of 56 km/h — meaning 85% of drivers were at or below that speed.

Where can I park near Birchmount & Arbutus?

The nearest Green P car park is Ellesmere Lot - Near 1050 Ellesmere Road - closed for construction until November 2019 (1.3 km away, 68 spaces). The City's mapping shows 415 parking lots of any kind within 2 km — roughly 83,440 spaces — 48 of them within 500 m; most are private or customer-only lots.

How do I get to Birchmount & Arbutus by transit?

Bus routes 17, 95, 68, 43, 38, 129, 131, 133 and 7 more within 1 km (nearest stop: Birchmount Rd at Ellesmere Rd, 81 m).

What restaurants are near Birchmount & Arbutus?

6 restaurants, cafés and takeouts are within 300 m, and 53 within a kilometre, according to Toronto Public Health's DineSafe inspection list. The closest are Mexitaco (84 m), Subway (84 m), Pizza Hut (126 m), Burger King (143 m) and Tim Hortons (166 m). Each one's latest inspection result is shown on this page; DineSafe does not record cuisine or opening hours.

Is there a public washroom near Birchmount & Arbutus?

The nearest is Ellesmere Community Centre Washroom, 20 Canadian Rd, 702 m away (View centre hours). These are the City's own washrooms — in parks, civic buildings and automated street toilets — not those in malls, coffee shops or TTC stations.

Is there child care near Birchmount & Arbutus?

Three licensed child care centres within 1 km, with 202 spaces in total; 2 accept City fee subsidy and some are in the $10-a-day (CWELCC) program. The nearest are Kiddies Lodge Day Care Centre (418 m, 69 spaces), Progress Childcare (Scarborough Inc. #1 (3 Glamorgan) (941 m, 90 spaces) and Glamorgan School Age YMCA (1.0 km, 43 spaces). Spaces are licensed capacity, not vacancies.

What apartment buildings are near Birchmount & Arbutus?

Ten RentSafeTO-registered apartment buildings with 880 rental units are within 1 km. The nearest are 1555 Birchmount Rd (231 m, 46 units, RentSafeTO score 71), 1545 Birchmount Rd (276 m, 37 units, RentSafeTO score 76), 1535 Birchmount Rd (314 m, 37 units, RentSafeTO score 83) and 1525 Birchmount Rd (346 m, 52 units, RentSafeTO score 89). The average RentSafeTO score across the 10 is 83 out of 100. Condos and houses are not on the City's register. Each building's full record — score history, LTB orders, fire-code inspections, permits — is on LandlordReport.

How many thefts are reported at Birchmount & Arbutus?

Toronto Police place one theft from a vehicle and no bicycle thefts at this intersection in 2016–2025, plus 1 since January 2026. Police offset every reported occurrence to the nearest intersection before publishing it, so the count covers the streets, driveways and parking around this corner rather than the corner itself. Break-ins, robberies and other offences are published by neighbourhood only — see the Dorset Park page.

What neighbourhood is Birchmount & Arbutus in?

Birchmount & Arbutus is in Dorset Park (City of Toronto neighbourhood 126). It is in Ward 21, Scarborough Centre, represented by Councillor Michael Thompson.

Sources

Every figure on this page comes from one of these datasets — how they are joined