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 are 9 TTC routes within a kilometre.

Traffic
21,834
vehicles · 14-hour count, Jul 8, 2025
405 pedestrians · 88 cyclists · #759 busiest
Collisions
35
police-reported · 2016–2025
none killed or seriously injured · #2571 of 5,519
Getting there
1
TTC stop within 100 m
9 routes within 1 km
Within a walk
39/100
city median 48
5 places to eat within 300 m · grocery 807 m

Map

Everything on this page, plotted around the node — filter the layers to see one thing at a time

Layers click a category to show or hide it · None then one category to see it alone
Birchmount & Arbutus

Traffic and safety

The City's latest turning-movement count, every police-reported collision within 65 m, speeds on these streets

Traffic volume14-hour count · 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 16,177 vehicles. The count is 16 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

Peak hours: 1,790 vehicles in the hour from 8:15 a.m. and 1,902 from 4:00 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 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.

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

By year

16171819202122232425
2016–2025Collisions
All reported collisions35#2571 of 5,519
With an injury5
Property damage only29
Fail to remain2
Involving a pedestrian0
Involving a cyclist0
Severity not classified1
Since January 2026 (outside the window)4
Killed or seriously injured0
All KSI since 20060

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

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; 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.

Getting there

Transit within 1 km, cycling at the corner, and where to park

Transit and cycling

TTC bus
17 95 68 43 nearest 92 m
Express
995 996 968
Blue Night
395 343
Nearest stops
6 surface stops within 300 m — Birchmount Rd at Ellesmere 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.

Parking within 2 km

Green P
1 car park · about 68 spaces
EV charging
no City charger within 2 km
Bike parking
none recorded nearby
Other lots
32 mapped lots within 500 m, 269 within 2 km — private, commercial or institutional, and often for customers or residents only
Green P car parkDistanceSpacesPeak occupancy
Ellesmere Lot - Near 1050 Ellesmere Road - closed for construction until November 2019 · Surface1.4 km68 *—

Green P spaces and average daily peak occupancy from the Toronto Parking Authority's quarterly dataset (* = capacity from the 2019 car-park list; check Green P for rates). EV chargers are City-operated only. On-street and underground parking are not included.

Within a walk

What the City's own records put within a walk of this corner — distances are the walk along real streets and paths. Shops, banks, gyms and clinics are in no City dataset, so they are not here.

Food, shops and services

The nearest grocery store is Costco Wholesale, 807 m away; 2 grocery stores sit within a kilometre. There are 5 restaurants, cafés and takeouts within 300 m, and 24 eating places within a kilometre. The nearest is Subway, 101 m away. The nearest pharmacy is Ellesmere Healthcare Pharmacy, 454 m away; 4 pharmacies are within a kilometre. No hospital site is within a 2 km walk. For seniors' housing: Alexis Lodge Retirement Residence, a retirement home 363 m away.

Restaurants & cafés
  • Subway · 1620 Birchmount Rd101 m
  • Mexitaco · 1601 Birchmount Rd Bldg-1111 m
  • Pizza Hut · 592 Ellesmere Rd133 m
  • Burger King · 1607 Birchmount Rd153 m
  • Tim Hortons · 1621 Birchmount Rd195 m
5 within 300 m · 24 within 1 km
Grocery
Costco Wholesale 807 m · 10 min · 2 within 1 km
Food shops
Spice Is Rite Express Inc 1 km · 12 min · butcher, bakery or food shop
Pharmacy
Ellesmere Healthcare Pharmacy 454 m · 5 min · 4 within 1 km
Child care
  • Kiddies Lodge Day Care Centre · 69 spaces, toddler, preschool, school age547 m · 7 min
1 licensed centre · 69 spaces within 1 km
Washrooms
  • Ellesmere Community Centre Washroom · hours not listed894 m · 11 min
Drinking water: Mondeo Park 595 m · 7 min
Health and care
  • Alexis Lodge Retirement Residence · retirement home363 m · 4 min

Food premises Toronto Public Health has inspected since November 2023, screened by name and location to leave out the kitchens inside care homes, child care, schools and offices, and carts and stalls; a shop without a recent inspection does not appear. Pharmacies, hospital sites and care homes from the Ontario Ministry of Health's register — a hospital site may be a rehabilitation or specialty hospital without an emergency department; in an emergency call 911. How places are classed.

Parks, schools and places

Parks
  • Mondeo Park603 m · 7 min
  • Dorset Park745 m · 9 min
  • Ellesmere Park877 m · 10 min
  • Jolly Way Park1.2 km · 15 min
Community centres
Schools
  • Alif Canada Elementary SchoolPrivate · 445 m · 5 min
  • Ellesmere Statton Public SchoolEnglish Public · 477 m · 6 min
  • Sathya Sai Elementary SchoolPrivate · 633 m · 8 min
  • Bond Academy SchoolPrivate · 788 m · 9 min
  • Glamorgan Jr Public SchoolEnglish Public · 1.2 km · 15 min

Parks, schools, libraries and places of interest within 1.5 km; child care, washrooms and care homes within 1 km; a hospital site within 2 km. Distances are the walk along real streets and paths. How these are joined.

Not within a walk: a library.

39of 100
Scored from the records above

The median Toronto intersection scores 48. It counts what can be reached, not how pleasant or safe the walk is.

  • Groceries and food16/30

    2 grocery stores within 1 km · 5 places to eat within 300 m

  • Transit15/28

    6 stops within 300 m · 9 routes within 1 km

  • Library and places to go0/14

    none within a walk

  • Parks and recreation3/10

    nearest park 0.6 km · nearest centre 0.9 km

  • Schools and child care5/8

    2 schools within 500 m · 1 licensed child care within 1 km

  • Crossing on foot0/10

    no crossing features on file

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.

Apartment buildings nearby

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

Six registered apartment buildings with 221 rental units stand within a kilometre of the corner — well below the median of 15. The nearest is 1555 Birchmount Rd (266 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 81, below the 90 typical of Toronto intersections.

Nearest buildingsUnitsStoreysBuiltScoreDistance
1555 Birchmount Rd · North 44 Property Management Inc466195071 · Sep 2025266 m · 3 min
1545 Birchmount Rd · North 44 Property Management Inc374196076 · Jul 2026323 m · 4 min
1535 Birchmount Rd · North 44 Property Management Inc374196083 · Jul 2026363 m · 4 min
1525 Birchmount Rd · Briarlane Rental Property Management Inc.524195689 · Sep 2025400 m · 5 min
1477 Birchmount Rd213196086 · Sep 2025692 m · 8 min
1475 Birchmount Rd · Signet Group Inc.285196782 · Aug 2026727 m · 9 min

6 registered buildings · 221 units · 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.

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.

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

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 #759 of 2,438 counted intersections for vehicles, 1.35× the median for a counted intersection.

Is Birchmount & Arbutus a walkable intersection?

Birchmount & Arbutus scores 39 out of 100 on this site's within-a-walk measure; the city median is 48. It counts what the City's own records put within a walk — food premises, transit, libraries, parks, schools, licensed child care — not shops, banks or clinics, which no City dataset lists. Within a walk: 2 schools within 500 m · 1 licensed child care within 1 km; 6 stops within 300 m · 9 routes within 1 km; 2 grocery stores within 1 km · 5 places to eat within 300 m.

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 (1.4 km away, 68 spaces). The City's mapping shows 269 parking lots of any kind within 2 km — roughly 50,770 spaces — 32 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, 995, 996, 968 within 1 km (nearest stop: Birchmount Rd at Ellesmere Rd, 92 m).

What restaurants are near Birchmount & Arbutus?

5 restaurants, cafés and takeouts are within 300 m, and 24 within a kilometre, counting the premises Toronto Public Health has inspected since November 2023. The closest are Subway (101 m), Mexitaco (111 m), Pizza Hut (133 m), Burger King (153 m) and Tim Hortons (195 m). 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, 894 m away.

Is there child care near Birchmount & Arbutus?

One licensed child care centre within 1 km, with 69 spaces in total; it does not accept City fee subsidy. The nearest is Kiddies Lodge Day Care Centre (547 m, 69 spaces). Spaces are licensed capacity, not vacancies.

What apartment buildings are near Birchmount & Arbutus?

Six RentSafeTO-registered apartment buildings with 221 rental units are within 1 km. The nearest are 1555 Birchmount Rd (266 m, 46 units, RentSafeTO score 71), 1545 Birchmount Rd (323 m, 37 units, RentSafeTO score 76), 1535 Birchmount Rd (363 m, 37 units, RentSafeTO score 83) and 1525 Birchmount Rd (400 m, 52 units, RentSafeTO score 89). The average RentSafeTO score across the 6 is 81 out of 100.

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. 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