Kingston & Balsam

Traffic volume8-hour count · Apr 19, 2006

This is a three-leg intersection with no north leg. The east leg carries the load — 6,898 westbound vehicles, or 48% of everything entering — while the south leg brought 442. Most cyclists arrived from the east (78 of 160). The morning and afternoon peaks are nearly equal: 2,269 vehicles in the hour from 7:30 a.m. and 2,222 from 5:00 p.m. Trucks and buses were 5.8% of traffic, well above the typical 3.2% — a sign of a goods-movement or bus corridor. The citywide median for a 14-hour count is 16,177 vehicles. The count is 21 years old — treat it as a snapshot of 2006, 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: 2,269 vehicles in the hour from 7:30 a.m. and 2,222 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

2016 was the peak year (7 collisions), and 2025 closed with 3. 18% of collisions here involved an injury, above the 15% citywide. 4 drivers failed to remain at the scene — 11% of collisions, below the citywide 16%. People walking or cycling were involved in 8% of collisions here (citywide: 5%). Since January 2026, 4 more collisions have been reported; they sit outside the ranking window. The most recent report on file is from Jul 26, 2026.

One collision in 2016–2025 left someone seriously injured; it was not fatal. 1 cyclist was among those hurt. It happened in darkness. The most recent was on Nov 23, 2017.

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 Balsam Ave between Glen Stewart Park Trl and Balsam Rd (329 m away) recorded an average of 32 km/h in its 3-day count in April 2001; 85% of drivers were at or under 40 km/h. That segment carries about 1,200 vehicles a day. The reading is 25 years old; the City counts on request rather than on a schedule. At the school-zone speed sign on Lyall Ave (382 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.

Speed sign

Lyall Ave (eastbound), 382 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.

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.

• Groceries and food28/30

  1 grocery store within 300 m · 22 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 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.

30 registered apartment buildings with 1,186 rental units stand within a kilometre of the corner, four of them social or Toronto Community Housing — 2.0× the median for a Toronto intersection. The nearest is 983 Kingston Rd (257 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.

30 registered buildings · 1,186 units · 4 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.

Toronto Police place one theft from a vehicle and one bicycle theft at this intersection 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 Apr 19, 2006.
• 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).
• 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: 43.68035, -79.28920 · centreline node 13461439.