The Esplanade & Lower Sherbourne

Traffic volume14-hour count · Oct 9, 2025

Traffic is heaviest from the south: 2,926 northbound vehicles entered from that leg, 51% of the total, against 192 from the east. Evening rush dominates here: 573 vehicles in the peak hour from 5:45 p.m., against 453 in the morning peak from 8:30 a.m. Trucks and buses were 10.0% of traffic, well above the typical 3.2% — a sign of a goods-movement or bus corridor. For scale, a typical counted intersection in Toronto sees 16,177 vehicles over 14 hours. The count is 13 months old; the City recounts intersections on an ad-hoc schedule, so volumes may have shifted since.

Peak hours: 453 vehicles in the hour from 8:30 a.m. and 573 from 5:45 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 2016, with 10 collisions; 2025 recorded 2. 12 collisions (31%) involved an injury; the citywide share is 15%. 6 drivers failed to remain at the scene — 15% of collisions, in line with the citywide 16%. 7 collisions involved a pedestrian or cyclist (18%) — a high share for a Toronto intersection. Since January 2026, 3 more collisions have been reported; they sit outside the ranking window. The most recent report on file is from Jun 29, 2026.

One collision in 2016–2025 was fatal. 1 pedestrian was among those hurt. It happened in darkness. The most recent was on Jan 3, 2017. Going back to 2006, the total is 2.

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 2021

On Lower Sherbourne St between Gardiner W and The Esplanade, 22 m from the corner, a 3-day count in May 2021 put the average speed at 41 km/h and the 85th-percentile speed at 49 km/h, with the fastest one in twenty at 54 km/h or more. That segment carries about 5,000 vehicles a day. The reading is 5 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

Signal 1441, activated 1982 · accessible (audible) pedestrian signal · leading pedestrian interval North/South/East/West · transit priority · bicycle signal

Not within a walk: a care or retirement home.

• Groceries and food30/30

  3 grocery stores within 300 m · 17 places to eat within 300 m

• Transit17/28

  13 stops within 300 m · 15 routes within 1 km

• Library and places to go14/14

  library 180 m away · 4 places of interest within 500 m

• Parks and recreation10/10

  3 parks within 500 m · 3 community centres within 800 m

• Schools and child care8/8

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

• Crossing on foot8/10

  traffic signal · head start for people walking · accessible signals

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 26 RentSafeTO-registered apartment buildings — 3,831 rental units — 18 social or Toronto Community Housing. The nearest is 176 The Esplanade (65 m, 220 units, 7 storeys, built 2006), which scored 95 out of 100 at its November 2025 RentSafeTO evaluation. None scored below 70; the average is 90, about the citywide norm.

26 registered buildings · 3,831 units · 18 social housing · tallest 17 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.

18 thefts from vehicles and seven bike thefts were reported around this corner in 2016–2025 — 4.2× the median for a Toronto intersection with any reported theft. The pace has picked up: 15 in 2023–2025, about 5.0 a year, against 1.4 a year before that. 61% of the vehicle thefts were from the street or other outdoor spots; 57% of the bike thefts were from apartment-building parking. Since January 2026, 1 more has been reported, the latest on Jun 19, 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 St Lawrence-East Bayfront-The Islands.

• Traffic counts: City of Toronto, Traffic Volumes – Multimodal Intersection Turning Movement Counts, latest count Oct 9, 2025.
• 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 10 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: 43.64905, -79.36730 · centreline node 13466844.