Bradford pledges transit signal priority across the full streetcar network

CityNews Toronto reported that Brad Bradford announced he would expand transit signal priority and signal preemption to every streetcar route in Toronto, including the Crosstown LRT and Finch West LRT, if elected mayor. He made the announcement at the Toronto Waterfront Marathon. His campaign says the plan is part of what he calls common-sense measures to reduce gridlock.

Transit signal priority is a system that changes traffic lights to give streetcars and buses less time waiting at red lights. When a streetcar approaches an intersection, the light stays green longer or turns green earlier so the streetcar does not have to stop as long. The goal is to make the streetcar move faster through the city. Bradford's plan would add this system to every streetcar route, not only the newer LRT lines.

Yes. CityNews Toronto reported that Mayor Olivia Chow has implemented signal priority on the Crosstown LRT (Line 5 Eglinton) and the Finch West LRT (Line 6). Her campaign says she plans to extend it to the Spadina, King and Queens Quay streetcar routes. Bradford's pledge would cover the full network, which goes further than her stated plan.

In a statement reported by CityNews Toronto, Mayor Chow warned that Bradford cannot be trusted on public transit, saying she says he previously cut TTC services and raised fares. Bradford's campaign has not responded to those claims in this article. They are Chow's own claims about Bradford's record as a city councillor.

Bradford said he would require the TTC and Metrolinx to publish their work schedules 30 days in advance so riders know what transit is available during major events. He also said he would shift more construction work to off-peak or overnight hours and install cameras on city fleet vehicles to find potholes faster, instead of relying mainly on 311 calls.

Bradford said gridlock costs the GTA $40 million annually. He also said the average Torontonian loses 100 hours each year in traffic delays. Those are Bradford's own figures, as reported by CityNews Toronto. The article does not name an independent source for either number.

Bradford said that when the city asks people to take transit to a major event starting at 8 a.m., the subway should not itself start running at 8 a.m. He said that if elected, the subway would be running at 6 a.m. for the Toronto Marathon. He used the Waterfront Marathon on October 18 as an example of poor coordination between events and transit service.

You can read the full profiles for Brad Bradford and Olivia Chow on this site. Voting day for the Toronto municipal election is October 26, 2026. See the candidates page at /on/toronto-2026/candidates#mayor for the full list of people running for mayor.