Brimley Road

A sign for Scarborough's Brimley Road.
A sign for Markham's Brimley Road.
Brimley Road begins near the Scarborough Bluffs.

Brimley Road is a north-south street in Toronto and the Regional Municipality of York, Ontario, Canada. In Toronto, it is located entirely within Scarborough and carried 32000 vehicles daily in May 2007[1] Hence, it is classified as a major arterial road by the city of Toronto.[2]

Beginning at Scarborough Bluffs by Lake Ontario,[3] Brimley goes straight through Scarborough, past Steeles Avenue and ends at 14th Avenue in Markham. The Scarborough portion is mainly residential with small strip plazas along the way, and the super-regional mall, Scarborough Town Centre. North of Finch Avenue is Brimley forest, a small patch of what the area once looked like. Past Steeles, Brimley weaves through the residential areas of the Milliken community of Markham.

History

The origins of the street's name is unknown, but it could be named for a village in Teignbridge in England given the origins of many of Scarborough's early settlers.

The corner of Brimley Road and Sheppard Avenue marks the central location around which the community of Agincourt was formed during the mid-19th century.[4] The road has also come to border the neighbourhood Kennedy Park[5] and the electoral districts Scarborough—Agincourt[6] and Scarborough—Rouge River.[7]

A museum off Brimley north of Lawrence Avenue East in Thomson Park pays tribute to the founding family of the former Township of Scarborough; West Highland Creek, a tributary of the Highland Creek, runs through the park.

401 overpass

The section south of Sheppard was once interrupted at Highway 401. An CA$11 million overpass and partial interchange of the freeway was built and opened on October 18, 1987 over the objections of many area residents on concerns over increased traffic volume. In an attempt to address these concerns, it was initially restricted to transit buses and emergency vehicles.[8] After a few months of widely reported public pressure, Scarborough City Council voted February 18, 1988 to open the overpass to general traffic.[9]

A partial interchange is provided between Brimley Road and Highway 401, with westbound access to Highway 401 from northbound Brimley Road, and southbound access to Brimley Road from eastbound Highway 401. Eastbound traffic may also access northbound Brimley Road via the Progress Avenue exit.

Public transit

The main Toronto Transit Commission bus route on Brimley Road is the 21 Brimley, which runs from Steeles Avenue to Eglinton Avenue, stopping on the way through the Scarborough Centre RT station. At Eglinton, it turns west to the Kennedy subway station. The old route of 128 Brimley North, which originally ran from Scarborough Centre to Steeles through McCowan Road and Sheppard Avenue, had started when the RT opened in 1985 and merged with the 21 in 1999. Prior to 1985, TTC service on Brimley north of Sheppard was served by a branch of the 57 Midland route.

The 131E Nugget Express runs on Brimley between Scarborough Centre and Eglinton during peak hours, stopping only at Lawrence Avenue. The 12B Kingston Road serves Brimley from Kingston Road to Eglinton during peak hours as well.[10] South of Kingston Road, Brimley Road South has served as the off-street loop for a number of routes since the 1950s, with the 12 Kingston Road doing this since 1968.

In 2002, the TTC examined the feasibility of building a Scarborough RT station at Brimley Road. It concluded that demands are not enough, and instead a pedestrian walkway was built towards Scarborough Centre station. In 2007, it was stated that the issue will be re-examined when significant land developments take place west of Brimley Road near the proposed location of Brimley station.[11] In February 2008 the TTC made a motion that the current study should include the addition of a station where the existing line crosses Brimley Road.[12]

From September 1989 to September 1993 Brimley Rd North of Steeles was served by 128A Brimley North from Scarborough Centre to 14th Avenue by the TTC. In September 1993 for about a year Markham Transit took over operations on Brimley Rd between Steeles Ave and 14th Ave as Route 6 Brimley while TTC operated south of Steeles Ave to Scarborough Centre (128 Brimley North). To this day there is no bus service on Brimley Rd North of Steeles Ave due to low ridership.

Landmarks

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Brimley Road, Toronto.
  1. ↑ "Proposed Right-Turn Lane Designation Northbound Brimley Road at Progress Avenue" (PDF). City of Toronto. May 14, 2007. Retrieved 2007-12-29.
  2. ↑ "Classifications of City Streets" (PDF). City of Toronto. June 2000. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-04-11. Retrieved 2007-12-29.
  3. ↑ "T.O's un-tourist guide". Toronto Star. 2007-07-29. Retrieved 2007-12-30.
  4. ↑ "Scarborough Community Names". Scarborough Historical Society. Retrieved 2007-12-29.
  5. ↑ Jeff Gray (2005-07-01). "Report finds shortchanged neighbourhoods" (fee required). The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2007-12-30.
  6. ↑ "Scarborough-Agincourt". Elections Ontario. 2007. Retrieved 2007-12-30.
  7. ↑ "Scarborough-Rouge River". Elections Ontario. 2007. Retrieved 2007-12-30.
  8. ↑ Abbate, Gay (December 17, 1987). "Stage set for final battle on Brimley, 401 overpass". The Globe and Mail. p. A23.
  9. ↑ "Committee votes to open Brimley Road". The Globe and Mail. February 19, 1988. p. A13.
  10. ↑ "Route Schedules". Retrieved 2007-12-29.
  11. ↑ Gary Webster (2007-02-27). "Staff Response to Commission Inquiry – Scarborough RT Strategic Plan". Toronto Transit Commission. Retrieved 2008-01-04.
  12. ↑ "TTC Minutes - February 27, 2008" (PDF). Retrieved 2008-03-30.
  13. ↑ City of Toronto: Scarborough Historical Museum
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