As business owners push back against dedicated bus lanes on Bathurst Street, some are turning to artificial allies.
With the proposed expansion of the city鈥檚 RapidTO bus lane program 鈥 trading 138 paid parking spots on Bathurst for faster commutes 鈥 some business owners have rallied under a 鈥淧rotect Bathurst鈥 campaign, aiming to warn the community of the priority lanes’ impact on local businesses. However, has used AI-generated videos on its Instagram page to warn that reduced parking will block car-bound shoppers and people with mobility issues.
Two of the campaign鈥檚 videos mimic a grassroots approach 鈥 people strolling outside, warning how bus lanes could hurt local businesses. But, the same footage has appeared in ads for other causes, with only the script swapped.
鈥淣ow, don鈥檛 get me wrong, priority lanes are crucial during rush hour,鈥 one video says. 鈥淏ut what about the rest of the time? Why not give access back to the community when it鈥檚 not rush hour? It鈥檚 time for a solution that works for everyone 鈥 commuters, residents and businesses alike.鈥
Local businesses say a proposed dedicated bus lane would threaten their livelihoods, while city councillors and many transit riders want to see
Local businesses say a proposed dedicated bus lane would threaten their livelihoods, while city councillors and many transit riders want to see
The new dedicated bus routes are part of a proposed expansion of the city鈥檚 RapidTO bus lane program onto Dufferin Street (from Dufferin Gate to Eglinton Avenue West) and on Bathurst Street (for buses and streetcars, from Lake Shore Boulevard to Eglinton Avenue West).
Approved by the TTC board, the proposed lanes could be changed depending on听input from听public consultations. Three public consultations (two in-person and one virtual) for the Bathurst street bus lanes were held earlier this month.听Before the routes are installed, the proposal will need the approval of听city council.
Star contributing columnist Shawn Micallef posted about the videos on . In a thread, he pointed out that one of the campaign鈥檚 two videos has been used by several companies, with the same person promoting different products from听stocks to personal trainers to solar panels.
A reverse image search conducted by the Star found 45 identical matches 听across social media 鈥 some in different languages. A separate image search conducted by the Star from the campaign appeared in at least three other company ads.
The TTC and city’s plans for proposed priority bus lanes on Bathurst Street.
TTC and City of TorontoPublic domain registration records show the 鈥淧rotect Bathurst鈥 website was registered by a food marketing consultant for Summerhill Market, an independent grocery store with six locations in 海角社区官网鈥 including one on Bathurst Street. The campaign鈥檚 website lists no spokesperson or contact information, and its layout closely resembles 鈥淧rotect Dufferin鈥 鈥 another group of 鈥渃oncerned residents鈥 opposing the same bus lane expansion on Dufferin Street.
Brad McMullen, president of Summerhill Market, told the Star he helped launch the 鈥淧rotect Bathurst鈥 initiative after learning about the proposed bus lanes three weeks ago, when an employee mentioned听the dedicated lanes after hearing from a customer.
He said his business isn鈥檛 associated with the campaign鈥檚 Instagram page, and the AI-generated videos have 鈥渘othing to do with Summerhill Market.鈥 The Star reached out to the Instagram page about its initiative, but received no response.
Concerned about the听bus lanes’听impact, McMullen spoke with other local business owners, and together they started the “Protect Bathurst”听campaign.
There are ‘RapidTO’ plans to create transit priority lanes on Dufferin as well as Bathurst streets.
There are ‘RapidTO’ plans to create transit priority lanes on Dufferin as well as Bathurst streets.
鈥淚n its current form, I think (the proposed bus lanes) will highly limit access for deliveries and customers,鈥 McMullen said. 鈥淪ome alternatives have been suggested, but they unfortunately (don鈥檛) work for our use.鈥
Half of a large parking lot at their Bathurst location, McMullen said, belongs to Summerhill Market. The bus lanes听will clog the lot’s听driveway听as delivery drivers try听to pick up orders for customers, McMullen added.
海角社区官网has the eighth-worst traffic in North America, according to 鈥 and buses are stuck in it. TTC data shows average bus speeds have dropped from 20 km/h in 2013 to 17.2 km/h in 2024.
On Bathurst Street, it鈥檚 even slower听at听just 13 km/h, making transit trips up to 75 per cent longer than for drivers for the more than 35,000 riders on the Bathurst bus or streetcar on an average weekday.
McMullen said last week all 500 of his employees use the TTC to commute to work, and he鈥檚 exploring legal options to see if he can slow down the approval process for the bus lanes.
The online petition for 鈥淧rotect Bathurst鈥 had more than 1,500 signatures on Wednesday afternoon, and 听will remain open until May 26.
鈥淚鈥檓 still grappling with the impact,鈥 McMullen said, 鈥渁nd how to navigate the impact of the proposal.鈥
With files from Andy Takagi
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