‘It’s our turn’: Toronto preps for its Taylor Swift era with security, traffic plan

The City of Toronto announced traffic and security measures Thursday in preparation for Taylor Swift’s arrival, warning residents to be patient and plan ahead with huge crowds expected to flock downtown during six scheduled shows.

Swift will perform at Rogers Centre for her sold-out Eras Tour from Nov. 14 to Nov. 16 and the following week from Nov. 21 to Nov. 23, and the city said it is expecting up to 500,000 visitors from outside Toronto.

Tens of thousands of Swifties are expected to use public transit to get to the venue and the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, where fan event Taylgate’24 is happening, while multiple overlapping events at Scotiabank Arena could bring up to 20,000 more people downtown.

At a press conference detailing the city’s plans, Deputy Mayor Ausma Malik said Toronto has been preparing for the tour for months, and has learned from other cities’ experiences with the concerts.

“We’ve seen the excitement generated in each city on this tour, and it’s our turn now,” Malik said.

“We want to make sure those that are visiting have a great time … and Toronto residents have an opportunity to catch the excitement and have all the assurance and information that they need.”

Barbara Gray, general manager of Toronto’s transportation services, said the city will take measures to mitigate traffic, including temporarily closing or restricting some roads around the Rogers Centre on concert days.

“We are planning to reopen all roads by 1 a.m., once crowds and traffic have dispersed following the shows,” Gray said, adding that the city has designated drop-off and pick-up zones for parents, caregivers, taxis and ride-shares.

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Gray said additional traffic-control agents and Toronto police officers will be deployed to assist with flow. In addition, the city will enforce a “limited activity zone” at key blocks in the downtown core, where construction, filming and utility cuts will be restricted.

The Toronto Transit Commission announced earlier this week that it will have extra service on subway lines 1 and 2 in the hours before and after Swift’s showtimes.

The transit agency said it is also planning on more streetcars and buses for some routes, including the 509 Harbourfront and the 510D Spadina.

Provincial transit authority Metrolinx said it will have additional staff and signage at Union Station to guide fans to the concerts.

It will be key for residents and visitors to plan their trips downtown during the tour, Gray said, adding the city encourages everyone to take public transit or use a ride-share or bike-share instead of driving.

“We want to make sure that everyone arrives with plenty of time to get into the stadium, find their spot, swap friendship bracelets and do that well before the show begins,” Gray said.

The city also has several safety contingencies in place, said Joanna Beaven-Desjardins, executive director of Toronto emergency management. She said the city will be activating its emergency operation centre during each show, and will co-ordinate with all local stakeholders.

“We are looped into each other’s operations, and we have a real-time, big-picture view of everything that’s taking place across Toronto,” Beaven-Desjardins said.

In August, security challenges at Taylor Swift concerts drew attention after Austrian authorities announced they had arrested suspects and foiled a conspiracy to attack shows in Vienna with knives or homemade explosives. The shows were cancelled.

Deputy Chief Lauren Pogue with the Toronto Police Service said while the force can’t provide details on its operational plans, residents and visitors can expect to see “a significant and visible police presence” on concert dates, both inside and outside of the venue.

People in the area should be patient and alert, she said.

“We understand that there may be some anxiety around events of this scale,” Pogue said. “That is why our intelligence teams are closely monitoring and are fully prepared to respond to any potential risk.”

Pogue added there are “no threats at this time” and law enforcement will continuously monitor security.

Destination Toronto said the Eras Tour is expected to bring more than $282 million in economic impact, with visitors accounting for 93 per cent of spending.

The city said it will also be putting on various events in light of the megastar’s visit, including Swift-inspired poetry programming by Toronto poets.

— With files from the Associated Press.

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