Lakeshore construction forces Humber commuters to hunt for parking

Humber College’s construction project for their new Humber Cultural Hub has led to parking concerns and accessibility concerns.

The project, which aims to be completed by May 31, 2025, is being built over what was once occupied by a Humber College parking lot.

Located on Lake Shore Blvd. and Twenty Third St., The project has occupied nearly half of the available parking spots.

An image of the full parking lot that is now roughly half the size it once was

The project leaves students and staff scrambling to find parking and even disrupts their walk to class.

Gianfranco Esposito-Inoa, a Humber College student, says, “because of the construction, you need to walk all the way around to get to the B building.”

Prior to construction, drivers had easy access from the parking lot to the B building and other parts of the campus. Now, students and staff are forced to find alternative routes through the school to find their classes.

Humber College lists the B building as one of the key locations that require addition travel time. The college says, “Please use caution and allow for extra travel time at the Lakeshore Campus as the following areas are under construction.”

Screenshot of construction blueprints taken from Humber College website.

The project has forced a path closure of an important route that once connected both major sectors of the Lakeshore Campus.

Commuters had easy access walking back and forth from the West side to the East side of the campus. Since the path is cut off, people who park their vehicles next to the project need to spend an additional five to seven minutes walking all the way around the West side’s sector and down Lake Shore in order to get to the East side of the campus.

The Cultural Hub is being built over what was once a parking lot. The construction has also closed off access for pedestrians to walk from one part of campus to the other.

The East side of the campus also provides a parking lot, but it is much smaller and can quickly fill up.

Zacharia Ali who is a parking security guard says, “This parking lot always seems to be full,” when referring to the parking lot next to the project.

Because the project has forced so many parking spots to close, drivers are finding other parking alternatives.

Humber College also provides a shuttle service for those who park their vehicles at 170 Birmingham St., which is a Humber College owned parking lot located one kilometre north of the campus, and runs every 15 minutes.

The Humber Cultural Hub will be host to a 500-seat performance hall and 140-seat recital hall once the project is unveiled.