A little over a week into a pedestrian-only pilot project banning cars from a section of Church Street, and Toronto city councillors are asking for more.Claiming there is a “strong public demand for pedestrian-oriented experiences,” councillors voted in favour of making more streets pedestrian-only zones, repeatedly pointing to other cities, such as Montreal.Sainte-Catherine Street in Montreal is famous for being pedestrian-only, and often cited as a blueprint for Toronto. But a former Toronto journalist, now a Montreal city councillor, has some advice.“Roll it out slowly,” said Coun. Leslie Roberts. “Make sure that the will is there. You want to make sure there is buy-in, not only from the commercial establishments – the restaurants will love this because there’s more space to put out tables – but also the neighbours, the residents.”A recent Toronto Destination Master Plan report from April 2026 finds that Toronto lags peer cities in walkability and street-level vibrancy. But adding more pedestrian zones comes with significant security costs – something that came as a surprise during this year’s pilot on Church Street“The cost for policing and security has been overwhelming,” said Coun. Chris Moise. “Initially, we budgeted $150,000 for the pedestrianization, and now it’s about $500,000, so we are a little short.”Related:Church Street pedestrianization begins Friday for the summerCity approves closing down Church Street for two months as part of pedestrian projectIn response to questions about security costs, Toronto police said in a statement, “Policing decisions were based on operational assessments that considered anticipated attendance, pedestrian volumes, traffic impacts and other public safety considerations.”On Baldwin Street, where one area is being singled out as a possible future pedestrian-only zone, people are warm to the idea.“I’m definitely in favour of pedestrian-only streets,” said one woman.“We don’t have enough pedestrian-only areas in Toronto, and I understand with traffic it makes sense, but just this patch would be great,” added another.City council has asked staff to report back before the budget next year to see what Toronto streets could be turned into pedestrian-only zones with an implementation plan for Summer 2027.