Traffic flowed freely on Friday afternoon in front of the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, the site of the G20.Jill Mahoney/The Globe and Mail
Traffic was stopped and the 505 Dundas and 506 Carlton street cars were diverted as protesters marched through Toronto at the beginning of Friday's evening rush hour.
Rush hour traffic on surrounding downtown streets was slightly heavier than earlier as cars were diverted around protesters weaving from Queen's Park along Carlton, College and University.
But otherwise, like Friday morning, traffic was lighter than usual, even with the protest.
The fence surrounding the G20 summit site was closed just before 6 p.m. on Friday because of security concerns. There was a noticeably stronger police presence.
Traffic Services Sergeant Tim Burrows said commuters should expect rush-hour delays around the security perimeter as lanes have been narrowed and parts of the downtown core are cut off.
Before the fence was closed, an officer briefly stopped vehicles to look inside, but light traffic flowed freely on Front Street West in front of the Metro Toronto Conference Centre.
Sgt. Burrows said the highways are running normally with minor delays for motorcades, mainly around the airport.
Traffic was heavier on the 401 than other highways.
After 3 p.m. the Eglinton exit from the Don Valley Parkway Northbound was starting to see signs of the normal rush-hour stop-and-go but still lighter than usual.
A half-empty Airport Express Bus took less than 20 minutes to reach Lake Shore Blvd. West at Spadina. It left from Pearson Airport at 4 p.m.
As previously planned by the TTC, the 509 Harbourfront and the 510 Spadina streetcars will not be stopping at Queen's Quay station.
The Globe and Mail is providing extensive coverage of the first summit day, from highways and public transit to protests and the meeting itself. Several reporters fanned out across the city to provide updates on the morning commute.
This morning's commute was largely unaffected as tens of thousands of people either took the day off or are working from home to avoid the hassles of moving around in the downtown.
Traffic on highways surrounding Toronto was lighter than usual in the morning. There were, however, delays caused by collisions, congestion and roadblocks for delegates' motorcades.
Ontario Provincial Police reported a hazard caused by several geese walking by Highway 401 near Victoria Park Avenue.
The TTC system operated normally, with lighter than usual volumes.
"Anecdotally, ridership is lighter today," TTC chairman Adam Giambrone said in an e-mail. "We won't have counts for another week, but it is safe to say that fewer people are on the system than would normally be the case for a Friday rush hour."
Cyclists also had quick commutes, reporting some of their fastest times between Toronto's east end and downtown on empty streets under the watchful eyes of police. Fewer cyclists than usual headed downtown.
Queen's Park, which has been designated by police as the "official" protest zone, was quiet. The only sign of anything unusual was a lone media satellite truck and a pair of idling cameramen. The adjacent streets were likewise virtually traffic-free, with a few pedestrians and the occasional car trundling along College Street.
The G8 Summit runs from Friday to Saturday in Huntsville, Ont., an idyllic resort community in the heart of Ontario cottage country, while the G20 starts in Toronto later on Saturday and wraps up on Sunday.