[Admiral Beez]

I take the streetcar at Sherbourne and Queen daily. Those people are harmless. That small area is in very rough shape, though. Would be nice if it got spruced up a bit.

Harmless perhaps, but an embarrassment to the city. Just last weekend I took my family on a cycle ride from Cabbagetown to the Islands, transiting the bike path down Sherbourne. The ride is quite enjoyable, until you hit Sherbourne south of Dundas, especially on the return north-bound or east side. It's not just the Sally Ann shelter, but what's with all those flophouses with dozens of intoxicated, high or insane folks milling about, muttering to themselves, visually shooting up on the sidewalk, etc?

It's as if someone opened the doors of a Victorian asylum. I think the city needs to move on from the era of abandoning the downtown east to the GTA, province and nation's downtrodden. We all need to live somewhere, but piling everyone into a few blocks and then forgetting about it makes no sense. We need smaller, longer term social housing across the city.

 

[Roundabout]

The parquette is complete:

 

[DSC]

The parquette is complete:

Yes (and no). They are currently working on a "mirror image" on the west side - replacing the very dangerous right-turn channel. Note that both these 'parkettes' have pathway stubs that go east and west - see photos. These are for the planned extension of the bike route that runs immediately south of the rail berm and its west end is currently at Parliament. Apparently they will not be constructed until the work on the Gardiner is finished and I think the first priority is to build the section from Parliament to Lower Sherbourne and then the one to Lower Jarvis and, maybe one day, a final leg to Yonge.

 

[Tuscani01]

I have to say, as a driver, this intersection feels so much safer already with the removal of the ramp and the removal of the right turn lane. Such an easy win for pedestrians and cyclists.

 

[DSC]

I have to say, as a driver, this intersection feels so much safer already with the removal of the ramp and the removal of the right turn lane. Such an easy win for pedestrians and cyclists.

Agreed, but it took the neighbourhood association and the BIA about 5 years of discussion to get it approved by City staff! (We had full support from Pam McConnell too.) By the way, at their September meeting TEYCC will be looking at a request from Transportation to prohibit right turns on red onto Lake Shore - sounds like a good idea to me!

 

[Tuscani01]

Agreed, but it took the neighbourhood association and the BIA about 5 years of discussion to get it approved by City staff! (We had full support from Pam McConnell too.) By the way, at their September meeting TEYCC will be looking at a request from Transportation to prohibit right turns on red onto Lake Shore - sounds like a good idea to me!

That's already the case. There is a no right on red sign.

Edit: Looking on streetview, I don't see a sign pre-ramp removal... but I'm pretty sure I saw a sign on Saturday and had to wait for a green light to make a right.

 

[Armour]

Why does every single public space in this city have to use concrete (see planters)? Those would look so much nicer if they were clad with brick. Concrete looks fine when it is brand new, but it looks horrid as it ages.

 

[Adjei]

Why does every single public space in this city have to use concrete (see planters)? Those would look so much nicer if they were clad with brick. Concrete looks fine when it is brand new, but it looks horrid as it ages.

Because it's the cheapest option available, what else is new? We always go for the cheapest in this city.

 

[SunriseChampion]

No right turn on red appeared--if I'm not mistaken--at the time they started work on the intersection. I could be wrong....I don't drive it too often, but that's around the time I first saw it.

 

[Armour]

Because it's the cheapest option available, what else is new? We always go for the cheapest in this city.

That was a rhetorical question. I know it is both a matter of cheapness and this city's mole-like ability to visualize anything creative or beautiful.

 

[DSC]

No right turn on red appeared--if I'm not mistaken--at the time they started work on the intersection. I could be wrong....I don't drive it too often, but that's around the time I first saw it.

That is true but it was done because they were working in the area; if it is to be permanent (and can be enforced) it needs to be approved by Council and that's what is being done at TEYCC.

 

[ksun]

Why does every single public space in this city have to use concrete (see planters)? Those would look so much nicer if they were clad with brick. Concrete looks fine when it is brand new, but it looks horrid as it ages.

Exactly my thought for years.
Every time we "revitalize" something, it ends up being 95% concrete. Just look at NPS and YDS - it is all concrete with little variation. Concrete ground, concrete pathways, concrete columns, concrete arches, concrete benches. And almost always no colour - everything ends up beige.

 

[ksun]

....character is what I call it.

Poverty, drugs, homeless young men lingering on the streets, dilapidated houses with boarded up windows and the smell of pee are called "problems", not characters. Otherwise Detroit is the king of characters.

Not every block needs to look like King/Bathurst and streets can look and function different, but a problem is a problem. There is no way to sugar coat it.

 

[SunriseChampion]

Yeah, Detroit IS among the leaders in having character. I'm not even trolling here....I see you disagree, but I'll take Detroit's character over Las Vegas' blandness any day, to name just one example.

 

[junctionist]

Exactly my thought for years.
Every time we "revitalize" something, it ends up being 95% concrete. Just look at NPS and YDS - it is all concrete with little variation. Concrete ground, concrete pathways, concrete columns, concrete arches, concrete benches. And almost always no colour - everything ends up beige.

YDS is paved with slabs of black granite.