[W. K. Lis]

Pedestrian Broadway to be permanent.

See this link for the information.

[video=youtube;1qDhIMKV3OY]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qDhIMKV3OY[/video]

“Are the roads for pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorists,” he asked, “or are they just for motorists?” When it comes to streets that safely serve all users and create vibrant public spaces, he suggested, New York has fallen behind its competitor cities around the globe.

 

[MisterF]

I'd like to see the 5th lane on Jarvis kept for cars, while I'd also like to see Yonge Street closed completely from at Dundas to at least Queen.

I'm not convinced that closing Yonge to traffic would be beneficial. Closing main streets usually doesn't work well. On Broadway they're only closing a few blocks around the most congested intersections. The vehicle-pedestrian conflicts have always been a problem and the street layout lends itself to the creation of new squares. It's nice to see that it's worked and I look forward to seeing it first hand.

On Yonge I think the ideal solution would be to take out two lanes of traffic, widen the sidewalks, and increase landscaping and street trees. That would make a world of difference to how the street feels. Save the all out closures for smaller more intimate streets, which is what usually works best. There are lots of places in Toronto that could be closed to traffic, made into a European-style shared pedestrian-vehicle space, or made into new public squares - John St, Kensington Market, the leftover pieces of land when a street jogs at an intersection (like at Richmond and Jarvis for example).

 

[pman]

I'd like to see the 5th lane on Jarvis kept for cars, while I'd also like to see Yonge Street closed completely from at Dundas to at least Queen.

It's kind of short sighted to proceed from the observation that there isn't much pedestrian traffic on Jarvis to the conclusion that it should be maintained as a suburban arterial road. If Jarvis ever becomes pedestrian and bike friendly, we might be surprised to find that more pedestrians and cyclists will use it, and that future development along the street will be more urban. As long as Jarvis is a quasi-highway, it will never be an urban space.

 

[unimaginative2]

Now that's what I call a war on cars.

It's truly amazing to me that in Toronto the right (and hell, a good chunk of the centre) is having a conniption over losing a single lane of Jarvis, and maybe some spots on Roncesvalles. 1/10th of what's going on in New York (and 1/100th in London) would have the good burghers of Hogtown out with pitchforks.

Sort of. Yes, they`re closing a couple blocks of Broadway to cars, but in New York you can also cover ten blocks or more on any avenue without hitting a single red light. No deliberate desynchronization there.