Admiral Beez
Superstar
Still downtown. We do walk to the Eaton Centre occasionally, but don’t get tied up in the details, I gave that as more an example of a downtown trip.
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- Thread starter salsa
- Start date
LemonCondo
Active Member
I know I'm preaching to the converted but the Netherlands makes me so jealous.
We can't even do this downtown, the most walkable and transit accessible place in the country.
Northern Light
Superstar
The path is being laid to make this possible, and even probable; we're not that many projects away from a tipping point; especially in the core.
- Downtown Yonge being narrowed and given a strong pedestrian public realm.
- University Park (will not only make walking vastly more appealing, but will trim the capacity of University and Queen's Park north of Queen by at least 1/3 and maybe up to 1/2. )
- Queen's Quay East (will be a mirror of west of Bay except better tree planting conditions and some snow melt tech is likely as well.
- John Street
- A narrower Front East w/improved pedestrian amenities.
etc etc.
I know, all of these have taken too long; and some still seem so far off.
But I think they are all highly likely to be delivered by 2032, with some as soon as next year all going well.
By that time, with any luck, we'll have ONCorr (GO Expansion) fully delivered, The Ontario Line, hopefully 2WAD on Milton GO as well, the YNSE, the Eglinton West Extension, the SSE and maybe even the Crosstown itself, LOL
Kensington is a set-back, but its still going to be dramatically improved from the status quo.
We're making progress, if a bit more slowly than we'd all like.
afransen
Senior Member
Is Yonge actually happening? It was approved over two years ago and I haven't heard any movement to implement it any time soon.
There's also King St, though it sounds like it might be another 5 years before anything happens there.
The pace of change in this city is maddening. There is absolutely no sense of urgency.
There's also King St, though it sounds like it might be another 5 years before anything happens there.
The pace of change in this city is maddening. There is absolutely no sense of urgency.
Northern Light
Superstar
Transportation has it coded in the capital plan for 2025-2028
King west of University is coded for 2027; east of University for 2028
In total agreement.
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DSC
Superstar
From City press release:
News Release
July 11, 2023
Automated Speed Enforcement data highlight significant speed reduction impact
Three years after the start of issuing tickets to speeding vehicles, evaluation data from the City of Toronto’s Automated Speed Enforcement (ASE) program highlight how speed cameras have been effective in significantly reducing the number of people speeding and overall vehicle speeds, pointing to increased compliance and improved driver behaviour.
An evaluation study conducted by researchers from The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) in collaboration with the Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) analyzed speed and collision data from January 2020 to December 2022 at 204 locations that had an ASE device. Although data collection was affected by the pandemic, substantial data was collected during periods without stay-at-home orders or school closures.
The study shows that the proportion of people speeding in 30, 40 and 50 km/h speed limit zones dropped from approximately 60 to 43, 51 to 30 and 58 to 36 per cent respectively when the devices were operational. This represents an overall 45 per cent reduction in the proportion of people speeding in areas with an ASE device.
The data also show the introduction of ASE devices reduced the operating speed of vehicles or the speed at which most vehicles travel in free-flowing conditions, helping to mitigate the potential risks associated with high-speed traffic. Vehicle operating speeds in 30, 40 and 50 km/h speed limit zones dropped from approximately 44 to 37, 50 to 44 and 63 to 60 km/h respectively when the devices were active. This represents an overall decrease of approximately seven km/h in vehicle operating speeds in areas with an ASE device.
The study also found the percentage of drivers exceeding the speed limit decreased at 80 per cent of locations with an ASE device. Excessive speeding – driving over the speed limit by 20 km/h or more – was also reduced by 87 per cent after the placement of an ASE device.
The full evaluation report is available by visiting https://can01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http://www.toronto.ca/ASE&data=05|01|david.crawford@mcgill.ca|9f0831ad533547eb396508db821f163b|cd31967152e74a68afa9fcf8f89f09ea|0|0|638246842246001804|Unknown|TWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0=|3000|||&sdata=8kNv0HQH+biAv8Va7UhUFMrf2JrcDdYR5qULpUXLNww=&reserved=0.
News Release
July 11, 2023
Automated Speed Enforcement data highlight significant speed reduction impact
Three years after the start of issuing tickets to speeding vehicles, evaluation data from the City of Toronto’s Automated Speed Enforcement (ASE) program highlight how speed cameras have been effective in significantly reducing the number of people speeding and overall vehicle speeds, pointing to increased compliance and improved driver behaviour.
An evaluation study conducted by researchers from The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) in collaboration with the Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) analyzed speed and collision data from January 2020 to December 2022 at 204 locations that had an ASE device. Although data collection was affected by the pandemic, substantial data was collected during periods without stay-at-home orders or school closures.
The study shows that the proportion of people speeding in 30, 40 and 50 km/h speed limit zones dropped from approximately 60 to 43, 51 to 30 and 58 to 36 per cent respectively when the devices were operational. This represents an overall 45 per cent reduction in the proportion of people speeding in areas with an ASE device.
The data also show the introduction of ASE devices reduced the operating speed of vehicles or the speed at which most vehicles travel in free-flowing conditions, helping to mitigate the potential risks associated with high-speed traffic. Vehicle operating speeds in 30, 40 and 50 km/h speed limit zones dropped from approximately 44 to 37, 50 to 44 and 63 to 60 km/h respectively when the devices were active. This represents an overall decrease of approximately seven km/h in vehicle operating speeds in areas with an ASE device.
The study also found the percentage of drivers exceeding the speed limit decreased at 80 per cent of locations with an ASE device. Excessive speeding – driving over the speed limit by 20 km/h or more – was also reduced by 87 per cent after the placement of an ASE device.
The full evaluation report is available by visiting https://can01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http://www.toronto.ca/ASE&data=05|01|david.crawford@mcgill.ca|9f0831ad533547eb396508db821f163b|cd31967152e74a68afa9fcf8f89f09ea|0|0|638246842246001804|Unknown|TWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0=|3000|||&sdata=8kNv0HQH+biAv8Va7UhUFMrf2JrcDdYR5qULpUXLNww=&reserved=0.
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Towered
Senior Member
Construction going on in the Jane and Dundas area. I really hope they remove the 2 slip lanes here. They’re incredibly dangerous for pedestrians:
afransen
Senior Member
Dash cam of a car driving fully over a bike on Yonge St in midtown Wednesday. This is why protected intersections are needed--lanes are not enough, It looks like it was intentional/road rage.
toronto.citynews.ca
Video shows car running over cyclist on Yonge Street in Toronto
Toronto police are investigating a video circulating on social media that shows a cyclist being run over by a car on Yonge Street.
toronto.citynews.ca
Northern Light
Superstar
An article in The Star today highlights some of the opposition the City faced with trying to improve Kensington.
www.thestar.com
As someone who has a clear'ish picture of what happened here, I will say the story under-sells the ferocity and antagonism.
From the article, some of the nonsense spewed:
- What percentage of her customers are driving from a considerable distance to go to her fruit market, parking there, apparently obtuse to the rest of the area, then high-tailing it out? Is this really a material part of her business?
Excuse me, but as a not yet old fogey, I remember when the market was full of live chickens, killed to order, the place stank, those vendors are long gone, and those there now largely replaced them. Gentrification is part of a cycle that happens to most places, Kensington is not immune.
a) No one proposed cobblestones (nice idea though); they proposed interlocking brick you twit.
b) How can you say 'beautify the market' but keep the asphalt? Huh?
***
Sigh, what a pain so many market business owners and residents are..........
Reminds me of the phrase, the neighbourhood would be great, if only we could get rid of the neighbours. LOL
A pedestrian-friendly Kensington Market? Here’s why not everyone is on board
In this beloved neighbourhood, a city plan to upgrade Kensington Market has faced expected — and unexpected — backlash.
www.thestar.com
As someone who has a clear'ish picture of what happened here, I will say the story under-sells the ferocity and antagonism.
From the article, some of the nonsense spewed:
- What percentage of her customers are driving from a considerable distance to go to her fruit market, parking there, apparently obtuse to the rest of the area, then high-tailing it out? Is this really a material part of her business?
Excuse me, but as a not yet old fogey, I remember when the market was full of live chickens, killed to order, the place stank, those vendors are long gone, and those there now largely replaced them. Gentrification is part of a cycle that happens to most places, Kensington is not immune.
a) No one proposed cobblestones (nice idea though); they proposed interlocking brick you twit.
b) How can you say 'beautify the market' but keep the asphalt? Huh?
***
Sigh, what a pain so many market business owners and residents are..........
Reminds me of the phrase, the neighbourhood would be great, if only we could get rid of the neighbours. LOL
evandyk
Senior Member
I have spent a lot of time in Kensington Market in my life, though I don't now because I live next to St. Lawrence. I have bought a lot of fruit and veggies from that shop, and have bought clothes from Toms. Those places are probably going away and will not return, and we can talk about whether that's good, but it has nothing to do with parking or paving stones.
DSC
Superstar
Not questioning your dates but here did you find them? The Transportation 2023 Capital Budget Plan does not, I think, note most of them. See: https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2023/bu/bgrd/backgroundfile-230737.pdf . and https://www.toronto.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/8d7a-2023-CAPTOR-Report-TS-V1.pdf
W. K. Lis
Superstar
Kensington Market used to have many butchers, delicatessens, fish markets, dairy products. However, the city wanted to drive them out. Abattoirs are no longer allowed in retail stores.
With evolution, many of those retailers went into the wholesale business, away from Kensington Market, and other streets as well. They ended up selling their products in supermarkets, some ethnic but mostly the mainstream supermarkets. Likely those by-laws were "suggested" by the corporations, so that they would get the business.
See link about Chasing the Chickens from Kensington Market.
With evolution, many of those retailers went into the wholesale business, away from Kensington Market, and other streets as well. They ended up selling their products in supermarkets, some ethnic but mostly the mainstream supermarkets. Likely those by-laws were "suggested" by the corporations, so that they would get the business.
See link about Chasing the Chickens from Kensington Market.
nfitz
Superstar
I am puzzled at why a fruit vendor thinks that the key to their future (or even present?) success is parking. What's the modal split for customers? And how many of the drivers are going anywhere deeper into the market than (for example) the Green P on College.
Gentrification is certainly a concern. But it won't be pedestrianized streets that hasten it. I was down there last week, and was suprised to see that construction has now started for the new subway station at Queen and Spadina. That's really going to change the entire area. I'd expect a lot of new towers appearing. On one hand, it (both the subway and the increased number of residents) will bring a lot more business to the fruit market than a handful of cars. On the other hand, there'll be a lot of pressure to become even more touristy and mundane.
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H4F33Z
Active Member
LemonCondo
Active Member
The thing with gentrification is that it only happens if you improve a limited area. If we just worked to pedestrianize huge swaths of downtown every area is improved equally.
And yes, like we all know, the idea that car driving customers are a significant source of business in the market is insane.
And yes, like we all know, the idea that car driving customers are a significant source of business in the market is insane.