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^haven't driven there since last week.....but cones are now in the left turn lane.....but so is a very big concrete barrier preventing any hope of a left turn!

So, last week, lane open...barrier down but a simple sign stopped left turns........today, lane closed....barrier up and (funnily enough) the sign is gone too. I am sure there is logic to this but it escapes me!

Anyway, some good news for people who drive (either regularly or ocassionally):

http://globalnews.ca/news/1450526/gardiner-repairs-months-ahead-of-schedule/
 
From the front page:

City Unveils Upgraded Transportation Operations Centre

Increasing congestion and decreasing road safety have become a growing problem in Toronto, and more people are taking notice of the issue. As part of a greater plan to ease congestion and improve safety on city roads and highways, The City of Toronto has renovated and upgraded its Transportation Operations Centre at Don Mills and Overlea Blvd to help modernize the facility. The operations centre was unveiled to the media by City officials earlier today, and we were there to check out the high-tech facility.

urbantoronto-10302-36864.jpg
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Looks fancy.
 
The latest weapon in the War on the Car :eek:

Yonge and Bloor streets to go car-free this summer

A large portion of Yonge and Bloor streets will be handed over to pedestrians, cyclists, and outdoor community events for two Sundays this August as part of an plan to create two temporary linear parks.

The Open Streets concept, which has been adopted in major cities such as New York and Los Angeles, promotes physical activity and allows businesses on the route to temporarily open onto the street (no outside vendors are allowed.) Toronto's event, the first of its kind in the city, will operate on Sundays two weeks apart: Aug 17th and 31st.

...
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BlogTO
 
TheTigerMaster said:
The latest weapon in the War on the Car :eek:



BlogTO
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As a weapon in the war on the car, I would consider this to be about as lethal as a nerf gun.

Seriously, not one but TWO sundays? From 8 AM until NOON?!! I can only imagine the howls of outrage from the ensuing carmageddon.

But in all seriousness, the city lacks any kind of temerity. Yonge has a heavy concentration of pedestrian traffic, as well as restaurants and retail. It should be closed to automobiles for the entire summer from roughly Wellesley to King, like it used to be.
 
aquateam said:
As a weapon in the war on the car, I would consider this to be about as lethal as a nerf gun.

Seriously, not one but TWO sundays? From 8 AM until NOON?!! I can only imagine the howls of outrage from the ensuing carmageddon.

But in all seriousness, the city lacks any kind of temerity. Yonge has a heavy concentration of pedestrian traffic, as well as restaurants and retail. It should be closed to automobiles for the entire summer from roughly Wellesley to King, like it used to be.
Click to expand...

Only mornings? Yes, it should be all day. Common, no one drives on Yonge south of Bloor anyways.
 
I wouldn't mind seeing it become a pedestrian mall all year. We could host all kinds of events there during the winter months. And there are still plenty of people on Yonge in the winter.
 
To expand on that idea:
-Close Yonge street so its pedestrian only from Bloor to Queen.
-Repave the street and sidewalk with something more appropriate for a pedestrian only environment.
-Install public benches, trees, gardens, restrooms etc...
-Allow restaurants and stores to have patios and merchandize on the streets (with restriction of course).
-Have food trucks with interesting selection lining the streets.
-Plan public events year round. Things like concerts, amusement park attractions, food festivals, walks, parades etc..

I'd also pedestrianize Queen in a similar way from Church to Spadina while making accommodations for streetcars and bikes. Just west of Jarvis and east of Spadina the streetcar tracks would switch from a center alignment to side. Hopefully a streetcar ROW would continue past those locations. Bike lanes would be installed alongside the tracks. Bollards would be used to create visual separation without impeding the flow of pedestrians.

This actually sounds it would operate a lot like Harborfront Center

Deliveries for stores would be accommodated with designated delivery times. Something like Monday to Friday, 4 AM to 7 AM. That should be plenty of time.

Yonge Dundas Trapezoid and Nathan Phillips Square would both be along the malls, which is perfect.

Nearly 4 km of pedestrian mall. That's how you wage a War on the Car ;)
 
Last edited:
TheTigerMaster said:
To expand on that idea:
-Close Yonge street so its pedestrian only from Bloor to Queen.
-Repave the street and sidewalk with something more appropriate for a pedestrian only environment.
-Install public benches, trees, gardens, restrooms etc...
-Allow restaurants and stores to have patios and merchandize on the streets (with restriction of course).
-Have food trucks with interesting selection lining the streets.
-Plan public events year round. Things like concerts, amusement park attractions, food festivals, walks, parades etc..

I'd also pedestrianize Queen in a similar way from Church to Spadina while making accommodations for streetcars and bikes. Just west of Jarvis and east of Spadina the streetcar tracks would switch from a center alignment to side. Hopefully a streetcar ROW would continue past those locations. Bike lanes would be installed alongside the tracks. Bollards would be used to create visual separation without impeding the flow of pedestrians.

This actually sounds it would operate a lot like Harborfront Center

Deliveries for stores would be accommodated with designated delivery times. Something like Monday to Friday, 4 AM to 7 AM. That should be plenty of time.

Nearly 4 km of pedestrian mall. That's how you wage a War on the Car ;)
Click to expand...

+1

Alternatively, for Queen I'd support a transit mall like the TTC has proposed for King, where the sidewalk extends out in alternating lanes to prevent through traffic. That way you get patios and public space, plus a streetcar ROW, plus a lane for deliveries/taxies.

The proposal is for King, but I prefer Queen because of all the retail/restaurants. Plus my pet fantasy alignment for the DRL is Wellington so I think if we're going to do this to a street, it should be further away from the subway line (so there's a better spaced network of good transit).
 
aquateam said:
+1

Alternatively, for Queen I'd support a transit mall like the TTC has proposed for King, where the sidewalk extends out in alternating lanes to prevent through traffic. That way you get patios and public space, plus a streetcar ROW, plus a lane for deliveries/taxies.

The proposal is for King, but I prefer Queen because of all the retail/restaurants. Plus my pet fantasy alignment for the DRL is Wellington so I think if we're going to do this to a street, it should be further away from the subway line (so there's a better spaced network of good transit).
Click to expand...

Yes. This is the exact reasoning behind picking Queen rather than King.

Didn't Byford propose this last summer? What ever happened to the idea? I know that people downtown were fairly supportive of the proposal.
 
aquateam said:
I can only imagine the howls of outrage from the ensuing carmageddon.
Click to expand...

Liza Fromer (Global's "The Morning Show") and Lorne Honickman (from AM 640) were practically frothing at the mouth this morning about these closures. There are too many road closures and driving around the core is just unbearable. Why, Liza had to utilize every possible method of zen relaxation while navigating Bathurst and King recently. They openly mocked the effort, asking just what the hell people were going to do and look at in the middle of the street. What is the point? What are they thinking?

Maybe, just maybe, they could just, you know, not drive through those roads during the 4-hour window. Or maybe they could take transit. I know, that's just plain crazy talk.
 
last weekend:

“It does cause congestion but you know what people are made aware of it and they just need to have more patience,†Ford said after taking a ride in a pace car at the Indy. “People like the festivals, we only have five months of the year to have these festivals and there is just no magic solution.â€
 
TheTigerMaster said:
last weekend:

“It does cause congestion but you know what people are made aware of it and they just need to have more patience,” Ford said after taking a ride in a pace car at the Indy. “People like the festivals, we only have five months of the year to have these festivals and there is just no magic solution.”
Click to expand...

Ford goes to tons of festivals that shut down streets: we all know he was at Taste of Danforth
 
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