Yikes! A lot of fun posts since the last time I checked in here.
In case anyone still cares, the City staff reports said that traffic flow would not be significantly affected by the Roncesvalles bumpouts. And why would it, since Roncesvalles is basically a two-lane road anyway thanks to parked cars. Yes, it will be harder for cars to dart around streetcars, but this maneuver most likely slows down not only the streetcar that must wait as these people pass by, but the cars following behind. Two drivers may get home sooner, but everyone else gets delayed.
And by the way, fellow car drivers: you can demand on-street parking or you can demand improved traffic flow. You can't demand both. They are mutually incompatible!
And as
this BIA post reminds us, the City's response to slow traffic on Dundas West was to remove parking and open up the street to four lanes of busy traffic, which would be the worst possible outcome for Roncesvalles businesses. Given that Roncesvalles is host to the busiest surface transit route in North America, I would expect that the removal of rush hour parking was the most likely long-term alternative if the current redesign plan had been rejected. If I had to choose between the Dundas West, the St. Clair or the Roncesvalles responses to transit prioritization, I would think most would choose Roncy (although an underground DRL with bike lanes on Roncesvalles would be my own top choice).
The problem is that too many people assume the status quo is an option. It is not.
