November 26th, 2017

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This demo alone is immense.

I just think there is no way that this site doesn't get redeveloped with atleast another half dozen highrise condos. I mean, they managed to fit what? 7 condos on the other side of Park Lawn?

I just hope that a GO station is planned in that empty triangle between the Gardiner, Park Lawn and the Rail Corridor, with a bridge over to this site. They should use this site to anchor HBS, with a school(s), other institutional uses, commercial uses ala "The Well", and finally, perhaps a few office towers. (Or maybe, if we are going to have massive condo podiums, the podiums can be office space?)
 
They should use this site to anchor HBS, with a school(s), other institutional uses, commercial uses ala "The Well", and finally, perhaps a few office towers.
HBS??......I'd love to see a couple office towers in the mix, after all it's still designated as employment lands
 
I drove by the site yesterday about 1:00 PM, on the north side of Lake Shore Blvd. Standing at the main gate and looking inwards was a man who appeared to be operating a drone. I wondered if it was Jasonzed or one of our other drone guys on this site. If so, I look forward to any photos that may result.

The top priority for the site in my opinion, is a GO station. That plus the completion of work on the 501 line, ought to ease congestion significantly. I won’t be holding my breath for a LRT link to the city core. The next priority should be a school. There are significant number of infants and small children in our building and I doubt we are unique in that respect. Employment opportunities would come next but colour me sceptical about the economic viability of office towers here. I think employment in retail and services would be more likely. The question the arises how this all would be funded. There is a likely and obvious answer IMO.

Toaster did not mention the main cause of traffic problems in the area at present, the massive disruption caused by the work on the 501 line.
 
Toaster did not mention the main cause of traffic problems in the area at present, the massive disruption caused by the work on the 501 line.
Even without the 501 construction work, the traffic in this area is absolutely brutal. It's not uncommon to spend 15-20mins just to get out of the area. The construction just amplifies how bad things really are in area.
 
Even without the 501 construction work, the traffic in this area is absolutely brutal. It's not uncommon to spend 15-20mins just to get out of the area. The construction just amplifies how bad things really are in area.

I certainly think the traffic is bad in general, not just at the present time. That is why I assert a GO station is priority number one for the Mr. Christie site. (I only claim that we need to be realistic about how this and other priorities will be funded.). However, the reason it is much worse at present is clearly the 501 construction not things like a strike at the Food Terminal on the Queensway. It is so obvious that I am puzzled why anyone would even query the statement.

The following is not an attempt to minimize the traffic problem, just an experiment for interest’s sake and to be a little more precise. Since reading your post, I did a little test, actually timing how long it took to get out of the neighbourhood. I checked the time I left the driveway of our building on Legion Rd at the west end of the neighbourhood until the time I got onto the Gardiner or the Lake Shore east of Palace Pier. I am semi retired so I do not always need to travel in rush hour.

Wednesday: 8:17 AM Legion Rd - 8:23 AM Lake Shore east of Palace Pier - 6 minutes
Thursday: 10:13 AM Legion Rd - 10:18 Gardiner eastbound - 5 minutes
Friday: 11:21 AM Legion Rd - 11:26 Gardiner westbound - 5 minutes

Nothing was unusual about the traffic on these three days either positively or negatively. To be honest, I think that if I had not been timing the trip, I probably would have guessed double the time. Einstein should have considered the apparent time dilation effect of stop and go traffic. And to be fair to Toaster, I have been in much worse traffic in the neighbourhood than the three days I timed. Though nothing like the hour and a half he named, the Thursday before last was dreadful, to name one example. And it will indeed get worse as the area inevitably densifies. Yes, something has to be done about improving transit.

Now, how will that be funded?
 
The traffic was a problem even before HBS existed, to be honest.

Lake Shore always was a major thoroughfare.
 
The traffic was a problem even before HBS existed, to be honest.
I'm sorry this isnt true. Before all those condos popped up in HBS Park Lawn was smooth like butter, Lake Shore was perfectly fine, and the Queensway rarely had backups all the way through to Park Lawn from the Humber River. However, the Gardiner was still pretty congested just not as bad as it is today.

@67Cup that's a very interesting analysis and seems pretty accurate to me. Usually the craziness starts around 7:30am and wraps up around 9am during the morning rush. The afternoon rush seems to be in its own league since the traffic chaos always happens at variable times between 3:30 and 7pm.
 
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The big problem we have is that they try to improve transit AFTER the condo development goes in, instead of before or during. Instead, it's delay after delay after delay, on the plans, not just transit or traffic.
 

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