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Wow, such hyperbole. These events take place on Sunday morning, when there isn't much traffic anyway. Also, you seem to forget that people who come into the city for these events also spend money in the city. Probably far more people than would be in the city otherwise on a Sunday morning.
The City website is still saying Richmond will be finished by November 30 (See: http://www1.toronto.ca/City Of Toro...richmond_watermain-ttc_cons6-w28_nov3-16 .pdf), I suspect this means mid-December for the final resurfacing but they are making progress. The track is replaced west of Victoria so they only have the Church to Victoria block to complete. Then the TTC needs to reinstall the overhead from Victoria too York so I bet we won't see streetcars on it until early 2017.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/26/nyregion/26broadway.html?_r=0Mayor Plans to Close Parts of Broadway to Traffic
By WILLIAM NEUMAN and MICHAEL BARBARO
Published: February 25, 2009
The city plans to close several blocks of Broadway to vehicle traffic through Times Square and Herald Square, an experiment that would turn swaths of the Great White Way into pedestrian malls and continue Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s effort to reduce traffic congestion in Midtown.
The New York Times
Broadway traffic would also be barred in Herald Square.
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Although it seems counterintuitive, officials believe the move will actually improve the overall flow of traffic, because the diagonal path of Broadway tends to disrupt traffic where it intersects with other streets.
The city plans to introduce the changes as early as May and keep them in effect through the end of the year. If the experiment works, they could become permanent. The plan was described by several people who were briefed on it this week.
Mr. Bloomberg was expected to announce the plan Thursday.
A City Hall spokesman declined comment in advance of the announcement.
The plan calls for Broadway to be closed to vehicles from 47th Street to 42nd Street. Traffic would continue to flow through on crossing streets, but the areas between the streets would become pedestrian malls, with chairs, benches and cafe tables with umbrellas.
Seventh Avenue would be widened slightly within Times Square to accommodate the extra traffic diverted from Broadway.
Below 42nd Street, Broadway would be open to traffic, but then would shut down again at Herald Square, from 35th Street to 33rd Street. Then, below 33rd, it would open again.
The plan is the latest move by Mr. Bloomberg to change the way the city thinks of its streets, making them more friendly to pedestrians and cyclists and chipping away at the dominance of the automobile. [...]
Yeah, I love NY.
These are events, with few exceptions, held in or near the core on weekends. There is a balance to be struck, and I'm no fan of sports celebrations (albeit I'm very athletic) or Santa Claus, who's been hijacked, but they are favoured by the majority, which makes a huge difference. Cities are large villages, and centres must be able to host events for the masses *with caveats*!
Relocated and better planned. I'm a distance cyclist in phenomenal shape for my age, and large groups of cyclists in silly outfits, doing silly moves on even sillier machines get in my way, even as I'm avoiding cars. Too bad most of it isn't about fitness at all...
Yeah, that was for construction projects IIRC, but point taken. For many of these events, albeit well-meant, they hold the masses hostage for the vanities of a few. Again, it comes down to poor planning. I could point out a lot better routes for a lot of these events, I've had to learn them by discovery over the decades...and who in the hell wants to cycle up/down the DVP in the name of fitness? I find it absurd that people need to form mobs in one-off events in the name of fitness and good causes.
Last time you posted this exact same thing, I gave you several examples of events that close highways around the world. I don't know why you keep posting the same thing over and over without reading anyone's responses to you.
