[freshcutgrass]

And by the way...why does this line along with Spadina bunch up if it is running an entirely separate line?

The 510 suffers from a number of problems, which would make signal priority pretty useless. Between King & College (its busiest section), it crosses 4 other busy streetcar lines. It's a short line with high ridership, requiring too many vehicles close together to handle capacity (It is a line that will definitely benefit from the new streetcars).

The other major problem is that priority is actually given to cars on Spadina. The streetcar has to wait at the light for left turning cars to go through their signal cycle....then proceed through the intersection before they have to stop again to load/unload passengers. Repeat this at every stop.

We haven't quite reached the point in Toronto where we want to make our minds up about who gets the priority on streetcar lines. As long as we continue to think we can just do both, then both will not work and everybody on the street loses. And since streetcars are far and away the most efficient users of the road, the cars are the ones who are going to have to be the "losers" in this scenario. But we just haven't gotten up the guts to do it yet. In fact, our current mayor feels it is the streetcars that should lose....that's just how delusional we are here.....the solution right there in front of us, but we just don't want to deal with it. But we will.

 

[drum118]

Based on the ruling of the Supreme Court of Canada on a case like St Clair ROW mess, the case will be dismiss.

Journal of Commerce
[http://www.joconl.com/article/id472...wsuit-turned-down-by-supreme-court-of-canada]

October 21, 2011
Cambie Street merchant's Canada Line lawsuit turned down by Supreme Court of Canada

The Supreme Court of Canada will not hear the appeal of Susan Heyes, theCambie Street maternity shop owner who was been trying to get compensation for losses to her business due to the construction of the Canada Line.

Heyes had previously won a $600,000 award in 2009 from the Supreme Court of British Columbia after her business suffered large losses due to Canada Line construction.

That decision was subsequently overturned in February 2011 by the British Columbia Court of Appeal, which rules the Canada Line project had obtained necessary approvals at each phase in construction and was able to opt for the cut and cover option, which is much less expensive than the originally proposed tunnel-boring method previously proposed.

 

[Juan_Lennon416]

The Fixer: Streetcar right-of-way snarling St. Clair traffic

http://www.thestar.com/news/fixer/a...eetcar-right-of-way-snarling-st-clair-traffic

 

[M II A II R II K]

Or put it underground.

 

[sixrings]

http://www.thestar.com/news/fixer/a...eetcar-right-of-way-snarling-st-clair-traffic

personally i wanted something like this on dufferin. row from wilson station to eglinton then in mixed traffic from eglinton to the waterfront.

 

[Juan_Lennon416]

Can't they just shave off that little piece of the island you see sticking out in the photo in the article to allow for an easier turn?

 

[Tulse]

personally i wanted something like this on dufferin. row from wilson station to eglinton then in mixed traffic from eglinton to the waterfront.

Isn't the problem that mixed traffic anywhere on the line has the potential to hold up the entire line? If you get heavy traffic, then all the advantages of a separate ROW go away as soon as you hit the mixed section -- the vehicles will just pile up one behind each other waiting.

 

[W. K. Lis]

Never understood why they didn't rebuild the railroad overpass on St. Clair Avenue West between Keele and Old Weston. They were rebuilding the railway right-of-way for GO Transit and the new rail link, but couldn't put in a new bridge and widen St. Clair at that point at the same time?

 

[drum118]

Never understood why they didn't rebuild the railroad overpass on St. Clair Avenue West between Keele and Old Weston. They were rebuilding the railway right-of-way for GO Transit and the new rail link, but couldn't put in a new bridge and widen St. Clair at that point at the same time?

CN who own the bridge at the time refused to spend any money on it.

Since Metrolinx now own it, there is some behind the scene talking going on about replacing the bridge 100%. Talk and no money are not going to go far.

Cutting the platform can be done, but its the movement of traffic into the eastbound lane that has TTC worrying about collisions.
At the same time, these truck driver who refused to follow sign direction are the major issue for this mess.

Then you got to thrown in Metrolinx into this mess, since they have the rail crossing closed to the point it was supposed to open in Nov 2011, then April 2012 and may not open until 2013. Metrolinx stated public a week or 2 ago, the crossing will not open in April due to safety issues, but will open some time this year. The community is saying 2013.

Are we building a city for people or Traffic as you cannot have both.

 

[sixrings]

Isn't the problem that mixed traffic anywhere on the line has the potential to hold up the entire line? If you get heavy traffic, then all the advantages of a separate ROW go away as soon as you hit the mixed section -- the vehicles will just pile up one behind each other waiting.

IF you get heavy traffic sure. but once you get to the row it would be so smooth. id rather have the option of half the ride be row then the whole thing be in mixed traffic. its no different then driving in rush hour traffic at a snails pace and then finally you see a car pool lane which you can use and you zip by the rest of trarfic. sure the carpool lane everywhere would be perfect but that doesnt mean i dont use it because it only takes me half the trip.

 

[nfitz]

It's a shame they didn't close the Keele gap when they had the chance. Looks impossible these days with all the new housing.

 

[Neil]

This section has to fixed. As designed it was never going to work and is a large source of the fresh displeasure directed towards the St. Clair line. Expanding the CN/Metrolinx bridge would be very expensive and not necessary. I think the St. Clair line should go underground here. Portal E of Old Weston Rd and W of Keele. The line would jog S of St. Clair and in its own tunnel under the Weston/Georgetown tracks. This could be cut and cover. Do it now before its redeveloped.

 

[Voltz]

Would it be possible to move the sidewalks into tunnels out side of the roadway and expand the road to into the place of the sidewalks?

 

[drum118]

Would it be possible to move the sidewalks into tunnels out side of the roadway and expand the road to into the place of the sidewalks?

Yes.

I and other have said if you move the sidewalks into a tunnel on either side of the bridge, you would free up space for a 2nd lane.

To put that tunnel in, it would require 2 long weekends at best, using precast sections for the tunnel.

When they put the tunnels in for the CP Milton line over Hurontario St during the widening of the road, this happen on the Labour Day weekend to the point that the rail line was back in service 12 hours early, given the fact work started 3 hours late due to a CP train.

St Clair bridge is wider than Hurontario as well not at street level and why I said 2 weekends.

 

[Neil]

It's a good idea but it doesn't widen St. Clair between the tracks and Old Weston Rd. and it doesn't make the right turn onto St. Clair W any easier.