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Furthermore, is there any proof that a fixed link will lead to increased commercialization?
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I can't see that either. What's wrong with a little competition for the concessions on the island? It's currently a monopoly, serving the most expensive and crappy food.
 
How about a sign along the entrance to the gates where the long lines begin with an arrow and directions pointing people over to Canoe Landing Park. Simple! No ferry, no crowds (no people) and no fixed connection needed!
 
a pedestrian/bike bridge that can accommodate emergency vehicles would be nice to have.
 
jn_12 said:
Well here's the thing - there's now many thousands more people living within view of the Islands than there were 10-15 years ago. So I'm not the only one, and that number is only going to get bigger as the West Donlands, portlands and Cityplace are completed. The Islands might be the local park for hundreds of thousands of people within the next 30 years. I have no problem with the ferries if they can improve service and if the fee is removed. But to me, that doesn't make much sense when a fixed link serves both purposes, perhaps better. Yes, the ferries are cool to take, and perhaps you can make an argument from a tourism/heritage perspective it is important to maintain it, but downtown Toronto and the Waterfront aren't what they used to be, and we should be trying to provide as many people as possible the opportunity to access the space with the fewest restrictions.
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There will already be amazing parks in all of those neighbourhoods.

- CityPlace has Copeland's park, Fort York, the Lakeshore boardwalk.
- West Donlands and Portlands will have a MASSIVE park and recreation area and sports arenas and a bunch of little parks.
- Nearly entire stretch of Queens Quay will become one big park boulevard with supplemental parks at each of the slips, like hTo, Sugar Beach, etc.
 
grey said:
There will already be amazing parks in all of those neighbourhoods.

- CityPlace has Copeland's park, Fort York, the Lakeshore boardwalk.
- West Donlands and Portlands will have a MASSIVE park and recreation area and sports arenas and a bunch of little parks.
- Nearly entire stretch of Queens Quay will become one big park boulevard with supplemental parks at each of the slips, like hTo, Sugar Beach, etc.
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Yeah but none can you lay your naked butt...lol :cool:
 
nor do any of those compare to the size and quality of the islands. The islands must be better than every other park in the city (present or future) if you want to protect them so badly. If these other parks are better, than maybe we should consider pedestrian tolls on the opposite sides of the road from each of these new parks. (note the tongue firmly in cheek for that last comment. You hopefully catch my drift though).
 
A bridge over the eastern and western gap (airport tunnel propsal) that continues the existing pedestrian pathways on the Island and connects to the future Lake Ontario Park in the portlands makes sense, but a 2 km long, hot, uninteresting walk between the harbourfront and the Island isn't going to fly.
 
Well you won't be able to access the recreational parts of the island from the airport tunnel, but a bridge at the Eastern Gap is a necessity. I don't think anyone is suggesting a 2km bridge through the heart of the harbour.
 
Okay, I was picturing a ridiculously long bridge from the Harbourfront to the Island.

I think the eastern connection to the East Bayfront is inevitable, and will probably be good for the Island (even if only to spite the demented NIMBY Island residents) so long as there's some provision to keep awful Pizza Pizza and those Nestle ice cream carts out. Unless they agree to fund some recreational element or activity along the lines of the Natrel skating rink.

And yeah, the western connection for the airport would only provide access to the airport, but it's the other logical connection point (and because I'm not fond of Harbourfront residents, either --- "Tear down the Canada Malting Silos! We want more restaurants!!!1")
 
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The $45 million pedestrian tunnel to Billy Bishop airport will start construction in 2011. To finance the 123-metre tunnel they will include user fees, hopefully in the airport fees. However, the plans seem to be that you will not be able to circle the airport to get to the rest of the islands. Something about airplanes landing and taking off.

Why don't they experiment with a perimeter bicycle path? Put in rumble strips or speed bumps where the flightpath of the airplane runway are to alert bicyclists..
 
The Island residents treat the Islands like their own little fiefdom, without considering that they don't own the Island but rather lease their shacks. It's a public park and it really shouldn't be that difficult to access.
 
W. K. Lis said:
The $45 million pedestrian tunnel to Billy Bishop airport will start construction in 2011. To finance the 123-metre tunnel they will include user fees, hopefully in the airport fees. However, the plans seem to be that you will not be able to circle the airport to get to the rest of the islands. Something about airplanes landing and taking off.

Why don't they experiment with a perimeter bicycle path? Put in rumble strips or speed bumps where the flightpath of the airplane runway are to alert bicyclists..
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Maybe the most absurd idea I've ever heard. I don't think you understand how unsafe that would be. Sure it works in Gibraltar, but that airport only has 7 departures per day (and they even close the road that runs through the strip for 10 minutes during takeoffs). Porter does more than that in an hour. You can't just have some folks standing at the side of the strip waiting for the plane to go by. This isn't Yonge St. Think about your proposal for a second: rumble strips and speed bumps? do you really think that's appropriate?
 
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