W. K. Lis
Superstar
WARNING! Not recommended for suburban auto-addicted Councillors.
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Cycling infrastructure (Separated bike lanes)
- Thread starter MetroMan
- Start date
steveintoronto
Superstar
W. K. Lis
Superstar
ADRM
Senior Member
From Joe Cressy's latest newsletter:
Update - Richmond and Simcoe traffic light
Over the last number of years, I have been working hard to address safety for all road users at the Richmond and Simcoe intersection. As you know, we need a traffic signal to provide a dedicated, protected crossing for pedestrians and cyclists using Richmond Street and Simcoe streets. I have heard from many in the area that it is currently dangerous and unsafe to try to dodge through the gaps in fast traffic on Richmond. Ensuring safety for pedestrians and cyclists must be a top priority here and across our neighbourhoods.
After City staff issued a new report recommending the installation of the traffic light, thanks to dozens of letters that City Council received from local residents, businesses and organizations, the matter was again considered at the May City Council meeting last week. Unfortunately, Councillor Denzil Minnan-Wong insisted on blocking the item so that it could not be passed. At the end of the meeting, after repeated attempts to pass the item, we ran out of meeting time. As such all items not completed were deferred to the next City Council meeting.
I am profoundly disappointed that Councillor Minnan-Wong refused to let them item go through, and has consequently delayed the approval and installation of a safe crossing at Richmond and Simcoe streets. We will once again consider the item at the July meeting of City Council, where I sincerely hope the safety of all road users at this intersection can be prioritized.
Update - Richmond and Simcoe traffic light
Over the last number of years, I have been working hard to address safety for all road users at the Richmond and Simcoe intersection. As you know, we need a traffic signal to provide a dedicated, protected crossing for pedestrians and cyclists using Richmond Street and Simcoe streets. I have heard from many in the area that it is currently dangerous and unsafe to try to dodge through the gaps in fast traffic on Richmond. Ensuring safety for pedestrians and cyclists must be a top priority here and across our neighbourhoods.
After City staff issued a new report recommending the installation of the traffic light, thanks to dozens of letters that City Council received from local residents, businesses and organizations, the matter was again considered at the May City Council meeting last week. Unfortunately, Councillor Denzil Minnan-Wong insisted on blocking the item so that it could not be passed. At the end of the meeting, after repeated attempts to pass the item, we ran out of meeting time. As such all items not completed were deferred to the next City Council meeting.
I am profoundly disappointed that Councillor Minnan-Wong refused to let them item go through, and has consequently delayed the approval and installation of a safe crossing at Richmond and Simcoe streets. We will once again consider the item at the July meeting of City Council, where I sincerely hope the safety of all road users at this intersection can be prioritized.
muller877
Senior Member
DMW has a fairly balanced approached at city hall. A non-core supporter of certain bike lanes but not others. Supports privatization. He often has a practical approach vs a hard nosed policy wonk approach (a Red Tory approach to most things).
So no wonder Cressy is upset. From what I have seen he views the world in black and white. Never any shade of grey. 100% for a war on cars. 100% for unions. 100% for every social cause he can think of. No backing down. And at city hall where there needs to be some consensus his brand of politics doesn't work well.
If Cressy wants to build support for future votes this email slam will be remembered. You need to build political support behind the scene's, not via twitter.
the lemur
Senior Member
I actually think this looks worse on DMW than on Cressy, who was responding to a concern raised within the community and is probably more of a consensus-builder in his ward and offline. It's easy to look at e-mail and Twitter and think of a criticism as a 'slam'. I don't see DMW as being particularly sensitive to nuance, and blocking the item seems to be something he did just because he could.
What's his argument against a traffic light at Richmond and Simcoe? It might inconvenience drivers on Richmond? Doesn't seem to be a problem at Adelaide & Simcoe. Not having a traffic signal at Richmond is also inconvenient, not to mention dangerous, for drivers heading south on Simcoe. But I guess those drivers don't count for DMW, much as he would like to influence this situation that is far from his own ward.
amnesiajune
Senior Member
City staff originally recommended against installing the traffic light since it would be too close (35 meters) to University Avenue, so if more than six cars crossed University with a red light at Simcoe they would back up into the University Avenue crosswalk and intersection. Then they changed their recommendation under some pressure from Joe Cressy. On Adelaide, there's twice as much distance from Simcoe to University.
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the lemur
Senior Member
It's ~54m vs ~83m. Does that really mean that the timing of the Univ/Richmond lights couldn't be adjusted to that of potential Simcoe/Richmond signal? Especially since westbound traffic on Richmond generally has to stop on the east side of the intersection, not in the middle or on the west side, so the distance is comparable to Univ/Adelaide.
Red October
Senior Member
DMW is probably the worst of the bad city councillors for holding this city back. This city will be much better off when he's gone.
christiesplits
Senior Member
Can someone recall where and when the first street bike lanes were created in Toronto?
the lemur
Senior Member
I think it's on record that the lanes on Poplar Plains were the first, in the late 1970s.
W. K. Lis
Superstar
Bicycle Superhighways in Copenhagen Capital Region
From link.
The Bicycle Superhighway Network in Copenhagen Capital Region. Orange: Built. Black: Planned and financed. Dotted: Planned but awaiting financing.
The Copenhagen Capital Region Bicycle Superhighway Network projected on ... Toronto
From link.
The Bicycle Superhighway Network in Copenhagen Capital Region. Orange: Built. Black: Planned and financed. Dotted: Planned but awaiting financing.
The Copenhagen Capital Region Bicycle Superhighway Network projected on ... Toronto
Midtown Urbanist
Superstar
I believe if we gave Toronto a long, hard look, we could conceive of some potential routes for cycling super-highways.
1) Finch Hydro Corridor - Basically is one already, just needs to be better connected with itself, and with adjacent parks and you got a east-west highway in the City's northern reaches
2) Martin Goodman Trail - If made wider and more direct at certain stretches, could double as one, although obviously lower speed than ideal, and a mixed-use trail once it reaches the Harbourfront area.
3) Beltline Corridor - Desperately needs to be connected across the Allen Road, and a more streamlined experience at a few other intersections. Afterwards, we would need some innovation on how to connect the Beltline to downtown Toronto, and then you got a corridor that connects the middle of the city with downtown.
4) Richmond Hill GO Corridor - If you have seen my lofty ideas in the Transit Fantasy Thread for abandoning the RH-GO corridor in favour of a DRL subway line that heads to Richmond Hill, then you might recall that I re-imagined the RH-GO corridor as a cycling superhighway extending south from the Finch Hydro Corridor all the way to where it would meet up with the Martin Goodman Trail. It might not be as direct of a route downtown as one would like, but it would be a route nonetheless, and a beautiful + picturesque one that connects to different parts of the city to boot.
What other potential routes could be imagined in the city?
1) Finch Hydro Corridor - Basically is one already, just needs to be better connected with itself, and with adjacent parks and you got a east-west highway in the City's northern reaches
2) Martin Goodman Trail - If made wider and more direct at certain stretches, could double as one, although obviously lower speed than ideal, and a mixed-use trail once it reaches the Harbourfront area.
3) Beltline Corridor - Desperately needs to be connected across the Allen Road, and a more streamlined experience at a few other intersections. Afterwards, we would need some innovation on how to connect the Beltline to downtown Toronto, and then you got a corridor that connects the middle of the city with downtown.
4) Richmond Hill GO Corridor - If you have seen my lofty ideas in the Transit Fantasy Thread for abandoning the RH-GO corridor in favour of a DRL subway line that heads to Richmond Hill, then you might recall that I re-imagined the RH-GO corridor as a cycling superhighway extending south from the Finch Hydro Corridor all the way to where it would meet up with the Martin Goodman Trail. It might not be as direct of a route downtown as one would like, but it would be a route nonetheless, and a beautiful + picturesque one that connects to different parts of the city to boot.
What other potential routes could be imagined in the city?
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lead82
Senior Member
All those routes are nice. Small correction in that the Finch corridor would be a W-E route not N-S. The belt line trail definitely needs a way to head over the Allen. It could be made to connect with other trails past the Mt. Pleasant cemetery to Moore Park ravine. Ideally it needs to have a good connection from Moore Park ravine to Sherbourne bike lane. That would make it a bike highway from midtown to Downtown east side. On the west side we need to make streets like Oakwoodnand Christie to have separated lanes and connect up from Martin Goodman trail to Belt line trail and eventually up to Finch trail via secondary streets like Faywood/Wilmington. The big problem is how to cross the 401. There are no good paths except via major roads. I'm sure that a small bike path tunnel could be made for pedestrians and bikes if needed.
Midtown Urbanist
Superstar
Thanks, should've proof-read my post.
Yes, just the other night I biked home from the waterfront via Sherbourne bike lanes, cutting through Rosedale via Glen Rd, crossing the rail corridor at Summerhill, then up Welland Ave to Moore Ave. While biking it struck me that - 1) this route was a fairly good way to get between Sherbourne and Midtown, minus the Summerhill detour and bridge crossing, and; 2) What if there was a way to bring a direct connection to Glen Rd and the Moore Park ravine?
I don't know how Rosedale residents would feel about Glen Rd becoming a more developed cycling path, ala Russell Hill Rd in Forest Hill. (Which by the way, is one of my favorite cycling routes in greater Midtown area)
Since I bring up Russell Hill, I wonder if it would be possible to connect the Belt Line with a new cycling route on Russell Hill Rd north of St. Clair, then either to St. George St or Davenport cycling lanes.