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Insufficient Sidewalks Downtown

I can't say I've ever felt that the sidewalks were that crowded in Toronto - except perhaps when watching a parade or something. Worst I recall seeing is trying to walk south on York to Union Station in AM rush ... when everyone else is heading north. But I didn't think that wider sidewalks were the answer.

Compare it to other cities in the world!
 
AlvinofDiaspar said:
I wonder if you can do a Woonerf on Yonge.

AoD
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You could easily put one in.

Deliveries for most parts of Yonge are done by the back alleyways that run parallel to the street. It doesn't even need to be a woonerf because Yonge really doesn't need car access aside from emergency vehicles. A pedestrian only Yonge would be a beautiful thing. You can't compare the failed 70's pedestrian only Yonge to today, it is a more vibrant strip now, and stands to be much more vibrant in the future.
 
Torontovibe said:
I've seen someone get pushed onto the street in the Yonge & Dundas area and almost get hit by a car. I called my local city councillor, Pam McConnell, and warned her assistant, someone was going to get killed one day if they don't enlarge the sidewalks, and she just told me to call Kyle Rae's office. (basically "Not my problem") If you try calling Kyle Rae, his office says call your local city councillor. Basically nobody cares until someone gets killed, then all of them will claim, we had no idea! Yonge st. definitely needs to be widened. The crowds there can get crazy.
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Right ... how many people have been killed due to such an event in the last 20 years? Yonge street has always been very crowed - maybe not Y&D in particular but there's always been a few locations that have been.
 
Still in love with cars. I knew it.


I still haven't heard one good reason why Yonge can't be a pedestrian zone from Queen to Bloor.

I drive. I drive A LOT. I'm required to drive for work but I also just really enjoy driving. I'm not opposed to giving some streets over to pedestrians. Though, I'm not going to lie.....I'm quite the prolific pedestrian as well so it's easy for me to see it from that point of view.

Anyway, as someone who can see it from both points of view, I really think it should be given over. Why do we need vehicular access absolutely everywhere?
 
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Actually, people might find it interesting that Yonge and Dundas not only has the highest number of pedestrians, it also has the lowest rate of pedestrian injuries according to city data (largely due to its sheer volumes of people, as the denominator would be pedestrian counts).

Not to say I would prefer more pedestrian-friendly initiatives, I would. Taking away one lane of traffic would help. But Yonge's safety is because of the 24-hour traffic. Plus you'd have to find a place to run the Vomit Comet. So there are disadvantages to turning it into a ped mall.

The problem at intersections like Yonge and Dundas is the illegal turns, that not only slow traffic down, but also add the element of unpredictability for pedestrians.
 
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Yonge & Bloor is also bad right now, especially the S/E corner.
I was surprised once the hoarding came down at TLS that there was not more sidewalk width on the Yonge Street side.
I don't think I'd want to see vehicles eliminated from Yonge Street, but I do like the one-way idea on Yonge & Bay with wider sidewalks on Yonge, trees, benches and of course, bike lanes.
 
Personally, I'd like to see all north-south streets downtown, including Bay, Yonge, Church, Jarvis, Sherbourne, and Parliament converted to one way traffic. Due to the increased traffic flow that can be realized with signal synchronization, the same flow of traffic could be attained even if each street is narrowed by 1 lane to allow for wider sidewalks and bike lanes. The sidewalks are too narrow on Yonge, and this should be resolved before someone is hurt.
 
Oh, right, because having multitudes of cyclists whipping along without any regard to direction of traffic or stop lights is really going to make the pedestrian realm so much safer.

Going to one way streets with reduced lanes would probably make a great deal of sense, but I just can't see how the bike lanes would really make an overall positive contribution.
 
whatever said:
Oh, right, because having multitudes of cyclists whipping along without any regard to direction of traffic or stop lights is really going to make the pedestrian realm so much safer.

Going to one way streets with reduced lanes would probably make a great deal of sense, but I just can't see how the bike lanes would really make an overall positive contribution.
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The bike lanes would encourage cycling, an emissions free form of transportation which is faster than walking a requires little road space. Cycling behaviour can easily be changed. Besides, a lot of cyclists already ride safely.
 
So, 24hr traffic ensuring safety and the 24hr bus are the reasons I get for not turning this road into a ped. zone?

That's kinda weak.

The 24hr bus can easily run on Bay Street and then back to Yonge via Davenport.

As for safety concerns......we already have police officers on horse and bike.....they could easily patrol this section of street.

I don't understand the resistance to cutting off streets to cars. What is the fear?
 
Are you calling Jane Jacobs weak? There's something to be said for "eyes on the street."

Oh boy - more cops on horses, and more horsesh*t to avoid! Awesome!

Dude, Yonge Street may not yet be healthy enough for pedestrian only. I'd prefer to close down Queen West to TTC, pedestrians and bikes before trying Yonge.
 
nfitz said:
I can't say I've ever felt that the sidewalks were that crowded in Toronto - except perhaps when watching a parade or something. Worst I recall seeing is trying to walk south on York to Union Station in AM rush ... when everyone else is heading north. But I didn't think that wider sidewalks were the answer.

Compare it to other cities in the world!
Click to expand...

During the AM/PM rush to union station, there's underground besides above ground, though both are quite congested as well. As for crowds on sidewalks only during a parade. Not true. There's always events happening at Dundas Square, so Yonge and Dundas is congested every day depending on the time and the events occuring. Popular events can get extremely congested. I sometimes hang out there in the summer on weekends, so I know. Plus there are shops a long Yonge. People who want to go shopping and eat after wards all hang around Eaton Centre and Yonge St. strip.

I don't see a need for completely closing down Yonge St yet. However, decreasing the amount of lanes or making it one way might help to increase space for side walks. Also bike lane would be good. I see bikes zipping any which way. Quite dangerous with cars around.
 
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Hmm, I'm thinking if (OK, when) there is a subway delay on the Yonge line (accident, injury, mechanical) it could turn into a commuter nightmare with relief buses if the delay was in the opposite way of vehicular traffic.
So much for that idea.
 
I don't believe we should create more one-way streets in the downtown core as it promotes faster traffic and creates difficulties in reaching specific destinations (especially by bike). And if one were to add bike lanes to a street like the proposed one-way Yonge, would they work in tandem or be contra-flow. As a cyclist who regularly takes Richmond St on my commute, I feel that the average cyclist would feel out of place on one-way streets, even in a separate bike lane.
 
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