King Street (Streetcar Transit Priority)

[raptor]

Mr Tory will be providing an update on the KSP later this morning. Given that he’s been a fairly strong supporter of the pilot up to now, I’d expect whatever he announces will be good news. Hopefully it’s the Moneris data.

Probably related to this:
Toronto launches competition to design public spaces on King St.

 

[W. K. Lis]

Why is it that some people seeing a street devoid of cars as empty, while a street filled with empty parked cars as busy? The empty parked cars are just that: EMPTY! There is no one in them. They are completely ignoring the people walking on the street.

How did they get there? By walking from the streetcar, walking from some other building close by, or they parked around the corner in a parking garage and walked. The key word is they "walked".

 

[Leo_Chan]

Why is it that some people seeing a street devoid of cars as empty, while a street filled with empty parked cars as busy? The empty parked cars are just that: EMPTY! There is no one in them. They are completely ignoring the people walking on the street.

How did they get there? By walking from the streetcar, walking from some other building close by, or they parked around the corner in a parking garage and walked. The key word is they "walked".

I'd say one of the ways to improve this is to widen the sidewalks to take over around 70% of the curb lane and adding trees, which will give the street a "full" feeling. In terms of temporary measures, they could add large potted trees instead of planters

 

[Edward Skira]

City of Toronto Media Relations has issued the following:
==========================================

News Release

January 9, 2018

Public space initiatives announced for King Street Transit Pilot

Today, the City of Toronto officially launched the design-build competition for the public spaces along King Street in the area of the King Street Transit Pilot. Mayor John Tory, Councillor Michael Thompson (Ward 37 Scarborough Centre), Chair of the City's Economic Development and Culture Committee, and Councillor Joe Cressy (Ward 20 Trinity-Spadina) made the announcement this morning at David Pecaut Square along with a number of other public space initiatives to encourage people to visit King Street.

The competition, called Everyone is King, invites submissions to animate the new curb lane public spaces on King Street which range in length from 15 to 140 metres.

"I am pleased we have seen improvements to the efficiency of King Street as part of the downtown transportation network," said Mayor John Tory. "I want to make sure that King Street remains a great place to eat, shop, gather and be entertained during this pilot. This program will encourage people to continue to come out to King Street."

Local businesses have the opportunity to advise the City if they wish to use a space as an additional outdoor café to support their business on King. Any remaining spaces or time (for example February and March) not claimed by local businesses will be made into attractive public spaces for all to enjoy through the Everyone is King design-build competition.

"This public space initiative is a critical part of the King Street Transit Pilot," said Councillor Cressy. "It's important the businesses be able to use these newly created spaces in a way that will contribute to their success and keep King a vibrant part of the city."

The call for entries is now open and further information about the program, criteria and key dates is available at http://www.toronto.ca/kingstreetpilot.

The Everyone is King competition will bring life to these public spaces beginning in the spring. To animate these spaces in the winter months, the City is constructing creative installations on King Street; these could include warming stations, ice sculptures, fire performers and art installations. More details will be available on the King Street Transit Pilot website in the near future.

“While the City works with outside partners to create new public spaces this spring, the City’s Economic Development and Culture division will be taking some immediate steps to help draw people to the neighbourhood during the winter months,” said Councillor Thompson. “The City is committed to making sure that visitors continue to access and enjoy everything King Street businesses have to offer.”

In addition to the public space initiatives, Eats on King, a program to promote local quick and full-service restaurants in the King Street Transit Pilot area, will run Monday, February 19 to Thursday, March 29.

Interested restaurants can request an application to join the program by emailing eatsonking@toronto.ca. Completed applications are due no later than January 30 at 5 p.m. There is no cost to participating restaurants other than the value of the offer they extend to their customers. For more information, email eatsonking@toronto.ca or call 416-397-1234.

Along with accessing King Street via transit, cycling and walking, King Street remains open to car traffic, and drivers can use the many designated pickup and drop-off locations on King Street to drop off a passenger before making a right turn at the next intersection to find a parking spot.

The City and the Toronto Parking Authority have partnered to offer up to $5 off parking in the area around the King Street Transit Pilot when the Green P app is used to pay. The parking promotion is good for one use and is valid until November 2018.

More information on each of these initiatives is available at http://www.toronto.ca/kingstreetpilot.

 

[W. K. Lis]

Maybe the city should recycle some old automobiles into street furniture. That way it will give the street a "busy" look some automobile disciples crave for.

From link:

 

[darth_freeman]

Why is everyone assuming that the business owners aren't looking at year/year data when making these claims?

It was only very cold for like 10 days. Wasn't their business down all fall?

 

[steveintoronto]

The Moneris data is only going to be gathered and released quarterly. It's only two months in so far.

Tory and some on Council are saying and acting in a more conciliatory manner, but far more has to be done. "Ah, but it's only a one year pilot" cry some. But they completely miss the point. Pilot successful or not, King will remain the third busiest transit route in Toronto, the busiest surface route in "North America" (the claim should state US and Canada, whatever).

THAT ALONE should dictate massive infrastructure investment, starting with a much more sophisticated signalling and dispatch system.

But this is Toronto, alas. Is the monkey not dancing? Throw some more peanut shells...and rearrange the furniture on the vast open spaces, so people have more areas to not to sit and gather in.

What has happened so far is a classic case of *what not to do* when building transit malls.

I don't fully agree with the following, no-one is more transit-mall supporting than myself, spending time in Europe and the US in cities that 'get this', but the warnings are written on the streets:

The Trouble with Pedestrian Malls
Once popular, these car-free zones are slowly disappearing from the urban landscape.
December 2011

By Tod Newcombe | Columnist
Buffalo’s 25-year-old pedestrian and transit-only mall has a problem: As in so many similar spaces across the country, there just aren’t enough pedestrians. So the city in upstate New York has applied for a federal grant to turn the mall back into a road. Exit people. Enter cars.

Buffalo isn’t the only city to toss in the towel on car-free streets. Sacramento, Calif., which has a shared pedestrian and transit mall that dates back more than 40 years, has recently let cars back onto K Street. In recent years, many mid-sized cities like Eugene, Ore., and Raleigh, N.C., have turned away from pedestrian malls, as have big cities, such as Chicago and Washington, D.C.

America’s first downtown pedestrian mall appeared in Kalamazoo, Mich., in 1959. At their height, more than 200 cities blocked off traffic in prime downtown business districts in hopes that by removing cars and trucks, people would flock to the city and bring life to retail and business districts facing decline. [...]

http://www.governing.com/columns/urban-notebook/trouble-with-pedestrian-malls.html

I could post many articles stating same, many of them specifically on transit malls, but here's someone far more specific on the King Street Pilot:

[...]
Even if a plan achieves transit improvements, too many small annoyances, too many details overlooked could collectively derail a scheme. The planners flag this as a need for both a “micro and macro” view of the street – the big picture of better transit, and an awareness that every block, every neighbourhood along the street is different.

Common to all plans is a substantial reduction in the space available for cars and trucks. Some areas now used for loading, drop offs and cab stands would be repurposed either as through traffic lanes with no stopping, or as expanded sidewalk space into what is now the curb lane. Left turns would be banned throughout the area.

This demands a major re-think in how the street works for its many users both regular and casual.

The street is only four lanes wide, and along much of its length buildings come out to the sidewalk line. Only limited roadway expansion is possible, but not practically across the corridor. In any event, the focus is not on cars but on pedestrians and their transit service. Road improvements should not masquerade as benefits to transit. [...]

https://stevemunro.ca/2017/02/15/transit-first-for-king-street/

The biggest problem facing Toronto doing this pilot is that it's 'Toronto doing this pilot'. I can't think of any city more adept at screwing up what should be a no-brainer for any other modern city of size.

And what's clearly indicative of Council and Planners is throwing just $1.5M of peanut shells at the monkey. That alone tells you how seriously this city takes this.

 

[PinkLucy]

Why is everyone assuming that the business owners aren't looking at year/year data when making these claims?

It was only very cold for like 10 days. Wasn't their business down all fall?

None that I know of provided any comparative data. They started complaining on Day 1 when no data existed. Bloor St. businesses complained, and the data didn't support their complaints. All of that could have something to do with it.

I owned a business for a lot of years. If same-week sales were down year to year, we looked for reasons why -- was the weather different? was there a big sale on? was there a special event? how did a recent holiday fall? Any good business owner knows you need to look at all reasons, not just pick the low hanging fruit, when analyzing numbers.

 

[steveintoronto]

Let me ask this: Since Moneris data isn't scheduled to be released for another month for this project, and the figures are ostensibly key to understanding causation and context for the claims of low sales...where's the clamour to get the figures released a month earlier, or release them bi-monthly, instead of quarterly?

Riddle me that! It doesn't even have to be a motion from Council, the power rests with Staff.

 

[W. K. Lis]

From this link:

Two points.

One: using the orange signage tells me "CONSTRUCTION", avoid this area. The jersey barrier and red cones don't help.
Two: too many words. Too much work in reading and comprehension of the those words.

 

[JamesKoole]

The City and the Toronto Parking Authority have partnered to offer up to $5 off parking in the area around the King Street Transit Pilot when the Green P app is used to pay. The parking promotion is good for one use and is valid until November 2018.

Sigh. We go to all this trouble to improve transit on King and then when there are complaints, the response is to discount parking?

 

[DSC]

Sigh. We go to all this trouble to improve transit on King and then when there are complaints, the response is to discount parking?

Frankly, it might be a better use of public money to help the restaurants update their websites with info on how much EASIER it is to get to them by public transit now! I checked both Kit Kat and Fred's not Here - who are both vocal foes of the pilot. Neither mentions that access by transit is now easier (or even an option). I fear they are stuck with their former business plan (which they seem to think was diners driving down and immediately finding parking at the front door); they need to wake up!

 

[ADRM]

Also, not for nothing, but regular reminder that Fred's Not Here is a shit restaurant; the 3-Yelp-star and 3-Yelp-dollar sign nexus is a fairly rare hallmark of mediocrity, but one this Luddite has achieved.

And if you believe Dave T., the paella is $38.99.

 

[CharlotteR]

Paella at $38.99.

https://fredsnothere.com/dinner-menu/

 

[ADRM]

Paella at $38.99.

https://fredsnothere.com/dinner-menu/

Apparently, neither Fred nor his mind are here.