Road Safety & Vision Zero Plan

[evandyk]

That may be added frustration, and may cause drivers to defy the controls altogether. Unless one intends to enforce (in Toronto, that's a fantasy), I can see things working worse rather than better.

Toronto drivers usually see nothing wrong with blowing through a red light, as long as it has only been red for a few seconds. But so far, thankfully, it's pretty rare to see someone proceed through a red light after they've actually stopped.

 

[Dan416]

Toronto drivers usually see nothing wrong with blowing through a red light, as long as it has only been red for a few seconds. But so far, thankfully, it's pretty rare to see someone proceed through a red light after they've actually stopped.

I have seen drivers go through fully red lights in Mississauga at least a couple times, so it would not surprise me to see it happen in Toronto too.

 

[lenaitch]

what degree of visual cue to motorists would best serve safety and convenience for all

I'm reminded of a series of (award winning apparently) Department of Highways commercials from the early 1970s

I can't image a reference to a 'snow plow tail gunner' would survive the government's image gatekeepers today.

 

[Admiral Beez]

Well, you know we're f#cked when even the mayor is a mere observer and commentator.

Hundreds join downtown ghost bike ride to remember 24-year-old cyclist killed in Yorkville

The woman who died last week after she was hit by the driver a truck is the fifth cyclist to die in the city this year — making it the deadliest year for cyclists since 2006.

www.thestar.com

Paywall free: https://archive.is/jYCEg

"Mayor Olivia Chow made a quiet entrance to the memorial bike ride. She didn’t speak at the event, riding quietly along with other attendees and stood at the back, flanked by two staffers. “I’ve gone to too many ghost bike rides,” Chow said. “Riding a bike shouldn’t be a death sentence.” Chow said the city’s newly increased fines for traffic violations, set to kick in Thursday, is among the ways to “double our effort” on safer streets. She added that the city is also adding traffic cameras to capture the licence plates of cars that park illegally, including in bike lanes, and a “mobility squad” to look at how construction sites can be made safer for cyclists.

Passive cameras and fines do nothing. What we need is for Mayor Chow to declare a state of emergency and use her strong mayor powers to clear bike lanes and expand traffic enforcement. For starters, every developer and construction firm MUST include details of how they will protect and least inconvenience cyclists and pedestrians during their project. Deleting bike lanes or sidewalks should never be allowed - if you need the space, delete the car lane.

 

[evandyk]

I've been dropping off my kid at U of T camp this week. Harbord is one of the busiest bike lanes in the city, and ever single morning, cars are constantly parked in the bike lane *just for a second* to drop off their kids. Probably hundreds of times a morning this happens, and every time it forces dozens of cyclists out into traffic.

I know people have to drop off their kids at camp (they could probably do it safely if they were fine with walking for 1 minute, but we wouldn't want to inconvenience a driver) but the crazy thing is that most of the block is all day parking. They could just designate that whole block as a drop-off zone for the summer, then put someone outside to make people use the drop-off zone instead of just pulling into the bike lane. But nobody cares enough to do anything, even when somebody has just died a few blocks away.

Personally I'd still take the lane if they made it a drop-off zone, though, since the bike lane is right in the door zone.

 

[Towered]

Well, you know we're f#cked when even the mayor is a mere observer and commentator.

Hundreds join downtown ghost bike ride to remember 24-year-old cyclist killed in Yorkville

The woman who died last week after she was hit by the driver a truck is the fifth cyclist to die in the city this year — making it the deadliest year for cyclists since 2006.

www.thestar.com

Paywall free: https://archive.is/jYCEg

"Mayor Olivia Chow made a quiet entrance to the memorial bike ride. She didn’t speak at the event, riding quietly along with other attendees and stood at the back, flanked by two staffers. “I’ve gone to too many ghost bike rides,” Chow said. “Riding a bike shouldn’t be a death sentence.” Chow said the city’s newly increased fines for traffic violations, set to kick in Thursday, is among the ways to “double our effort” on safer streets. She added that the city is also adding traffic cameras to capture the licence plates of cars that park illegally, including in bike lanes, and a “mobility squad” to look at how construction sites can be made safer for cyclists.

Passive cameras and fines do nothing. What we need is for Mayor Chow to declare a state of emergency and use her strong mayor powers to clear bike lanes and expand traffic enforcement. For starters, every developer and construction firm MUST include details of how they will protect and least inconvenience cyclists and pedestrians during their project. Deleting bike lanes or sidewalks should never be allowed - if you need the space, delete the car lane.

Disappointingly passive take from Chow. She needs to do better - she's in the position to do so.

 

[Admiral Beez]

Disappointingly passive take from Chow. She needs to do better - she's in the position to do so.

And one thing that bugs me is that these condo developers aren't even making housing the city wants or can afford, and thus do nothing to help address Toronto's housing crisis. Instead they're taking our developable land, building shite micro units for increasingly non-existent investors, all while putting Torontonians at risk of being run over by their construction equipment. I can't help but feel that Toronto city hall has gained a Hazel McCallion-like addiction to development fees while giving little thought to the future. At best all these condo projects are a huge inconvenience of traffic and congestion to little to no benefit of Torontonians, while putting pedestrians and cyclists at risk from frustrated, angry drivers.

 

[Dan416]

And one thing that bugs is that these condo developers aren't even making housing the city wants or can afford, and thus do nothing to help address Toronto's housing crisis. Instead they're taking our developable land, building shite micro units for increasingly non-existent investors, all while putting Torontonians at risk of being run over by their construction equipment. I can't help but feel that Toronto city hall has gained a Hazel McCallion-like addiction to development fees while giving little thought to the future. At best all these condo projects are a huge inconvenience of traffic and congestion to little to no benefit of Torontonians, while putting pedestrians and cyclists at risk from frustrated, angry drivers.

Could the city put minimum size requirements on condos and/or require a certain percentage of 2-3 bedroom units?

 

[DSC]

Could the city put minimum size requirements on condos and/or require a certain percentage of 2-3 bedroom units?

The City DOES try to get 'family sized' units built as part of condo and rental developments but these requirements are appealed by developers and the City are often over-ruled by the OLT - developers prefer building lots of tiny units as they appear (or appeared??) to be easier to sell - presumably to investors.

 

[allengeorge]

Passive cameras and fines do nothing. What we need is for Mayor Chow to declare a state of emergency and use her strong mayor powers to clear bike lanes and expand traffic enforcement

I am disappointed with Mayor Chow on the road safety front, but…playing devil’s advocate, a bike-focused campaign isn’t the best way to solve this problem IMO.

I think that the Mayor has to speak - in general - about the lack of enforcement, bad behavior, and how it’s putting everyone at risk. And then, push for enforcement on all fronts.

For starters, every developer and construction firm MUST include details of how they will protect and least inconvenience cyclists and pedestrians during their project.

100%. At the very least they should be forced to create (using pylons, barriers, etc. alternate paths). Failure to do so should result in the hammer coming down: immediate shutdown of construction, with punitive fines for each day of non-compliance.

I've been dropping off my kid at U of T camp this week. Harbord is one of the busiest bike lanes in the city, and ever single morning, cars are constantly parked in the bike lane *just for a second* to drop off their kids. Probably hundreds of times a morning this happens, and every time it forces dozens of cyclists out into traffic.

I am constantly surprised at how often people can’t be inconvenienced to walk a little bit. I think the issue is that it starts by one saying “I’m only going to be here for a few seconds”, after which others see the first person doing it…and then before you know it, the entire lane is blocked up.

I know people have to drop off their kids at camp (they could probably do it safely if they were fine with walking for 1 minute, but we wouldn't want to inconvenience a driver) but the crazy thing is that most of the block is all day parking. They could just designate that whole block as a drop-off zone for the summer, then put someone outside to make people use the drop-off zone instead of just pulling into the bike lane. But nobody cares enough to do anything, even when somebody has just died a few blocks away.

Designating the entire block as a drop off zone is probably the best idea.

 

[MisterF]

The City DOES try to get 'family sized' units built as part of condo and rental developments but these requirements are appealed by developers and the City are often over-ruled by the OLT - developers prefer building lots of tiny units as they appear (or appeared??) to be easier to sell - presumably to investors.

The City's guideline is for a minimum 15% of units to be 2 bedrooms and 10% 3 bedrooms and it does typically achieve that. The size of those 2 and 3 bedroom units is another story.

 

[evandyk]

Every time I see one of those "three bedroom" units squeezed into 800 sf I just shake my head.

 

[Northern Light]

I can't find a dedicated thread for pedestrian-only zones with posts more recent than 2010, so I'll stick this here.

A new column from @AlexBozikovic in the Globe suggests 'Toronto' needs to get over its fear of pedestrian-only zones. I place Toronto in quotes because he's not just meaning the City (though them too); but is also targeting BIAs, Councillors,
the Board of Trade and anyone else may be obstructing this idea taking root.

Toronto needs to get over its fear of car-free streets

The city has dabbled with pedestrianizing streets, and then decisively backed away. Other than a few bike lanes, it’s as if those summers of ‘slow streets’ and raucous patio parties never happened

www.theglobeandmail.com

For the second column in a row, Alex and I are in complete agreement.

Alex touches on the great success that is Market Street beside the St. Lawrence Market, and he's right to, its great!

He also mentions in passing a partial attempt at this idea on one block of Bellair in the Yorkville neighbourhood.

His close has a good ask as well:

I have discussed this, I believe in the Ontario Line thread. Its 100% feasible in the University to York and Bay to Yonge blocks.

It is not feasible in the York to Bay block due primarily to the City Hall Parking Garage principle entrance; though that block could certainly be made far more amenable to pedestrians by removing the south side garage entrance, then widening and beautifying the south sidewalk.

******

Other logical priorities from my perspective:

1) Kensington Market where I am hopeful we will get a bit of this, though less than we should.

2) King Street, pedestrianizing 2 blocks or sets there of, one along theatre row, and another in the Financial District is feasible and would allow the transit priority to function much better by making it near impossible for a car to get across downtown via King.

3) Baldwin restaurant district just west of McCaul

4) I would also take a close look at Duncan (King to Queen); and McCaul north of Stephanie. The latter does have a public parking lot under 'The Grange' to consider, but large sections of this route would be very tempting to me.

On the latter, imagine a street design integrated with both AGO and OCAD and with a very artsy flair, to the north a major public plaza in front of St. Patrick's Church, and the opportunity to expand Orde St. Park, on the adjacent Green P lands, but then have it meet a very pedestrian-friendly McCaul.

You would have to retain the streetcar tracks, but there's no reason that can't be done while prioritizing pedestrians and/or making the space exclusive to transit and pedestrians.

 

[crs1026]

4) I would also take a close look at Duncan (King to Queen); and McCaul north of Stephanie. The latter does have a public parking lot under 'The Grange' to consider, but large sections of this route would be very tempting to me.

On the latter, imagine a street design integrated with both AGO and OCAD and with a very artsy flair, to the north a major public plaza in front of St. Patrick's Church, and the opportunity to expand Orde St. Park, on the adjacent Green P lands, but then have it meet a very pedestrian-friendly McCaul.

You would have to retain the streetcar tracks, but there's no reason that can't be done while prioritizing pedestrians and/or making the space exclusive to transit and pedestrians.

Similar to Path, it would be a huge attraction to have these pedestrianised streets connected in a coherent manner to create connectivity across the downtown. Skydome to College, Bathurst to Parliament.

- Paul

 

[Northern Light]

Similar to Path, it would be a huge attraction to have these pedestrianised streets connected in a coherent manner to create connectivity across the downtown. Skydome to College, Bathurst to Parliament.

- Paul

In the west central end, given the streets I've outlined, there's some of that potential there, and one could be more comprehensive on either King or Queen in the University to Spadina quadrant.

The east end is much more challenging because of the need to feed the DVP/Eastern ramps (Adelaide and Richmond), because of the path to the Gardiner, and because of how we've located various parking access points.

That said, there are opportunities, first to simply better prioritize pedestrians (ie.remove one lane of Front Street east from Yonge to Chuch an add this to the very constrained south sidewalk.)

****

There are further sections of King that could tackled in the east end; N-S is real challenge. Parking garage access points are issues at some point along most of the available streets. Even tiny Leader Lane!