Roads: Ontario/GTA Highways Discussion

[beatle04]

@Admiral Beez This event happens every year, always on the first Sunday of June. And it's not like it wasn't publicized that the closure was happening.
Living in a big city comes with dealing with events that may have impacts on your plans. Just like how an event that interests you may impact me in a negative way.

Closing a highway for a fundraiser/unique experience once a year on a Sunday isn't the end of the world. Plan ahead and make alternative arrangements.

And say they close the highway at night instead. Now you would be happy but people who want to get downtown at night will be mad instead. It's impossible to make everyone happy.

 

[Admiral Beez]

Closing a highway once a year isn't the end of the world. Plan ahead and make alternative arrangements.

No one has claimed closing the highways is akin to the apocalypse. What a silly notion. As for myself, yes I knew of the closure and made alternative arrangements, by deciding to stay home today. I took the dog for a walk over the DVP in the rain to watch the cyclists, it looked like fun. I am glad I didn’t have to drive from the suburbs to visit the city for any reason today. Is this the only fundraiser-driven closure of the Gardiner or DVP this year?

 

[anb]

@Admiral Beez This event happens every year, always on the first Sunday of June. And it's not like it wasn't publicized that the closure was happening.
Living in a big city comes with dealing with events that may have impacts on your plans. Just like how an event that interests you may impact me in a negative way.

Closing a highway for a fundraiser/unique experience once a year on a Sunday isn't the end of the world. Plan ahead and make alternative arrangements.

And say they close the highway at night instead. Now you would be happy but people who want to get downtown at night will be mad instead. It's impossible to make everyone happy.

Now closing the highway wouldn't be as bad, if there were actual conveinent alternatives. You have a section of the busiest subway line in Canada shut down for the weekend, and GO generally still doing hourly service which is still better than nothing but if all the current expansion lines had minimum 30 minute service all day right now it wouldn't be much of an issue. Yes we do have 15 min Lakeshore service on weekends, but that doesn't start until later in the afternoon around 3PM.

All the intercity buses have to detour onto city streets which will delay travel times. If they kept a lane open for buses to use, especially since some infrastructure in Toronto has bikes and buses share the same lane for some reason, then this wouldn't be as bad.

They shut down both the Gardiner/DVP for 16 hours just for this event which imo is insane. Once again if people had actual efficient transit alternatives, this wouldnt be an issue as it currently is right now.

 

[beatle04]

Is this the only fundraiser-driven closure of the Gardiner or DVP this year?

Not a fundraiser but there is Toronto Triathlon Festival that "only" closes the eastbound/northbound lanes, These are the only two events that close the highways

You have a section of the busiest subway line in Canada shut down for the weekend.

I agree that closing the subway on the same day is poor planning

 

[T3G]

Personally, I find the idea of closing roads for events to be obscene regardless of whether there's alternatives or not.

This might work in a podunk town where nothing ever happens, but cities like Toronto are already choking to death under the weight of their traffic and car dependence at the best of times without insipid events taking up space. It doesn't just affect car drivers, transit riders also suffer because of it.

A few weeks ago I paid a visit to New York and arrived in the city at the same time as a race/walk was happening and made an even bigger mess of traffic in Lower Manhattan than it normally is. We were staying in a hotel on Water Street near the South Ferry, but due to road closures our journey was extended by at least half an hour as we were diverted through the Battery Park underpass and then had to wait in traffic to exit off that road before it became the FDR Drive. Then when we finally got to our hotel, we were told by a cop that we couldn't go across the street until the race was over, and that in the interim we should just drive around!

I am generally sympathetic to protests because the whole point is to cause disruption and point to an issue, but sporting events are where I draw the line. Why should the regular daily functioning of the city be curtailed because some people want to make a public spectacle of themselves?

 

[PL1]

Personally, I find the idea of closing roads for events to be obscene regardless of whether there's alternatives or not.

This might work in a podunk town where nothing ever happens, but cities like Toronto are already choking to death under the weight of their traffic and car dependence at the best of times without insipid events taking up space. It doesn't just affect car drivers, transit riders also suffer because of it.

A few weeks ago I paid a visit to New York and arrived in the city at the same time as a race/walk was happening and made an even bigger mess of traffic in Lower Manhattan than it normally is. We were staying in a hotel on Water Street near the South Ferry, but due to road closures our journey was extended by at least half an hour as we were diverted through the Battery Park underpass and then had to wait in traffic to exit off that road before it became the FDR Drive. Then when we finally got to our hotel, we were told by a cop that we couldn't go across the street until the race was over, and that in the interim we should just drive around!

I am generally sympathetic to protests because the whole point is to cause disruption and point to an issue, but sporting events are where I draw the line. Why should the regular daily functioning of the city be curtailed because some people want to make a public spectacle of themselves?

You may be surprised (but I know you're not) to learn that there are World Class Cities™ that close roads for marathons and other events. It's part of big city life! I hear there's a large quadrennial event that will do this in Paris later this summer.

Some coordination of events with construction and other infrastructure closures would be good, but the events need to happen, too. This weekend's cycling event raises a lot of money for brain research. I think it's worth the inconvenience

 

[PinkLucy]

And here's me travelling to world major sporting events. Tons of fun. Instead of complaining, you should try it. We had a blast last year in Paris during World Rugby, partying with the Irish and South African contingents. Cities embrace these events, they bring in revenue and tourist dollars. And yes, charitable donations as well.

 

[T3G]

You may be surprised (but I know you're not) to learn that there are World Class Cities™ that close roads for marathons and other events. It's part of big city life! I hear there's a large quadrennial event that will do this in Paris later this summer.

Some coordination of events with construction and other infrastructure closures would be good, but the events need to happen, too. This weekend's cycling event raises a lot of money for brain research. I think it's worth the inconvenience

Oh I’m well aware this disease, unlike most, is not exclusive to Toronto and that many of the finest cities in the world do just that. But it’s still absurd to shut down a city for an event like this, no matter who does it. The traffic displaced from the DVP is going to use all the local roads in the area instead and cause mayhem on the local transit lines. Don’t users of the 501 especially suffer enough?

There is no need for a cycling event to shut down a major road. We have lots of parks and trails. Including one that runs parallel to the DVP.

 

[nfitz]

Won’t work for the last miles where I have to lump my 50 lbs of cumbersome kit from beside Riverdale Farm to Lakeshore Promenade marina every Sunday.

I saw a 60+-year old destitute woman carrying far more than 50 lbs onto the 506 replacement bus the other day, in her two shopping carts and a bag.

Perhaps she gets more exercise though ...

Was there really that much traffic very early this morning? Even now, with the Gardiner/DVP still closed, Google Maps is saying it's only a 42-minute drive from Lakeshore/Dixie to River and Gerrard. Actually seems quicker than most weekends - make you wonder what traffic would look like without those two highways. 66 minutes on transit (1 TTC bus and 1 GO Train).

I think the man doth protest too much.

 

[beatle04]

There is no need for a cycling event to shut down a major road. We have lots of parks and trails. Including one that runs parallel to the DVP.

Are you aware how many people participate in this event? What alternative location do you suggest? Parks & trails would not be even remotely close to providing enough capacity.

 

[T3G]

Are you aware how many people participate in this event? What alternative location do you suggest? Parks & trails would not be even remotely close to providing enough capacity.

There is High Park, there is the Leslie Street spit, there is the Martin Goodman trail...

 

[beatle04]

There is High Park, there is the Leslie Street spit, there is the Martin Goodman trail...

And you want to fit 10,000 people there??

 

[Molybdenum]

There is High Park, there is the Leslie Street spit, there is the Martin Goodman trail...

10k plus people were participating today. In the few sections where today's event was restricted to a single vehicle lane, everyone slowed to a crawl. MGT (and Don trails) are completely insufficient for an event of this size.

 

[T3G]

Well, Im not convinced fitting large amounts of people into these wide open spaces would be an insurmountable task. Especially not the almost 60 km long Martin Goodman Trail. And if it was, so what? Why must the entire rest of the city make sacrifices so that a relatively small portion of the population can go running in a public right of way? Why shouldn't they be the ones expected to make sacrifices? Especially considering that it is possible to donate to charitable causes without engaging in any sports at all.

 

[beatle04]

Especially not the almost 60 km long Martin Goodman Trail.

Are you aware how narrow the MGT is? And 60km? Where does that number come from? It's 22km officially. If you're talking about the Waterfront Trail, past the MGT it's just a patch work of parks/still too narrow trails/side streets (and in some cases major streets).

EDIT: I've found some old sources that claim your 60km number but the city claims 22km. As someone who was biked along the entire Waterfront Trail from Oshawa to Niagara Falls, idk how the MGT was once considered 60km.

And if it was, so what? Why must the entire rest of the city make sacrifices

Why must we make sacrifices for you? There will always be events that some people don't like or care about. But guess what? Welcome to a major city that has people who have interests in many different things