Toronto 2015 Pan American Games

[andrewpmk]

The traffic on the DVP/404 was horrid today. It probably was about 90 minutes from Stouffville Road to Gardiner this morning, you usually only see that when there is a snowstorm.

The Pan Am Games seem like a big fiasco to me. There are many unsold seats and the prices are so low that many times it costs only slightly more than taking GO Transit to and from the event (given that transit is free on the day of the event). For instance you could easily go to a Hamilton Pan Am soccer game that has lots of unsold seats for only $25, slightly more than what it normally costs to take the GO train/bus to Hamilton (of course the GO bus will go much faster than usual, but the rest of us will be stuck in traffic). Hotels are empty because hardly anyone is holding a conference during the games and all the tourists are staying away. Hardly anyone seems to have any interest in them and everyone is complaining about the traffic, security, etc. We cause massive traffic jams on Lakeshore, Gardiner, QEW, DVP, etc. for absolutely no reason. Get rid of the Pan Am lanes and let everyone involved in this event get stuck in the same traffic as everyone else.

 

[11th]

..Get rid of the Pan Am lanes and let everyone involved in this event get stuck in the same traffic as everyone else.

There's a better solution: get them to take transit

 

[animatronic]

The traffic on the DVP/404 was horrid today. It probably was about 90 minutes from Stouffville Road to Gardiner this morning, you usually only see that when there is a snowstorm.

The Pan Am Games seem like a big fiasco to me. There are many unsold seats and the prices are so low that many times it costs only slightly more than taking GO Transit to and from the event (given that transit is free on the day of the event). For instance you could easily go to a Hamilton Pan Am soccer game that has lots of unsold seats for only $25, slightly more than what it normally costs to take the GO train/bus to Hamilton (of course the GO bus will go much faster than usual, but the rest of us will be stuck in traffic). Hotels are empty because hardly anyone is holding a conference during the games and all the tourists are staying away. Hardly anyone seems to have any interest in them and everyone is complaining about the traffic, security, etc. We cause massive traffic jams on Lakeshore, Gardiner, QEW, DVP, etc. for absolutely no reason. Get rid of the Pan Am lanes and let everyone involved in this event get stuck in the same traffic as everyone else.

Just think of it all as necessary inconveniences to get an upgraded skeet shooting range in Cookstown.

 

[Juan_Lennon416]

There's a better solution: get them to take transit

Wave a magic wand and presto...everyone takes transit

 

[BurlOak]

The Pan Am games are only 2 weeks long. At least on July 13th these HOV lanes will be gone.

Just checked the Pan Am schedule - the games only begin in 2 weeks. It looks like the HOV rules kicked in about 10 days too early.

 

[PinkLucy]

HOV lanes will still be there for the ParaPan games, although you will only need two people in the vehicle.

While the games themselves don't start for a couple of weeks yet, officials and athletes start arriving and using the facilities before that and will be travelling to and from the venues. I think the organizers thought a "practice" time for people to get used to the lanes was a good idea and from the sounds of all the whining, they're right.

From the sections I can see, there is currently barely any traffic at all on Lake Shore, Gardiner EB is moving well with light traffic, WB is slow.

 

[DarnDirtyApe]

I can see the Gardiner around the Rogers Centre from my office and it was slower than usual AM rush hour in both directions. Now it's 3PM and the WB direction is stop and go, much worse than normal.

We'll see over the next few days if people actually switch to transit but I'm guessing that most of could switch to transit easily have already done so. Mostly I think this will affect alternate routes like Lakeshore in the west or Don Mills Rd in the east.

 

[CodeMonkey]

Thank you Panam games! Come on, you can say it!

People here bitch every time this city bids for something that hosting events doesn't bring any improvements to infrastructure, then when we get the improvements they bitch that we had to host something to get them. Let's face it, they just like to bitch... oh and this fantasyland they live in that those investment dollars would have been spent on infrastructure if we didn't host the games? Sure, history supports that notion!

I think you've missed my point. The problem isn't the event itself, but the idea that hosting an international sporting event is the only way that infrastructure improvements will ever occur should be under nonsense. If you want people to get interested in the game, it should be about the game itself, not the idea that hosting an brand name sporting event will give you an shining new train or streetcar.

 

[PinkLucy]

I can see the Gardiner around the Rogers Centre from my office and it was slower than usual AM rush hour in both directions. Now it's 3PM and the WB direction is stop and go, much worse than normal.

It's always stop and go WB at this time. How can you say stop and go is better or worse than normal?
HOV lane is moving well Reports I've read from people who are carpooling say it has gone well.

Lake Shore WB is not busy at all.

 

[Tuscani01]

Im about to head home. Looking on Google Maps, it seems like there is no difference right now in terms of my commute. The DVP southbound is Green all the way to the Gardiner, and the Gardiner is green from the DVP to Jarvis. This isn't any different than any other day. Ill report again once I get home

 

[DarnDirtyApe]

It's always stop and go WB at this time. How can you say stop and go is better or worse than normal?
HOV lane is moving well Reports I've read from people who are carpooling say it has gone well.

Lake Shore WB is not busy at all.

I dunno, it looked slower than usual. I meant to check earlier than 3 to see if it was slowing down earlier but I forgot...

 

[PinkLucy]

5:10 pm. Doesn't look like traffic chaos to me. (although not sure what that silver vehicle is doing!)

 

[Tuscani01]

So I made it home. Same time as usual. Southbound DVP was free flowing, as was the Northbound DVP, seemed much better than usual actually. Gardiner is doing pretty well today too.

I think the traffic issues this morning were more a result of accidents on the highways than the HOV lanes. I think people are making a big deal of nothing, and simply blaming the Pan Am Games because its easier than finding the real underlying issues that cause congestion.

 

[Juan_Lennon416]

5:10 pm. Doesn't look like traffic chaos to me. (although not sure what that silver vehicle is doing!)

View attachment 49368
View attachment 49367

The first picture could simply show that eastbound traffic was caught at the previous traffic light...hence...the lack of vehicles at Bathurst Street. Your snapshot does not prove much.

 

[PinkLucy]

There are times when it is absolutely backed up between lights -- it was like that an hour after I took that picture because of the Jays game. Traffic was light for 5 pm on a weekday. It also wasn't bumper to bumper on the Gardiner as seen in the other picture.