Hipster Duck
Senior Member
Being timid and unadventurous with new projects is bad enough, but letting our few examples of civic grandeur go to shit is inexcusable.
|
|
|
Being timid and unadventurous with new projects is bad enough, but letting our few examples of civic grandeur go to shit is inexcusable.
dt_toronto_geek
Superstar
I couldn't agree more passionately.
khris
Senior Member
The very little amount of respect the people in this city have for it's own city is so ridiculous. Then again, the people running the city seem to not have much pride in Toronto either, so it's not too much of a surprise.
ShonTron
Moderator
Member Bio
- Joined
- Apr 24, 2007
- Messages
- 12,529
- Reaction score
- 9,502
- Location
- Ward 13 - Toronto Centre
Scotiabank? That's why I bank at TD.
dt_toronto_geek
Superstar
I meant Scotiabank Theatres... 
alklay
Senior Member
And we think this city can "beautify' the underside of the Gardiner? And we think there is money for a public square at Yonge and Bloor?
If they spend half of much time maintaining NPS as they do moving the metal crowd barriers from one spot to another, we would have a decent public space.
dt_toronto_geek
Superstar
In my nabe (Church/Wellesley) and surrounding areas I've noticed in the past two or three years that the old model silver or black garbage receptacles have been disappearing. For example, on Jarvis Street between Wellesley and Bloor there used to be one on every second corner, Yonge Street had one at nearly every block. As of two weeks ago only three remain on Jarvis Street. Yonge Street fares a little better as the Astral units are slowly being installed.
About two weeks ago I was walking my dog around midnight and saw a loader picking up an old unit on Church Street around Isabella and in the days that followed almost every old unit was gone, today I could only find four between Jarvis & Bay, Bloor to Wellesley. I've seen some of the new Astral units installed next to the old receptacles in some areas and popping up in other areas which is good, but for the past several weeks I'm carrying around a bag of dogsh*t often for several blocks and that's not to mention what people do with their garbage when no receptacle is around. We're currently down roughly about 70% of receptacles that used to be available.
The new Tonka toy garbage receptacles aren't lasting either. In the past month or so I've noticed three or four units that have broken metal braces on the step bar so they don't work and I'm starting to see the backs hanging open already. I would have presumed that these things were better built than this. Many of these pieces of crap won't last until spring thaw.
The garbage receptacle end of the street furniture program is being handled very poorly and the quality or durability of these units are not good.
About two weeks ago I was walking my dog around midnight and saw a loader picking up an old unit on Church Street around Isabella and in the days that followed almost every old unit was gone, today I could only find four between Jarvis & Bay, Bloor to Wellesley. I've seen some of the new Astral units installed next to the old receptacles in some areas and popping up in other areas which is good, but for the past several weeks I'm carrying around a bag of dogsh*t often for several blocks and that's not to mention what people do with their garbage when no receptacle is around. We're currently down roughly about 70% of receptacles that used to be available.
The new Tonka toy garbage receptacles aren't lasting either. In the past month or so I've noticed three or four units that have broken metal braces on the step bar so they don't work and I'm starting to see the backs hanging open already. I would have presumed that these things were better built than this. Many of these pieces of crap won't last until spring thaw.
The garbage receptacle end of the street furniture program is being handled very poorly and the quality or durability of these units are not good.
MetroMan
Senior Member
^ I'm actually glad that these bins are falling apart early on. It means that Astral will have to replace them with better bins according to the contract they have with the city.
The city has no obligation to spend any money on this and will likely enforce the contract -- Astral has to keep the street furniture clean and functional -- which will lead to a more durable design.
Luckily these bins were designed to be modular so that panels can be replaced. I foresee the plastic panels being replaced with metallic ones.
What the old silver bins had wrong was their size, having prioritized the design as an ad and the flaps that nobody wanted to touch. What they did right was that they were durable and easy to maintain.
It's in Astral's interest to build durable bins because every time they have to replace a panel or an entire bin, it comes out of their pocket.
The city has no obligation to spend any money on this and will likely enforce the contract -- Astral has to keep the street furniture clean and functional -- which will lead to a more durable design.
Luckily these bins were designed to be modular so that panels can be replaced. I foresee the plastic panels being replaced with metallic ones.
What the old silver bins had wrong was their size, having prioritized the design as an ad and the flaps that nobody wanted to touch. What they did right was that they were durable and easy to maintain.
It's in Astral's interest to build durable bins because every time they have to replace a panel or an entire bin, it comes out of their pocket.
Urban Shocker
Doyenne
They've been disappearing in my part of Riverdale over the past couple of weeks, too.
grey
Senior Member
Resurrecting this thread now that some time has passed and I can make an observation:
The capacity of the new trash bins is totally inadequate. They are basically one size fits all, and that size isn't nearly cutting it in high traffic areas like busy downtown intersections. Bins placed where people tend to stand around for a while, such as transit stops, are jam-packed with trash literally spewing out the front through flaps that never close (they can't when the bin is filled to capacity) onto the sidewalk and collecting around the base. Now we can enjoy trash-strewn streets in addition to Fisher-Price themed street furniture.
Nearly every day now I get an airborne discarded newpaper page stuck to my foot while I'm walking. As I stop to kick it off, I take a look at the street around me and do my best impression of the crying Indian from Wayne's World 2.
The capacity of the new trash bins is totally inadequate. They are basically one size fits all, and that size isn't nearly cutting it in high traffic areas like busy downtown intersections. Bins placed where people tend to stand around for a while, such as transit stops, are jam-packed with trash literally spewing out the front through flaps that never close (they can't when the bin is filled to capacity) onto the sidewalk and collecting around the base. Now we can enjoy trash-strewn streets in addition to Fisher-Price themed street furniture.
Nearly every day now I get an airborne discarded newpaper page stuck to my foot while I'm walking. As I stop to kick it off, I take a look at the street around me and do my best impression of the crying Indian from Wayne's World 2.
MetroMan
Senior Member
It's true. The intention was good but the execution wasn't. They need to build these things so that they're modular. Adding 2 or more bins together should be seamless and would allow it to accommodate larger traffic areas. There are two sizes but even the large one doesn't seem large enough.
Another issue is that because they're plastic and textured, they accumulate a lot of dirt very quickly. The monthly power washing isn't enough to prevent anybody from wanting to go anywhere near these things.
What's positive about the bins? They're actually served for that purpose! They're no longer big advertising billboards with a garbage bin tacked on. Also, I haven't found a pedal that's been broken yet. Despite the initial concern that they would break, every bin that I've used has had a working pedal -- though I still find people pushing the door open with the garbage as they were used to.
I'm sure Astral is learning from all this though. They have a couple more decades to go on the contract so they're going to want to make the process as efficient as possible.
Another issue is that because they're plastic and textured, they accumulate a lot of dirt very quickly. The monthly power washing isn't enough to prevent anybody from wanting to go anywhere near these things.
What's positive about the bins? They're actually served for that purpose! They're no longer big advertising billboards with a garbage bin tacked on. Also, I haven't found a pedal that's been broken yet. Despite the initial concern that they would break, every bin that I've used has had a working pedal -- though I still find people pushing the door open with the garbage as they were used to.
I'm sure Astral is learning from all this though. They have a couple more decades to go on the contract so they're going to want to make the process as efficient as possible.
Urban Shocker
Doyenne
Another problem is that they haven't replaced all of the bins that they've removed. In my part of town, for instance, while they've replaced the bin at the north east corner of Gerrard and Pape ( where the westbound streetcar stops ) they haven't replaced the bin that they removed from just around the corner where the northbound Pape bus stops, and the one to the north of that at the entrance to Riverdale Plaza.
jn_12
Senior Member
Not sure if it falls under street furniture but new pay toilets are being installed right now on Rees and Queens Quay.
dt_toronto_geek
Superstar
There are many bins not replaced yet in my nabe too, very frustrating when you have to carry dog dirt for 10 to 20 minutes until a bin finally shows up. Further, they're dirty, breaking and the garbage pickers have found out how to get into them. Most every bus shelter has been scratched. This program is failing.
MetroMan
Senior Member
To be fair, you can't blame scratchitti on the program. They're not going to make the bus shelters out of diamonds. The only way to prevent that is to monitor every shelter and arrest the perps. In other words, impractical and it's not going to happen.