Toronto Crosstown LRT | ?m | ?s | Metrolinx | Arcadis

[BMO]

Hopefully the planners will have the sense to use astroturf on the green track sections. God knows how much maintenance will be required to keep the grass looking like opening day if they use real stuff. As an added bonus the track will still be pleasing during the cold months

There is some hard grass that although you wouldn't want on your front lawn because it's fairly rugged would serve as a pretty sturdy natural choice that wouldn't need much maintenance and would look nicer than astroturf.

 

[cplchanb]

There is some hard grass that although you wouldn't want on your front lawn because it's fairly rugged would serve as a pretty sturdy natural choice that wouldn't need much maintenance and would look nicer than astroturf.

how about weeds and crab grass? No grass can escape those 2 menaces. Not to mention if theres a grub problem or dry spell your'e going to see yellow patches sprouting everywhere The turf they laid at Richmond Hill Centre looks and feels quite good

 

[rbt]

how about weeds and crab grass? No grass can escape those 2 menaces. Not to mention if theres a grub problem or dry spell your'e going to see yellow patches sprouting everywhere The turf they laid at Richmond Hill Centre looks and feels quite good

Indeed. Crab grass is a good candidate. It grows perfectly well in areas that are watered lightly, underfertilized, and poorly drained.

It's also tough enough on feet/body to remind people they shouldn't sunbathe there; after Queen's Quay you just know some idiot would try it.

 

[cplchanb]

Indeed. Crab grass is a good candidate. It grows perfectly well in areas that are watered lightly, underfertilized, and poorly drained.

It's also tough enough on feet/body to remind people they shouldn't sunbathe there; after Queen's Quay you just know some idiot would try it.

It works only if its all crab grass. Patches here and there indicate neglect and poor maintenance

 

[nfitz]

It works only if its all crab grass. Patches here and there indicate neglect and poor maintenance

There is a 30 (?) year maintenance period for the infrastructure (or something like that). Presumably there is some performance standard for the grass.

I don't know what happens in the usual July/August drought that Toronto typically gets (though we seem to have avoided this year).

 

[CDL.TO]

It might not even be grass. It could be sedum. (Like the green roof at Eglinton West station.)

 

[mrxbombastic]

https://www.google.ca/maps/@43.5946...h9pfwjM9kkfslLewMEVA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en
City Centre Station on the Missisauga Transitway. a small, ~3 foot wide enclosed shelter. its literally the width of a door. why is this design not being use here. This small detail has the ability to completely change peoples perception of the project. If budget was an issue, i would say axe the green track and use the shelters.

In the photo of the crosstown example stop. It could literally fit in between the back of the platform and the black texture line on the platform. preservering accessiblity needs with sufficient space for a wheelchair or stroller moving in front. To minimize flow impacts, place it near the end of the station platform where the traffic flow of peds would be minimal.

Edit: photo won't load but click through the link.

 

[W. K. Lis]

A green trackway?

Oh, oh! The NIMBYs from St. Clair Avenue West & Queen's Quay and the city Transportation Department will have none of this. Having grass or organics will only improve the look of the right-of-way, and we can't have that in Toronto. Drivers may even avoid driving on the right-of-way. (Sarcastic.)

 

[Adjei]

Yeah I wanna see moron who tries to drive on it.

 

[andrewpmk]

And of course it has "bike lanes" (very similar to the ones on the Highway 7 busway which absolutely no one every uses) which are unsafe and ought to be removed from the design.

 

[Adjei]

And of course it has "bike lanes" (very similar to the ones on the Highway 7 busway which absolutely no one every uses) which are unsafe and ought to be removed from the design.

Are you jealous or what?

 

[junctionist]

And of course it has "bike lanes" (very similar to the ones on the Highway 7 busway which absolutely no one every uses) which are unsafe and ought to be removed from the design.

How will they be unsafe on Eglinton? There's a buffer strip.

 

[rbt]

It works only if its all crab grass. Patches here and there indicate neglect and poor maintenance

So. Turns out University of Minnesota has been doing research on road-side grass. Crabgrass works fine, but is invasive in many areas so not preferred.

What they ended up with was:

"40% total of a combination of hard, Chewings, and sheep fescue (several cultivar options), 20% slender creeping red fescue (3 cultivar choices), 20% strong creeping red fescue (5 cultivar choices) and 20% Kentucky bluegrass (4 cultivar choices)."

Some adjustments were made since then.

 

[salsa]

I have a feeling that a lot of you will be happy with the at-grade station designs: http://urbantoronto.ca/news/2015/10/previewing-crosstowns-green-trackway-and-grade-amenities

This article today and from last week prompted me to revisit the UT database entries for the underground stations. For the most part I like what I see and look forward to seeing more detailed renderings. However there are a couple of things that annoy me.

First of all, the stations are really deep underground. It's sad that cut and cover subway construction will never happen again in this city, because the downtown Yonge stations are so much more compact and easier to use than newer ones such as Don Mills. Some of the older stations even have their fare gates at street level, so after you pay the fare then you just walk down a short flight of stairs to get to the platform. Meanwhile, lets compare that to just one of the crosstown stations:

There are literally enough stairs here to climb a highrise building. Not only that, but I see a serious efficiency flaw in the above photo where the GO station is. When you get off the GO train, you can't go directly downstairs from the platform. Instead you have to go up all the way to street level, and then go downstairs again to get to the LRT:

I thought Sheppard-Yonge station was inefficient, but this one takes abysmal circulation to new heights thanks to the hundreds of stairs.



And finally, the traffic island located next to the bus loop will be retained according to this pic:

Here's a streetview pic of what it looks like. Obviously it's an ugly, unnecessary relic of the car era. I assume that this will be removed when the Eglinton Connects streetscape improvements are implemented, because I refuse to believe that this thing will somehow survive despite all the money being spent to improve Eglinton. For now I'm not gonna worry about it too much.

 

[ehlow]

Most newer subway systems around the world have deep stations with machine-bored tunnels (eg. Montreal has some insanely deep ones). I personally don't think it's that bad with escalators.

However it's also that Eglinton itself is pretty hilly in places. Also this line has to go underneath the current subway lines and be constructed while line 1 is operational.