Toronto Globe and Mail Headquarters: Never-Built | ?m | 18s | The Globe and Mail | KPMB

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Automation Gallery said:
Nice:cool:....Urban Toronto: First Look at the New Globe and Mail Office
http://torontoist.com/2012/02/urban-toronto-first-look-at-the-new-globe-and-mail-office/
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Thanks AG - I think it looks pretty good for this part of the city. Would prefer taller - but then I always do.

globebldg2.jpg


Notice how the street car line makes the street 20 to 40 feet wider and very pedestrian unfriendly.
 
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Notice how the street car line makes the street 20 to 40 feet wider and very pedestrian unfriendly.
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Spadina is one of the most active pedestrian streets in the city. It has wider sidewalks in many places that make it a very dynamic street to walk along. The traffic on Spadina is heavy and has increased substantially in recent years. It would be an absolute nightmare if the streetcar did not have its own right of way especially in the southern end. The 7-8 lanes of traffic do far more to make this street pedestrian unfriendly than the 20-40 feet of streetcar ROW, and no doubt move fewer people. I'm not saying they should be reduced, just countering the suggestion that the streetcar ROW is a problem on Spadina.
 
Grimace said:
Spadina is one of the most active pedestrian streets in the city. It has wider sidewalks in many places that make it a very dynamic street to walk along. The traffic on Spadina is heavy and has increased substantially in recent years. It would be an absolute nightmare if the streetcar did not have its own right of way especially in the southern end. The 7-8 lanes of traffic do far more to make this street pedestrian unfriendly than the 20-40 feet of streetcar ROW, and no doubt move fewer people. I'm not saying they should be reduced, just countering the suggestion that the streetcar ROW is a problem on Spadina.
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OK so making the street 20 to 40 feet wider improves the street experience? And adding the streetcar "bump" in the middle of the dtreet is of no consequence? Then why is it that the shop owners and people who live in the area hate it? I mean, really, what do they know?
 
Notice how the street car line makes the street 20 to 40 feet wider and very pedestrian unfriendly.
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For those of us ancient enough to remember the Spadina Bus days, the dedicated way is a thorough and reliable improvement. The street used to be lined with butt-out streetside parking and awkward bus accomodations that did little to support generous and verdant sidewalks. The street has become much more composed, orderly and, yes, walkable since.
 
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I think Spadina became much more pedestrian friendly after the streetcars were built, with the dedicated lane. Right now it's better than it ever was.
 
Big Daddy said:
OK so making the street 20 to 40 feet wider improves the street experience? And adding the streetcar "bump" in the middle of the dtreet is of no consequence? Then why is it that the shop owners and people who live in the area hate it? I mean, really, what do they know?
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Not sure where you got your statistic of people hating streetcar ROW. Can you please point me to where this info is available? I have a number of clients and friends in the area and none of them hate the streetcar ROW. They love the street and its surrounding neighbourhood.
 
If you dumped the ROW it's not like the buildings would all move 20-40' closer together. The ROW actually breaks up and humanizes what would otherwise be a brutally wide street
 
The right-of-way was always that wide, pal. The building's didn't magically move over to accommodate an additional 2 lanes of dedicated traffic. I work on Spadina. Its an amazing pedestrian-oriented street. Local businesses benefit tremendously from the dedicated street level LRT. It also has shared travel lanes for bicycles... are you going to start hating on them too? Pick your LRT fights where you might actually win them... downtown, and specifically Spadina Avenue, isn't your best pick.
 
First I love the row, I believe it breaks up the street and actually brings it back to a human level. That said, the is a small part of me that wishes I could go back and ride the spadina 77 one more time. It was like being in a jeep on a safari or something, bouncing all over the place. The parking was a nightmare, sure you got a spot but you had to take your life in your hands when you backed out. There is a bit of nostalgia attached, but really I think anyone who thinks the row ruined spadina, never stepped a foot on in the 80's.
 
Notice how the street car line makes the street 20 to 40 feet wider and very pedestrian unfriendly.
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First of all, the width of Spadina didn't change with the introduction of the streetcar line. Streetcars make any street they run on (ROW or not) more pedestrian friendly because streetcars immediately increase ridership, and streetcar riders ARE pedestrians. In the case of Spadina, the decision to include trees and public art along the median was a brilliant idea, and made a big, wide noisy street far more pleasant.


Then why is it that the shop owners and people who live in the area hate it? I mean, really, what do they know?
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They know plenty...it's you who seem to not know. I mean, you're just talking out of your ass now.

When the TTC was planning the ROW on St Clair, they knew they would get the same complaining from the businesses as they did from Spadina when they were planning it. That's why they did a survey on the impact the Spadina ROW had after it had been installed and running.

The survey of the merchants revealed that, since the opening of the streetcar service:
36% believe business is better
50% believe there has been no change
14% believe their business has decreased.



For those of us ancient enough to remember the Spadina Bus days, the dedicated way is a thorough and reliable improvement. The street used to be lined with butt-out streetside parking and awkward bus accomodations that did little to support generous and verdant sidewalks.
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The only good memories I have are relegated to the Shuffle Demons tune.

I am a pretty fearless cyclist, but coming down Spadina always made me nervous with all those cars backing out of that angle (almost perpendicular) parking on both sides....it made Jarvis seem tame in comparison. Angle parking + Spadina traffic + Chinatown drivers = accident waiting to happen.
 
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