k10ery
Senior Member
At the risk of irritating people?, more about clear-cutting Georgetown South:
http://www.blogto.com/city/2013/05/is_metrolinx_replacing_enough_of_the_trees_its_cut_down/
Toronto Union Pearson Express | ?m | ?s | Metrolinx | MMM Group Limited
At the risk of irritating people?, more about clear-cutting Georgetown South:
http://www.blogto.com/city/2013/05/is_metrolinx_replacing_enough_of_the_trees_its_cut_down/
Hipster Duck
Senior Member
News flash:
Homeowners who bought homes abutting 150 year-old rail corridor complain about loss of invasive plant species cut down in an effort to improve regional transport alternatives to the car.
Homeowners who bought homes abutting 150 year-old rail corridor complain about loss of invasive plant species cut down in an effort to improve regional transport alternatives to the car.
vegeta_skyline
Senior Member
Ive heard just about enough from these bunch of f***in self-severing ignoramuses!
Just how ignorant and selfish do you have to be to think that aesthetics, shading, sound damping or whatever trifling reason they have is more important than the proving for the safe operation of trains? In the worst case scenario, a signal could drop in front of me because of a dangerous condition ahead on the tracks. As we all know or should know, trains don't stop like cars, I need sufficient time to react to it and not being able to see the signal aspect in time could potentially put the lives of thousands of people in danger.
This corridor is being expanded to four tracks, so yes many of those trees would impeded future signal sight lines, in addition to the tracks themselves. The railway has been there for over a hundred years and they have every right and need to clear cut whatever the vegetation has overgrown on the right of way. It should never have gotten this bad in the first place, all thanks to CNs half-assed approach in this respect when it comes to corridors that are of little value to them. Ridiculously the only trimming that was going on in many areas was from the trains themselves brushing against branches and shrubs as they when by.
Nevermind the fact that one of our engineers nearly got impaled or decapitated by a branch that became foul of the right of way after it was hit by another train ahead of them. It literally smashed through the cab car glass and imbedded itself in the electrical panel behind where his head would have been had he not literally dived out of the way at the very last second.
So no I don't give two shits about some trees that should never have been growing there in the first place when peoples lives are at stake. And neither should anyone else with any semblance of common sense.
innsertnamehere
Superstar
Welcome to the world of NIMBYs.
These same people are probably turning around after complaining and stating about how toronto's transit sucks so much.
These same people are probably turning around after complaining and stating about how toronto's transit sucks so much.
nfitz
Superstar
And again I wonder why it's only in Weston that people are whining about this, given they did the same in the Lakeshore corridor last year. Anything I saw cut should never have been allowed to grow there ... and was all relatively recent ... often with the branches tangled in the old telegraph lines.
junctionist
Senior Member
Removing the greenery and installing large noise barriers will really detract from the West Toronto Railpath's aesthetic appeal. The open sight lines through the chainlink fencing and greenery of the rail corridor balanced the industrial aesthetic of the linear park's landscape design. It may be reduced to a dull and uninteresting space with those massive noise barriers.
ssiguy2
Senior Member
This seems like hardcore NIMBYism and safety must come first.
I have always stated I have little to no sympathy for people who live near railways or airports and then complain about the noise from the trains and planes. I do think however, that much of these arguments from people in the Junction and Weston would not be near as loud if the train service increases {which they are paying for} was of any actual use to them.
The UP will be useless to nearly all Torontonians due to it's high fare levels and GO is absolutely non-existent to the people in the Junction and although Weston has a stop it is VERY expensive to use it to get to work.
The only place I do empathize with the people along the corridor is the massive increase in the amount of emissions due to Georgetown soon becoming one of the busiest diesel corridors on the planet with diesel trains rolling by every 3 to 4 minutes in rush hour. Like I stated before, safety must take priority over all other considerations, no exceptions but that must also include the safety of the people along the corridor and these huge increases in diesel fumes will have an undeniably negative impact on the health of the people along the corridor.
I have always stated I have little to no sympathy for people who live near railways or airports and then complain about the noise from the trains and planes. I do think however, that much of these arguments from people in the Junction and Weston would not be near as loud if the train service increases {which they are paying for} was of any actual use to them.
The UP will be useless to nearly all Torontonians due to it's high fare levels and GO is absolutely non-existent to the people in the Junction and although Weston has a stop it is VERY expensive to use it to get to work.
The only place I do empathize with the people along the corridor is the massive increase in the amount of emissions due to Georgetown soon becoming one of the busiest diesel corridors on the planet with diesel trains rolling by every 3 to 4 minutes in rush hour. Like I stated before, safety must take priority over all other considerations, no exceptions but that must also include the safety of the people along the corridor and these huge increases in diesel fumes will have an undeniably negative impact on the health of the people along the corridor.
dowlingm
Senior Member
Yeeeeesss, or Metrolinx could implement cab signalling rather than rely on visibility dependent train control. The issue of vegetation fouling the track is a different and important matter of course.
k10ery
Senior Member
vegeta and others: Thanks for explaining more of the issue. But I don't think it's about NIMBYs.
Nobody in that article is saying the clearcutting should not happen. They're asking if Metrolinx is doing enough to fix the damage to Railpath. In fact, the guy quoted is saying "DON'T plant trees in our backyards - Plant them alongside the ROW." And it seems like a pushback against NIMBYs who want the noise barrier too.
It may not be your main concern or Mlinx's. But it's pretty reasonable.
Nobody in that article is saying the clearcutting should not happen. They're asking if Metrolinx is doing enough to fix the damage to Railpath. In fact, the guy quoted is saying "DON'T plant trees in our backyards - Plant them alongside the ROW." And it seems like a pushback against NIMBYs who want the noise barrier too.
It may not be your main concern or Mlinx's. But it's pretty reasonable.
TOareaFan
Superstar
If the trees, where they are, are a safety issue why would they cut them and then put trees back in the same spot?
Kind of funny that they are, quite literally, being NIMBY about trees!
drum118
Superstar
What damage is being done to Railpath at this time??
The removal of trees and what every on Metrolinx land has no impact Railpath.
The hording at Bloor is not interfering with the Railpath.
The person saying "Don't plant them in our backyard" doesn't mean Metrolinx is forcing the trees to be planted on their land. As for putting them in the ROW, how do you do it when there is no room or will become a safety issue for the crews of the trains since they will be the first to run into them, before the 1,000+ riders that will be effected by a tree???
Are the people who want these trees in the corridor prepared to accept full liability to cover all cost related to injury, damage and dead caused by an accident, because of these trees along the ROW edge on Metrolinx land??? Don't think so.
As for the sound barrier, there are committees in place at this time working with Metrolinx as where they should go, how high and what type. There will be public meetings to bring people up to speed as what being looked at and how do they feel about it. Only after this is done, will wall go up, but not for the full corridor.
Bottom line, ""IF"" CN had done their maintenance of the corridors like they should had, most of those trees would not exist today for people to demand more trees than should be in the first place.
If you want to talk about trees being cut down, this area only had small trees. If you look at the north side of the Lakeshore line east of Southdown Rd, trees 100' tall where cut down with very little back lash from the residents who backyard face the corridor with some new ones being planted on their property.
""SAFETY" comes ""FIRST"" before the wishes of the local residents over the trees, shrubs or sound wall.
k10ery
Senior Member
As I said earlier in this thread -- ok, the other thread -- Mlinx should be planting trees between Railpath and the adjacent properties AWAY FROM THE TRACKS. There are several places where a lot of trees could be planted to make up for this. Giving away backyard trees to the neighbourhood just has nothing to do with this.
And they should be doing it now.
-- Mlinx should be planting trees between Railpath and the adjacent properties AWAY FROM THE TRACKS. There are several places where a lot of trees could be planted to make up for this. Giving away backyard trees to the neighbourhood just has nothing to do with this.And they should be doing it now.
drum118
Superstar
As I said earlier in this thread -- ok, the other thread
And they should be doing it now.
You can't do that with no plan in place and that is what happening now.
Mertrolinx, the city, ward councilors and the communities are working on a such plan now. Until they come up with the plan and construction is completed, not going to happen.
You want the cart before the horse and the wrong way of doing it.
3 more years and it will be done not only for trees, but landscaping itself.
androiduk
Senior Member
Strachan Ave. Overpass
vegeta_skyline
Senior Member
Believe me I'm ALL for it. Aside from the capacity and safety benefits of implementing it, on a personal level it would certainly make my job less stressful.