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Conceptual Downtown Highway and Bikeway Plan

dunkalunk

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The vast majority of people on this forum have probably heard of plans to demolish the Gardiner and replace it with a Grand Lakeshore Boulevard. In order for this new road to not become a surface highway and act as another barrier between Downtown and the Waterfront, there needs to be alternate routes for people and transport vehicles to enter the CBD.

This can be achieved in a number of ways:
-Increased frequency and duration of GO Service (probably the most obvious)
-Quicker,More frequent VIA Service
-The Downtown Relief Line
-Easier transferring between modes of transit
-Compatible payment system for all tiers of transit through use of the Presto Card (VIA, GO, TTC, ect)
-Continuous, Dedicated Bike Routes
-The shelved Front Street Extension

I have created a conceptual map for how a Front Street extension and a long haul dedicated bike network could work in tandem.

The bikeway network features a continuous dedicated bike path from the Junction to Corktown Following the Georgetown Rail Corridor and utilizing Front Street. This bike path could continue south towards the Portlands, Across the Don River over a dedicated bridge, or North along Bayview. I've also included a bikeway along Bay Street to act as an axis to Downtown as well as the proposed bike route along the waterfront.

The road portion features one way operation of both Wellington and Front Streets between Spadina and Jarvis to help streamline traffic flow. One of the lanes on this one way portion of Front Street has been sacrificed for a two-way separated bike route, still leaving 3 lanes for traffic.

The Front Street extension is meant to be used mainly for easier access to downtown, and not as a through route between the Gardiner and the Don Valley Parkway. Through traffic would be more appropriate on Lakeshore. Photo Radar would be used to keep drivers at safe speeds through the downtown core. Similar techniques can and should be used on Richmond and Adelaide to slow down traffic.

So, without further Adieu...
bikehighway.jpg

Here's a link to the Google Map that this map was created from: http://maps.google.ca/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=112509077600247168599.00047434de187af931173&t=h&z=13
Transit was left off the map for clarity, and to avoid discussions about routings.

Regardless of the future state of the Gardiner and the Waterfront, I beleive that the bikeway network and the Front Street extension are both incredibly beneficial projects for people who travel in the city.
 

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