News   Mar 28, 2024
 1.2K     2 
News   Mar 28, 2024
 605     2 
News   Mar 28, 2024
 896     0 

Queen's Park: How to get there from Queen's Park Subway Station?

W. K. Lis

Superstar
Member Bio
Joined
Dec 24, 2007
Messages
24,074
Reaction score
14,768
Location
Toronto, ON, CAN, Terra, Sol, Milky Way
Does anyone have a link to a map of the pedestrian tunnels that radiate from the Queen's Park Subway Station?

I have used the tunnel that goes north-east to get to the Driver and Vehicle Licence Issuing Office at the south-west corner of Wellesley and Bay, but have never been able to get to the actual park at Queen's Park using any tunnel. I am assuming there is a tunnel to the legislative building (never used it, if there is one), but what about the park itself. I have always had to run across the Queen's Park Crescent to get to the park from the Queen's Park Subway Station.

There is no map of the tunnels at TTC's Queen Park station website.

queenspark_con_st.jpg
 
Museum station is closer to the actual park.

Queen's Park stn. is closer to Queen's Park south, Museum stn. is closer to Queen's Park north.
I've read that there are some tunnels connected to a few of the government buildings on Bay or perhaps Queen's Park, but I don't believe that they are for public use. I don't recall ever seeing an entrance/exit anywhere to either of the park areas at Queen's Park and I'm pretty familiar with those areas.
 
Given who's in the middle of that picture, the guy on the left, must be an E-Health consultant billing $500/hour to pick his nose.
 
Queen's Park stn. is closer to Queen's Park south, Museum stn. is closer to Queen's Park north.
I've read that there are some tunnels connected to a few of the government buildings on Bay or perhaps Queen's Park, but I don't believe that they are for public use. I don't recall ever seeing an entrance/exit anywhere to either of the park areas at Queen's Park and I'm pretty familiar with those areas.

At present, the only "public" tunnel is that connecting the station to Macdonald Block via the Frost Building. There are also tunnel connections to the Whitney Block and Ontario Legislature; but they've been closed to the general public since at least Mike Harris days.

(Out of curiosity, have Whitney and the Legislature been connected all along? If so, that definitely'd count among Toronto's proto-PATHs, along with the Union Station-Royal York connection and the Eaton's Annex tunnel...)
 
At present, the only "public" tunnel is that connecting the station to Macdonald Block via the Frost Building. There are also tunnel connections to the Whitney Block and Ontario Legislature; but they've been closed to the general public since at least Mike Harris days.

(Out of curiosity, have Whitney and the Legislature been connected all along? If so, that definitely'd count among Toronto's proto-PATHs, along with the Union Station-Royal York connection and the Eaton's Annex tunnel...)

When I started in the WB back in 1999, the first floor of the building was totally open to the public. We had all the kids from the girls school across the street shopping at our tuck shop and we had to always buy our lunch early to beat the rush!

It was after 9-11 that a pass card system was implemented. I don't recall exactly when the WB tunnel from the subway was closed but I am presuming it was about this time.

I do recall that the tunnel to the main building from WB was guarded by security way back in the 1980's.
 
Last edited:
Maybe they should rename Queen's Park to College West

Might be better to call Queen's Park "College" and the current College Station "Carlton", since there is no "College Street West".
 
W.K.Lis, I only saw this today. If the issue is not the tunnel, but getting to the Drivers & Licencing Office, you are going to the wrong place anyways. These functions, as with almost all functions of the Ontario government that are public-facing, have been moved to the ServiceOntario centre that is in the basement of College Park near the dollar store. There is nothing for you to do in the MacDonald Block other than admire the fabulous gallery of 1968 art that lies within.

ServiceOntario -- Making it easier -- C'est si simple
 
W.K.Lis, I only saw this today. If the issue is not the tunnel, but getting to the Drivers & Licencing Office, you are going to the wrong place anyways. These functions, as with almost all functions of the Ontario government that are public-facing, have been moved to the ServiceOntario centre that is in the basement of College Park near the dollar store. There is nothing for you to do in the MacDonald Block other than admire the fabulous gallery of 1968 art that lies within.

ServiceOntario -- Making it easier -- C'est si simple

I'm talking about how to get to the grass and trees of Queen's Park. It is a park but seems to be similar to the green space around apartment and condo buildings, you can see the pretty flowers, grass, and trees but cannot use it as a park should be.
 
I'm talking about how to get to the grass and trees of Queen's Park. It is a park but seems to be similar to the green space around apartment and condo buildings, you can see the pretty flowers, grass, and trees but cannot use it as a park should be.

It's a valid concern IMO. Last night as I walked into the south park from College, I went up the centre median. You only have to cross the two u-turn lanes but between there and Wellesley on the east and Hoskin on the north-west, there is no legal public crossing (apart from the U of T underpass at Wellesley).

... and let's be honest, often cars are treating Queen's Park Circle like an expressway.

The north park is much easier to access via Wellesley, Hoskin or the traffic light on the north-east of the circle but the south-west and south-east really do need a re-think.
 
Last edited:
Interesting ... I'd never thought about the lack of access before; I've only ever gone into that park when the roadway is closed for some special event ... and then that park just beckons.

Perhaps oneday the road lanes can be reduced, and some kind of linear park can be built up University, and around one-side of Queens Park. Shame the subway didn't go up Bathurst or something rather than University ... it would have made a great LRT line.
 
Perhaps oneday the road lanes can be reduced, and some kind of linear park can be built up University, and around one-side of Queens Park.

A few years ago there was a proposal to replace the overpass on the west side of Queen's Park Circle with an at grade intersection with Wellesley, to reconnect the Park with U of T campus - see http://www.utoronto.ca/openspace/DemonSites1.pdf. Related was the little bit more fanciful idea to recreate Taddle Creek through the University campus. Does anybody know what happened to that idea? I think it would be nice.
 

Back
Top