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Toronto Street Lights

Dugmor

Dugmor

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We all know Toronto's street lights are an embarrassing mess. Personally, I like the old standard light fixtures we have downtown (as shown in the photo below). The only problem with them are the shabby poles. I think the streets would look a lot nicer if we salvaged the light/arm section of the lamps and replaced the poles with something more elegant. It doesn't seem like a very realistic dream though. Thoughts, threats?

wellsleywest.jpg
 
Dugmor said:
We all know Toronto's street lights are an embarrassing mess. Personally, I like the old standard light fixtures we have downtown (as shown in the photo below). The only problem with them are the shabby poles. I think the streets would look a lot nicer if we salvaged the light/arm section of the lamps and replaced the poles with something more elegant. It doesn't seem like a very realistic dream though. Thoughts, threats?

wellsleywest.jpg
Click to expand...

Nice idea, but they'd be covered in street-spam garbage in, oh, about five minutes within being placed into the ground, as your photo illustrates. We don't give a shit about this issue in this city, so why spend money on trying to make the city look elegant when dozens of low-life POS businesses are out to ruin what we have by placing advertising everywhere?
 
Downtown Yonge BIA does a good job with keeping their light polls free of posters...
 
And that's only because a private company is in charge of doing it. That BIA should be expanded to incorporate the area bounded by Chruch, Queen's Quay, Bathurst and Bloor. Then we'd have a downtown that didn't look like a spam-plastered disgrace.
 
fiendishlibrarian said:
Nice idea, but they'd be covered in street-spam garbage in, oh, about five minutes within being placed into the ground, as your photo illustrates. We don't give a shit about this issue in this city, so why spend money on trying to make the city look elegant when dozens of low-life POS businesses are out to ruin what we have by placing advertising everywhere?
Click to expand...

Is there not a ban on street light adverstising now? I thought all ads had to be placed on those ad spaces implemented in the street furniture program.
 
Dugmor said:
We all know Toronto's street lights are an embarrassing mess. Personally, I like the old standard light fixtures we have downtown (as shown in the photo below). The only problem with them are the shabby poles. I think the streets would look a lot nicer if we salvaged the light/arm section of the lamps and replaced the poles with something more elegant. It doesn't seem like a very realistic dream though. Thoughts, threats?

wellsleywest.jpg
Click to expand...

My neighbourhood (The Village) has nicer street lamps than those shown above.
Unless BIA's take on the challenge it's likely never to happen because of the cost but I like light standards that are "wrapped" with decorative, metal casings up to about the 8 or 10 foot mark. It looks great and discourages postering. I'll be damned if I can remember where I've seen these, parts of NYC perhaps? Chicago?
 
I think sleek, low-profile black traffic signals are the best in terms of aesthetics:



These sleeker minimalist signals are functional, but don't compete for attention with the architecture and streetscape surrounding them like the big yellow signals found at every intersection in the city with traffic signals. Buildings really stand out more on a street without big yellow signals and overhead electric wires.
 
dt_toronto_geek said:
My neighbourhood (The Village) has nicer street lamps than those shown above.
Unless BIA's take on the challenge it's likely never to happen because of the cost but I like light standards that are "wrapped" with decorative, metal casings up to about the 8 or 10 foot mark. It looks great and discourages postering. I'll be damned if I can remember where I've seen these, parts of NYC perhaps? Chicago?
Click to expand...

M. Night Shyamalan's Village?
 
In my opinion there is nothing wrong, and much right, about different types of streetlight fixtures in a City the size of Toronto. What bugs me is when 'they' install new fixtures but leave the old ones right next to them (with or without lights) or when they install low fixtures without spacing them properly with the remaining tall ones. (Front Stret just east of Jarvis is a good/bad example.)
 
DSC said:
In my opinion there is nothing wrong, and much right, about different types of streetlight fixtures in a City the size of Toronto. What bugs me is when 'they' install new fixtures but leave the old ones right next to them (with or without lights) or when they install low fixtures without spacing them properly with the remaining tall ones. (Front Stret just east of Jarvis is a good/bad example.)
Click to expand...

I too hate when two different street pole designs intersect on the same street.
 
junctionist said:
I think sleek, low-profile black traffic signals are the best in terms of aesthetics:



These sleeker minimalist signals are functional, but don't compete for attention with the architecture and streetscape surrounding them like the big yellow signals found at every intersection in the city with traffic signals. Buildings really stand out more on a street without big yellow signals and overhead electric wires.
Click to expand...

I love those Montreal poles. They're part of a modular street furniture scheme. You can attach traffic lights, street lights, signs, garbage bins and benches to those notches on the edges. Very well designed and somehow there's never a poster on them.
 
MetroMan said:
I love those Montreal poles. They're part of a modular street furniture scheme. You can attach traffic lights, street lights, signs, garbage bins and benches to those notches on the edges. Very well designed and somehow there's never a poster on them.
Click to expand...

That's because Montreal actually cares about aesthetics.
 
3 yrs ago they have installed black hanging "coach-esque" lights all around the st lawrence/old town area by removing the original acorn lights and fixing them on. U can see them at the intersection of king/jarvis. it took me a while to get used to, but i actually like them.. if only they would finish the job and change all the lights in the neighbourhood. has anyone noticed these lights?
 
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