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'Winter Stations' Along The Beach Boardwalk This Winter

The winter stations for 2016 are on view starting tomorrow (15 February).
 
They should think bigger - these stations should be designed to delight, made semi-permanent and dot the entire length of the waterfront.

AoD
 
Do many people visit the waterfront in the winter? By "entire length of the waterfront", do you literally mean the entire city? The Scarborough Bluffs are pretty dead in the summer (minus Bluffers Park). I imagine the Scarborough waterfront is even more quiet in the winter. How much use would these stations get in less dense neighbourhoods?
 
Armour said:
Do many people visit the waterfront in the winter? By "entire length of the waterfront", do you literally mean the entire city? The Scarborough Bluffs are pretty dead in the summer (minus Bluffers Park). I imagine the Scarborough waterfront is even more quiet in the winter. How much use would these stations get in less dense neighbourhoods?
Click to expand...

Bluffers Park is fairly busy during the winter (weekends). There's usually 5 -15 cars in the eastern parking lot throughout the day, it varies dependant on weather (obviously). I'd say it's 80-90% dog walkers and the rest are families/nature lovers.

This is also the first year in the last ten the eastern parking lot has been open from January to March though as well, so unless you're a regular, you may not be aware it is open.
 
Armour said:
Do many people visit the waterfront in the winter? By "entire length of the waterfront", do you literally mean the entire city? The Scarborough Bluffs are pretty dead in the summer (minus Bluffers Park). I imagine the Scarborough waterfront is even more quiet in the winter. How much use would these stations get in less dense neighbourhoods?
Click to expand...

As someone who jogs the boardwalk from Ashbridges Bay to the Balmy Beach on Saturday and Sunday mornings - it's plenty busy in the winter
 
ChesterCopperpot said:
As someone who jogs the boardwalk from Ashbridges Bay to the Balmy Beach on Saturday and Sunday mornings - it's plenty busy in the winter
Click to expand...
That's The Beach, though. Lots of density in that area (close to downtown) and easier to access the water, compared to the steep slopes of the Bluffs, eastward. I was thinking more of the waterfront area that is east of Bluffers. Basically around Gates Gully to the Rouge River. From my experience, that area is very quiet until you get between the Highland Creek and the Rouge Valley.
 
Armour said:
That's The Beach, though. Lots of density in that area (close to downtown) and easier to access the water, compared to the steep slopes of the Bluffs, eastward. I was thinking more of the waterfront area that is east of Bluffers. Basically around Gates Gully to the Rouge River. From my experience, that area is very quiet until you get between the Highland Creek and the Rouge Valley.
Click to expand...

But there's no beaches there? The last city beach eastward is bluffers park. There's no lifeguard stations to doll up east of there, unless you count the unfinished parts of the waterfront trail east of morningside to port union - which they're planning to connect, but there'd still be no beaches.

Although, you may get more visitors if they did connect the Meadowcliffe Erosion control project to link up with Bluffers park - which is sort of crazy because they were like 50 yards short of connecting them when they built the erosion control just a couple of years ago.

I've been to the erosion control project site (mostly in spring/fall) and it's rare I don't see someone turning around there (they enter from the Guild). That being said, if you're willing to get your feet wet (and/or muddy) you can walk between them, depending on lake levels, etc.
 
That's not true. There's plenty of beach east of there to the eastern boundary of the city (Rouge River); and not just the waterfront trail. There's natural beach at the mouth of the Highland and Rouge, for instance.

Yes, it's unfortunate that Meadowcliffe and Bluffers Park weren't connected. How is the waterfront trail supposed to work here?

I enter the erosion site from northern end of the Doris McCarthy Trail (park at Ravine Dr/Bellehaven Cr and walk down the trail). The path is pretty uncomfortable to walk on, but it's one of the most most enjoyable ravine walks in the city. I believe it is Toronto's deepest ravine.
 
Spent some time tonight strolling along the beach; stopped about halfway due to the cold but managed to seek some warm refuge in the surprisingly cozy 'In the Belly of a Bear', one of my favourites:


In the Belly of a Bear by Jimmy Wu, on Flickr

Despite the freezing temps and snow at around 5:30 pm I counted around 30-40 people making the trek along the beach to check out some of installations. However it did get dark very quickly as there aren't any lights at each piece so it began to clear out an hour or so after sunset.
 
Armour said:
That's not true. There's plenty of beach east of there to the eastern boundary of the city (Rouge River); and not just the waterfront trail. There's natural beach at the mouth of the Highland and Rouge, for instance.

Yes, it's unfortunate that Meadowcliffe and Bluffers Park weren't connected. How is the waterfront trail supposed to work here?

I enter the erosion site from northern end of the Doris McCarthy Trail (park at Ravine Dr/Bellehaven Cr and walk down the trail). The path is pretty uncomfortable to walk on, but it's one of the most most enjoyable ravine walks in the city. I believe it is Toronto's deepest ravine.
Click to expand...

My point was there is no manned lifeguard stations there (they're not official city beaches) - although it seems some installations this year don't even involve the lifeguard chairs.

As for the trail down to Doris McCarthy, I believe it is to be redone as part of the Meadowcliff project (hopefully this year).

Unfortunately, there was a scarborough waterfront project meeting a few weeks ago, but I totally brainfarted and forgot about it until there was 15 minutes left. I would assume the goal is to link up port union on the east to where it ends (due south of morningside) and also bluffers park to meadowcliff to make it continuous to Bluffers from Pt union. That would also provide a parking lot with access to it as well.

Until those connections are made, I don't see a point to put installations there - it would need to be more accessible. Even then, as you originally mentioned, there isn't much foot traffic to merit it. Maybe once they have the Scarborough waterfront entirely connected they could place most of the installations there one winter to help 'advertise' it. It seems only locals know about it considering the small amount of use.
 
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