W. K. Lis
Superstar
Doesn't have to be grass. How about water? With optional fountains.
Note the bollards.
Note the bollards.
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Toronto Queens Quay & Water's Edge Revitalization | ?m | ?s | Waterfront Toronto
- Thread starter AlvinofDiaspar
- Start date
Tuscani01
Senior Member
I mentioned using water in the new streetcar thread, but a different application:
Seeing as it's the waterfront, maybe some small fountains at each intersection could do the trick?
http://urbantoronto.ca/forum/thread...elivery-bombardier.3263/page-389#post-1025273
Flush mount so streetcars and emergency vehicles can easily drive over them, yet a visual cue to drivers and pedestrians that they shouldn't be there. Or even place a switch on the tracks that lowers the fountains as a streetcar passes.
EastYorkTTCFan
Senior Member
The only problem with water is what happens to it in the winter it freezes to ice. Keep in mind every outdoor fountain in the city has to be drained every fall so the pipes don't freeze and result in an expensive replacement like the one between the rogers centre and the CN tower.
Tuscani01
Senior Member
Well it obviously wouldn't be running in the winter. Snow accumulation will make Queens Quay easy to navigate in the winter, since the tracks aren't completely cleared of snow and the tire tracks from vehicles on the road are drawn out by road salt.
The maintenance thing isn't much of an issue. It will need maintenance, yes, but so does every other fountain in the city. This one would serve a much greater purpose than most.
Toronto doesn't do water features well, lol.
W. K. Lis
Superstar
They keep the Alex Ling fountain at Jane & Bloor running in winter.
Must add anti-freeze, maybe? Or heating?
Must add anti-freeze, maybe? Or heating?
junctionist
Senior Member
I love that fountain because it's heated, so they've kept it on in the winter. On occasion, though, it was vandalized in the winter by people who put soap in it, causing it to froth with foam. I'd love to see more such fountains.
ttk77
Senior Member
I was walking to Union station this morning, and it looks like a lot of the trees on the north side of the road between Lower Simcoe and York st. are suffering. I hope it was just poor lighting at that time of the morning, but it looked like there was significant die-back of the new growth.
ndawgg
Active Member
I'm not sure if this is the right place to write this, but it's been a few days and I still need to vent. I travelled to Billy Bishop on Thursday afternoon around 4:00pm from Union, taking the streetcar (and then the new tunnel).
Cyclists. At the first intersection I watched a cyclist who stopped in the "intersection" where pedestrians were crossing. i.e. a full bicycle length PAST the giant blue square on the bike lane with the giant words, "STOP HERE ON RED". Pedestrians were trying to walk around him. It was my first time down Queens Quay since all the work has been done, and I, from the streetcar, could see where he was supposed to stop so why couldn't he???
At the second intersection the cyclist didn't even care to stop and blew through the red light which was labelled as the bicycle light with a sign.
Then at the third intersection a few young Asian girls who didn't seem to speak much English got on using the front door and were trying to figure out how to flash their day pass, while another was trying to figure out where to put their token. The only thing at the front loading door is a Presto Machine and they were looking all over it. They were trying to ask the driver, but in the new streetcars he's so far away (and didn't bother to turn around to speak) so you couldn't hear a word he was saying. Another customer had to point them to the middle? back? or somewhere else for their token to be deposited.
Then at the fourth intersection an older German(?) couple got on using the front door and were trying to figure out how to pay with their tickets. All they could see was the Presto machine saying "Place card here" so he was trying to place his ticket on it. Again, the driver was useless and so I spoke up and said that apparently another rider had said there was a machine further back?? But that I wasn't sure.
Also I guess I mixed up my 509 and 510 because it looked like we were going to turn up Spadina, so I said to the driver "this isn't going to Billy Bishop"? And he mumbled something facing forward and I couldn't hear him so I just signaled for a stop, got off and walked the rest of the way myself.
Seems like Queens Quay wasn't the problem that day. It was the cyclists, the streetcar driver, and the layout of the streetcar payment options/lack of signage. TTC with horrible/no signage? I know, shocker. Which also makes me add that when I got off the subway at Union I was trying to find the tunnel to the 5109/510 streetcar and there was a lack of signage. I got off and walked the platform looking for the entrance and didn't see it, so I walked up stairs and looked around and the only sign I saw was in the stairwell for the other platform, where I then walked half of the platform before I finally saw the opening. Isn't there some way that when you arrive there can be a sign saying that streetcars are on the other platform? I'd say the Island/Ferry Terminal, Queens Quay and Billy Bishop are major enough tourist destinations to warrant more signage for the streetcars...and I LIVE downtown! (Just don't get to Union much)
Cyclists. At the first intersection I watched a cyclist who stopped in the "intersection" where pedestrians were crossing. i.e. a full bicycle length PAST the giant blue square on the bike lane with the giant words, "STOP HERE ON RED". Pedestrians were trying to walk around him. It was my first time down Queens Quay since all the work has been done, and I, from the streetcar, could see where he was supposed to stop so why couldn't he???
At the second intersection the cyclist didn't even care to stop and blew through the red light which was labelled as the bicycle light with a sign.
Then at the third intersection a few young Asian girls who didn't seem to speak much English got on using the front door and were trying to figure out how to flash their day pass, while another was trying to figure out where to put their token. The only thing at the front loading door is a Presto Machine and they were looking all over it. They were trying to ask the driver, but in the new streetcars he's so far away (and didn't bother to turn around to speak) so you couldn't hear a word he was saying. Another customer had to point them to the middle? back? or somewhere else for their token to be deposited.
Then at the fourth intersection an older German(?) couple got on using the front door and were trying to figure out how to pay with their tickets. All they could see was the Presto machine saying "Place card here" so he was trying to place his ticket on it. Again, the driver was useless and so I spoke up and said that apparently another rider had said there was a machine further back?? But that I wasn't sure.
Also I guess I mixed up my 509 and 510 because it looked like we were going to turn up Spadina, so I said to the driver "this isn't going to Billy Bishop"? And he mumbled something facing forward and I couldn't hear him so I just signaled for a stop, got off and walked the rest of the way myself.
Seems like Queens Quay wasn't the problem that day. It was the cyclists, the streetcar driver, and the layout of the streetcar payment options/lack of signage. TTC with horrible/no signage? I know, shocker. Which also makes me add that when I got off the subway at Union I was trying to find the tunnel to the 5109/510 streetcar and there was a lack of signage. I got off and walked the platform looking for the entrance and didn't see it, so I walked up stairs and looked around and the only sign I saw was in the stairwell for the other platform, where I then walked half of the platform before I finally saw the opening. Isn't there some way that when you arrive there can be a sign saying that streetcars are on the other platform? I'd say the Island/Ferry Terminal, Queens Quay and Billy Bishop are major enough tourist destinations to warrant more signage for the streetcars...and I LIVE downtown! (Just don't get to Union much)
ndawgg
Active Member
One other thing...whose bright idea was it to name a building on Queens Quay, a couple blocks before the "Billy Bishop Airport" as the "Bill Boyle Artport" with a big Queens Quay facing sign. I've flown out of Billy Bishop a handful of times and I even had to do a double-take thinking I'd blinked and ended up further than I thought I was and I'm not a tourist!
W. K. Lis
Superstar
They were supposed to a complete fleet of the Bombardier Outlooks already on the 510 Spadina and the 509 Harbourfront by now. They should continue having guides on the streetcars on the 510 and 509 until all the streetcars are the new Outlooks, to help passengers on how to use the new procedures.
It sounds like your issue was with one cyclist. I walked the whole length of Queen's Quay today and saw two cyclists who didn't stop at the lights while all the others did. So yes, there are cyclists who blow lights, but along that stretch from what I have seen (I live in the area), they are the exception and not the rule.
The rest of your beef is about the TTC, which could happen anywhere, not just on Queen's Quay.
The rest of your beef is about the TTC, which could happen anywhere, not just on Queen's Quay.
EastYorkTTCFan
Senior Member
They had guiders on them for awhile and have a couple of metro links staff on broad them for the pan am/ Para Pan Am games but they are pretty much useless unless you go up to them. No matter how much help you give people they will be confused no mater what you do. You can put up a big flashing sign that says pay her and someone will ask do I pay here?
EastYorkTTCFan
Senior Member
There are a number of signs that point to the streetcar in union station the only place it gets tricky to fin is once you are on the new platform as you pretty much have to go behind the wall to get to it. I think of the two the ferry is more of a tourist destination then the airport is, there are also sign that say all streetcars serve the island ferry and harbourfront plus the stop is announced as Queens Quay Island Ferry Terminal. As for the island airport unless you know where it is most poel don't know it exists.
ndawgg
Active Member
Actually if you read my post without being so dismissive I will clarify that it was two different cyclists, not one. I actually only saw two going in that direction so my issue was with 100% of the cyclists I saw.
And my TTC beef was with the new streetcars and how the front doors, aka the doors most people go in, don't have anything but a Presto reader and no signage about what to do or how to pay. Since this is a new streetcar issue And we only have a few in service, this is not currently a problem that could "happen anywhere" and maybe if we complain rather than be dismissive about it, the TTC can figure it out before every route gets these. But again thanks for your constructive criticism.
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