TTC: Other Items (catch all)

[ShonTron]

As a downtown resident, I have only two complaints:

- How TIFF gets the city to shut down King Street for 4-5 days just as everyone's back to work or school;
- How some road runs end up making it impossible to get across Yonge Street by bike or by TTC on a few Sundays a year.

The TIFF closure is inexcusable; a few years ago, the roadway was kept open for streetcars only, which seemed to work.

The running events, however, could have some tweaks to allow a few streetcar routes to get across downtown without turning back before reaching Yonge Street. Why not close the Gardiner more often for running events? Get the benefit of some great city views, and allow the rest of us to get around downtown a bit easier by making it part of the route. Running events are great; they raise money, they attract some tourism, they fill the hotels. Laps in a park won't attract participants.

As for the parades? They have breaks to allow TTC and pedestrians, even cars, through. Caribana is a major event, once a year, and the Gardiner is open that weekend anyway. Ride for Heart is one day a year, and Lake Shore is left open.

 

[ShonTron]

A picture is worth a 1,000 words.

Or perhaps even more given how ugly this one was:

View attachment 109135

Last year, this is what they did with the 514. But what about with this year's construction?

Clearly you don't read my twitter feed, complaining bitterly at how screwed up 506 is at Main Station because of a festival on the side of the city. However, I've never noticed it happen on a weekday. There's a huge difference between a weekend closure and a rush-hour closure.

501 isn't being rerouted so that they can build a new bridge. It's being rerouted for a single weekend (not weekday) so that they can demolish the existing bridge. It's very different. It's also much, much simpler. Compare this image to the one above.
View attachment 109136

It's not the walking to Spadina that's the issue. It made my PM commute a nightmare, and I'm at Sherbourne and only heading east!

I fail to understand how you could compare to interrupting rush-hour service to a weekend interruption. I also fail to understand how Toronto was a boring, lifeless, utilitarian city when they have not blocked streetcars running through.

Given you are so completely factually wrong about the diversions, and ignore that Toronto was a fine city until the recent decision to close King to streetcars during peak, why don't you stop pulling stuff deep out of your imagination, rather than telling whoppers here.

Blocking rush-hour traffic on the busiest route in the city doesn't turn it into anything special - it just demonstrates that our mayor is a shallow, stupid, idiot who can be talked into bad ideas by his friends at his white-only golf club.

Your post was fine until the last paragraph or two. I agree with your general sentiments about the mayor, but not the specific language you used. Also, tone down the language when addressing other members.

 

[amnesiajune]

They have breaks to allow TTC and pedestrians, even cars, through.

Pride doesn't. The 94, 505 and 506 all get cut in half for a weekend. The 94 is cut off for a Friday as well. Should we cancel the Pride parade too?

 

[Johnny Au]

Don't forget the St. Patrick's Day Parade and the Santa Claus Parade.

 

[LNahid2000]

Pride doesn't. The 94, 505 and 506 all get cut in half for a weekend. The 94 is cut off for a Friday as well. Should we cancel the Pride parade too?

I usually watch the parade from near College Station and they usually let streetcars through during breaks in the parade. It's always fun to see the reactions of people on the streetcar who have no idea that the parade is happening.

 

[ShonTron]

I usually watch the parade from near College Station and they usually let streetcars through during breaks in the parade. It's always fun to see the reactions of people on the streetcar who have no idea that the parade is happening.

Yep! As usual, some people don't know what they're talking about! As the parade usually turns at Dundas, the 505 Car is affected, but the 506 is usually allowed through.

 

[nfitz]

The running events, however, could have some tweaks to allow a few streetcar routes to get across downtown without turning back before reaching Yonge Street. Why not close the Gardiner more often for running events? Get the benefit of some great city views, and allow the rest of us to get around downtown a bit easier by making it part of the route. Running events are great; they raise money, they attract some tourism, they fill the hotels. Laps in a park won't attract participants.

For the last one the other day, that took out Yonge at 7:00 AM on a Sunday morning when the subway wasn't running yet ... I wondered why they just didn't start near Rosedale station, head down Rosedale Valley Road, Bayview Avenue (freshly rebuilt!), Mill Street, Parliament, and Queen Quay however far they have to go to get their 10 km. (Google Maps says just past the Princes' Gates). Okay, add a little loop down to (under the DVP, over the Don) to Villiers and up Cherry, and along the Goodman Trail to Parliament then. 10 km get's you to Little Norway Park.

Seems to me, it would avoid the traffic mess it created AND a heck of a lot more pleasant and scenic route!

 

[LNahid2000]

For the last one the other day, that took out Yonge at 7:00 AM on a Sunday morning when the subway wasn't running yet ... I wondered why they just didn't start near Rosedale station, head down Rosedale Valley Road, Bayview Avenue (freshly rebuilt!), Mill Street, Parliament, and Queen Quay however far they have to go to get their 10 km. (Google Maps says just past the Princes' Gates). Okay, add a little loop down to (under the DVP, over the Don) to Villiers and up Cherry, and along the Goodman Trail to Parliament then. 10 km get's you to Little Norway Park.

Seems to me, it would avoid the traffic mess it created AND a heck of a lot more pleasant and scenic route!

Because a lot of people do the Sporting Life 10k to run down the most iconic street in Canada.

 

[ShonTron]

Maybe the solution then is to have five or ten-minute long windows. Once the fastest, elite runners are close, shut everything down. After 10-15 minutes, then give 60 seconds to allow the waiting streetcars past (and have volunteers with signs a block or two up the street telling others to slow their pace briefly to allow the streetcars past and they don't have to stop running) then additional windows every 10 minutes until the last runner has passed. You can close Yonge, as long as you don't affect the early Sunday morning night buses too much (unfortunately, there's no really easy diversion between Davenport and Davisville that doesn't take buses far from their route). Just minimize the effects on major east-west transit.

 

[drum118]

Toronto ranks #10

London most expensive city to commute to work via public transit

 

[Kitsune]

Was on a 501 shuttle today and the driver was not giving proof of payment to cash / ticket / token paying customers. As luck would have it fare inspectors boarded, and once they realized the situation they stepped off looking highly annoyed... did not notice them telling the driver to give the transfer.

 

[nfitz]

Because a lot of people do the Sporting Life 10k to run down the most iconic street in Canada.

Is that why they do it? I'm not even sure I'd consider it the most iconic road in Toronto. I'd have put Queen higher. Much of what might have made Yonge iconic once is gone. Other than Dundas Square and the Dominion building (though that's better see from Front) - not thinking of much.

Still, seems odd starting before the subway has opened! Though perhaps that could be dealt with by opening the subway at 6 AM when the run is on.

Was on a 501 shuttle today and the driver was not giving proof of payment to cash / ticket / token paying customers. As luck would have it fare inspectors boarded, and once they realized the situation they stepped off looking highly annoyed... did not notice them telling the driver to give the transfer.

Wow, never seen fare inspectors on a bus.

 

[amnesiajune]

Is that why they do it? I'm not even sure I'd consider it the most iconic road in Toronto. I'd have put Queen higher. Much of what might have made Yonge iconic once is gone. Other than Dundas Square and the Dominion building (though that's better see from Front) - not thinking of much.

Yonge Street is "iconic" because it's the spine of Toronto. Queen Street isn't - it's a road that barely even crosses a third of the city.

 

[Tuscani01]

Yonge Street is "iconic" because it's the spine of Toronto. Queen Street isn't - it's a road that barely even crosses a third of the city.

Queen is definitely iconic, more-so than Yonge I'd say.

Queen is iconic for the 501, and the neighbourhoods it crosses through. (Roncesvalles, Parkdale, Chinatown, Queen West, City Hall, Leslieville, the Beach(es))

Yonge crosses through neighbourhoods that no one really cares about. Queen goes through most of the neighbourhoods that people come to Toronto to experience.

 

[LNahid2000]

Being on the most iconic street in Canada is only one of the reasons people do the Sporting Life 10k. They also do it because it's an easier 10k than other races with Yonge being downhill most of the way between Eglinton and Queen. Since Queen is flat, it wouldn't work as well for those people.