News   May 07, 2024
Daniels' Kith and Kindred Condos Rising at Eglinton and Erin Mills in Mississauga
 284     0 
News   May 07, 2024
Illuminarium in the Distillery District Opens Immersive Lite-Brite Show
 287     1 
News   May 07, 2024
Market-Rate Rental Towers Proposed on Bellamy at Eglinton GO
 796     3 

King Street (Streetcar Transit Priority)

MTown said:
Ok, so I have a question.

In the last two months, I've sometimes been taking a part of King home from Rosedale when the highway is mash up (usually on Thursdays). I go along the highway til Yonge. Then Yonge-Wellington-Spadina-King-Portland-Richmond-Bathurst (or laneway to Niagara if traffic going south is mash up)-King-Queensway-ok, never mind, it's irrelevant well before this.

So I observe the road use often enough during rush hour. When I hang out along King Street on free time (my fav Toronto high street! shout out!) I don't really look at cars, so can't say what it's like at other times.

So my question is:

Can someone please explain to me why the new restrictions on King are ignored by a lot of drivers yet the pre-existing left turn restrictions during rush hour are universally followed (ok, fine, except at Atlantic)? Also, why was the streetcar lane rush hour restriction never enforced and is never followed yet the left turn restrictions are?

Someone explain to me the psychology of these drivers. Please. I don't understand.
Click to expand...

It’s because a prohibition against going straight through an intersection is new in Toronto, if not Ontario. I don’t know if anywhere else in the province that has this rule (other than for one-way streets of course). Drivers aren’t used to it as compared to no left turns.

Oh and the signs showing this rule are not obvious in any way.

p.s. you use the phrase “mash up” a lot which I have never heard before. I think it means “mess up” or “messed up” but could you please clarify and also comment on its origins?
 
King street sidewalks tend to be packed these days and I see plenty of busy restaurants. What is bothersome though is the lack of concistency with this pilot's travel times. Some days, not bad, many other days just plain old crappy. Still plenty of cars taking up space and blocking traffic.

Took me over half an hour to get from King/Peter to King/Jarvis. Streetcars all packed to the 9s. Had to wait for the 4th one. Still a big frustration. At least there were some hotties out there to pass the time.
 
TheKingEast said:
Took me over half an hour to get from King/Peter to King/Jarvis. Streetcars all packed to the 9s. Had to wait for the 4th one
Click to expand...
Sometimes I take the King Car from the core all the way to Dundas West, just because I can't face being on the subway, but man, it crawls. And the Flexities have serious brake issues. They grab, and aren't properly moderated. Could be mechanical or software that needs adjusting. Or maybe the faulty welds coming loose! It makes standing a constant jarring experience as every time the brakes go on, you go flying.

TheKingEast said:
At least there were some hotties out there to pass the time.
Click to expand...
lol! I got taken to issue by a moderator here for claiming the Big Black Lab I often take on the TTC is a "babe magnet" (He is, and many babes freely admit it. They also use the term). So I can relate to your hormonal harmony.
 
The Council today REFUSED to allow this Member Motion to be introduced.

MM44.55 Exempting Motorcycles and Scooters during King Street Pilot - by Councillor Anthony Perruzza, seconded by Councillor Gary Crawford (Ward 20, 28) URGENT

* Notice of this Motion has not been given. A two-thirds vote is required to waive notice.
* This Motion is subject to referral to the Executive Committee. A two-thirds vote is required to waive referral.
* This Motion has been deemed urgent by the Chair.
 
If I recall correctly, the pilot was intended to be for one year. It is also my understanding that, with the municipal elections coming up this fall, the council meeting that is currently underway will be the last one for approximately six months.

I have also not heard of either what the default position regarding the status of the pilot come November of this year - will the current implementation be pulled, and King Street revert back to what it was prior to the pilot, or would there be some other plans being addressed at the current council meeting that I am not aware of?

Any insights as to what happens next would be appreciated.
 
AHK said:
If I recall correctly, the pilot was intended to be for one year. It is also my understanding that, with the municipal elections coming up this fall, the council meeting that is currently underway will be the last one for approximately six months.

I have also not heard of either what the default position regarding the status of the pilot come November of this year - will the current implementation be pulled, and King Street revert back to what it was prior to the pilot, or would there be some other plans being addressed at the current council meeting that I am not aware of?

Any insights as to what happens next would be appreciated.
Click to expand...

John Tory will be re-elected, he’ll continue to support this project, the sheep on Council will follow their mayor (rightfully so) and it will become permanent.
 
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/doug-ford-premier-powers-1.4764817
Cancelling bylaws and pilot projects
The province can also adjust a city's ability to create bylaws and pilot projects.

For example, the King Street pilot project — which prioritizes streetcars, cyclists and pedestrians along a busy stretch of downtown Toronto — could be effectively cancelled.

In late 2017, Ford called the pilot project a "disaster" in a Toronto Sun editorial column. Through legislation, he could now revoke the city's jurisdiction to run the experiment.

"The province can decide, 'we have other reasons and we think these are bad ideas,'" said Wayne Petrozzi, a politics professor at Ryerson University.

Where municipal governments create bylaws and projects within a system of rules, "Doug Ford is now in charge of that system of rules," Cochrane explained.
Click to expand...

Not a good sign, and it's entirely possible that Doug Ford will try to cancel the project as he has a bone to pick with streetcars.
 
yrt+viva=1system said:
Not a good sign, and it's entirely possible that Doug Ford will try to cancel the project as he has a bone to pick with streetcars.
Click to expand...

Transit projects get an exemption from a full EA; makes the process closer to 6 months rather than 2 or 3 years. Removing that exemption for transit projects which permanently impact vehicular traffic would delay King significantly. It would have to go through the full St. Clair style planning havoc including years of bad news before construction even starts.

That said, if the banks are onboard with the King conversion then he can't really touch it without risking his second term. It's a very low-tax way of adding capacity for their employees to get to work on a timely manner; they'll make noise (via lobbyists) if staffing issues increase under Ford.
 
Last edited:
My understanding of Ford's opposition is that he was trying to build an issue to run against Tory in the municipal election that would gain both some downtown and outer city support. I don't know if he'll leave it alone but it's not as big a thing on his radar as some might think.

The Province would have to take away the city's ability to plan and build local streets. The pilot is almost complete and it's clear that it worked. Whether it's Tory or Keesmaat, the city would be rebuilding the street, not running a pilot. Is Doug going to take away the city's ability to decide where to allow or disallow parking? Is he doing to remove our city's ability to plan traffic flow with left/right turns and street direction?
 
You must log in or register to post here.

Back
Top