Toronto Eglinton Line 5 | ?m | ?s | Metrolinx | Arcadis

[turbanplanner]

West of Keele Street, it USED to be 60 km/h. Went to 40 km/h during construction. The roadway in Etobicoke is DESIGNED for the "safety" of speeders doing 100+km/h, thinking that a sign with 60, 50, or 40 km/h will be obeyed.

Scarlett Road north of the Humber River to Dixon Road used to be 60 km/h. Dixon Road from Scarlett Road to Highway 27 used to be 60 km/h. Both were DESIGNED for the "safety" of speeders doing more than 100km/h. So they put up 50 km/h signs, thinking that would make those roads "safer" for pedestrians.

I get areas with houses and schools should have slow speed limits? but with a grade separated bike lane what is the purpose of stupidly slow limits?

What did we gain by significantly lowering speed limits on trunk streets?

 

[Undead]

wait a year before you can do your road test.

What's the point of that? To forget everything one has learned?

 

[felix123]

What's the point of that? To forget everything one has learned?

It's 12 months from completing the learner's test. That is the time when you would be doing your 15 lessons and practicing with the restrictions of a learner's licence. In Ontario it's also 12 months, but reduced to 8 if you take a driving course.

Anyways, maybe the MTO can add a section about streetcars and LRT vehicles, but I still think it comes down to needing better enforcement.

 

[innsertnamehere]

Insurance discounts also apply to drivers who have training completed. I believe that while it's not mandatory, uptake on drivers ed courses is very high as a result. Even ignoring the time savings on being able to get your G2, the courses usually pay for themselves in insurance savings after a few years.

I recall my drivers training providing direction regarding streetcars, particularly how you have to wait if the doors are open.

 

[evandyk]

What did we gain by significantly lowering speed limits on trunk streets?

Those are the kind of streets where most pedestrian deaths occur, so anything probably helps.

 

[evandyk]

And those streets you posted photos of have limits of 60, so they are not exactly slow!

 

[ARG1]

If this is true, it definitely doesn't cover Ontario, where it feels like the only criteria that exists for having a license is being alive.

Yes and no. The problem with licensing in Ontario is that how easy it is to get your licence and pass the test differs from testing location to testing location. Oshawa and Guelph? Absolute cakewalks. Newmarket? I can tell you horror stories about all of the stupid ways people were failed in that location. The pattern I noticed is that how easy or hard a specific DriveTest is depends on how rich the neighbourhood around it is. Generally if the clients served by a DriveTest are middle/upper middle class, they are more likely to be punishing because they know that the students are more likely to have enough money to pay up for more exams. As such, it's not uncommon for people in York Region to drive out to places like Oshawa and Guelph just so they can get an easier exam.

 

[turbanplanner]

And those streets you posted photos of have limits of 60, so they are not exactly slow!

Highway 7 used to be 80. There isn't even a sidewalk across highway 7 so it seems idiotic. Same with some sections of highway 27 up north that went from 80 to 60.

And eglinton has totally grade separated pedestrian and bike trails. I get lowing the limits in areas with actual pedestrians like warden etc (have you driven on those streets above?)
But these changes for literally no reason, with ZERO adjustment to the light timing just eats at good will.

 

[Natika33]

It's 12 months from completing the learner's test. That is the time when you would be doing your 15 lessons and practicing with the restrictions of a learner's licence. In Ontario it's also 12 months, but reduced to 8 if you take a driving course.

Anyways, maybe the MTO can add a section about streetcars and LRT vehicles, but I still think it comes down to needing better enforcement.

Enforcement, but I'd also like to see a system like they have in Japan where everyone has to watch a video about driving safely and rules every time one renews one's license (so once every 5 years or so after your first renewal which is after 1 year I think). This would also help those who got their license in a small town and never had to deal with all the different conditions of big cities. Heck, I wouldn't even mind if they added a quiz one had to pass every 5 years too.

 

[Undead]

Those are the kind of streets where most pedestrian deaths occur, so anything probably helps.

Don't most pedestrian deaths occur at intersections, as opposed to the high speed midblock sections?

Newmarket? I can tell you horror stories about all of the stupid ways people were failed in that location.

In my time, Newmarket was known as one of the easiest locations. I heard Downsview was tougher.

 

[picard102]

Don't most pedestrian deaths occur at intersections, as opposed to the high speed midblock sections?

The opposite I believe. Due to pedestrians entering the roadway unsafely.

 

[Monarch Butterfly]

And those streets you posted photos of have limits of 60, so they are not exactly slow!

Signs are useless, when the roadways themselves are DESIGNED for the "safety" of speeders doing 100+ km/h, and not for pedestrians nor cyclists.

 

[turbanplanner]

Enforcement, but I'd also like to see a system like they have in Japan where everyone has to watch a video about driving safely and rules every time one renews one's license (so once every 5 years or so after your first renewal which is after 1 year I think). This would also help those who got their license in a small town and never had to deal with all the different conditions of big cities. Heck, I wouldn't even mind if they added a quiz one had to pass every 5 years too.

Nearly nothing that works in Japan would work here. The entire issue with our driving is culture. If you head to small town Ontario aside from speeding on the tiny highways everyone follows most of the laws in my experience.

Our culture in the cities is very me first so people will do shitty things like use left turn lanes to go straight or make a right turn because me me me.

Don't most pedestrian deaths occur at intersections, as opposed to the high speed midblock sections?


In my time, Newmarket was known as one of the easiest locations. I heard Downsview was tougher.

Yes and no. The ones that stand out to me are people crossing mid block. There are lots of areas with ZERO pedestrians that were affected.

Like I said though what should be done for Toronto vs Vaughn is not the same. Even in Toronto we need different approaches for different areas.

 

[evandyk]

And eglinton has totally grade separated pedestrian and bike trails. I get lowing the limits in areas with actual pedestrians like warden etc (have you driven on those streets above?)

I lived downtown and worked at Dixie and Eglinton for years, so I have driven the western arterials many many times. The problem for safety isn't the separated sidewalks, it's the long distances between crosswalks.

Given the safety benefits of reducing speed, there's really no good reason to have 80 vs 50 or 60 speed limits there. It won't make your cross-city trip any faster.

 

[ARG1]

Don't most pedestrian deaths occur at intersections, as opposed to the high speed midblock sections?


In my time, Newmarket was known as one of the easiest locations. I heard Downsview was tougher.

My experience is going through the liscencing process back in '17-'18, as well as testimonies from around the same time till today. From what I have heard of Downsview, it might be tougher than Newmarket (although many of the reasons for this might be due to the far busier location, especially for the highway exam), however that doesn't stop Newmarket from being tough on it's own terms. Newmarket is still way tougher than many of the other locations on the outskirts or right outside the GTHA.