Dan416
Senior Member
I feel like they like to put in traffic lights to just slow down traffic rather than because they're needed.
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Roads: Traffic Signals
- Thread starter reaperexpress
- Start date
Towered
Superstar
I get it in areas where it makes sense (Roncesvalles for example could probably use another light or two instead of those dreadful crosswalks), but along this stretch of Islington there is absolutely zero reason to slow down traffic. Zero.
Dan416
Senior Member
I find driving in Toronto pretty painful tbh. And driving in Mississauga I feel like the traffic lights are timed to give you a read as much as possible on purpose. For example, driving to my parents, going up Creditview, the traffic light for Rathkeale is almost always red when the light at Eglinton a couple hundred meters north is green. So I will always have to wait a full cycle there. Unless I'm speeding enough to make it. But seriously the timing of the lights really encourages speeding.
afransen
Senior Member
Creditview is a collector. The lights are timed for the arterials.
Amare
Senior Member
This city has officially gone nuts with traffic light installations. That's in the Top 3 of most useless places i've ever seen a traffic signal be installed.
I'll take a guess at what happened; a resident probably complained that they couldnt make a left turn onto Islington from either Prince George or Ridgevalley, so the city decided to appease the upper-class resident by installing the useless traffic signal. Either that, or the city is just completely idiotic.
Dan416
Senior Member
Like, does the city not need to pay for electricity to run all these excessive traffic lights?
innsertnamehere
Superstar
yes they do. And they cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to install, and hundreds of thousands to replace every 15 years or so.
Most of these useless signals are directives from Councillors offices, as council is generally happy to override Transportation's recommendations if the local councillor wants it.
The one on Islington was likely a result of a councillor complaining about excessive speeding along that stretch. What better way to slow people down than to make them uselessly wait at a red light!
Most of these useless signals are directives from Councillors offices, as council is generally happy to override Transportation's recommendations if the local councillor wants it.
The one on Islington was likely a result of a councillor complaining about excessive speeding along that stretch. What better way to slow people down than to make them uselessly wait at a red light!
Towered
Superstar
What doesn't make sense with that theory is that this is Stephen Holyday's ward, and he's very much against anything that impedes cars, so I strongly doubt that this joke of a light came from him...if anything, I could see him fighting against it (if he was even aware of it).
Towered
Superstar
What are your other Top 2?
Amare
Senior Member
Oh you're going to love them, i've circled the locations in red:What are your other Top 2?
1) Spadina south of Bloor
2) We can debate as to which of the traffic lights along Queens Park Circle are the most useless, but this one here in my books take the cake a chief of all of them:
I mean honestly what are we even doing in this city...
Towered
Superstar
Yes, that one 100 meters south of Bloor and Spadina is ridiculous - I actually ranted about it here a while back, haha.
Towered
Superstar
Also, why do small local streets like Harbord or Annette seem to have a dozen ******* lights bunched in close proximity along their short lengths??
turbanplanner
Senior Member
My best guess there's enough volume to justify a 4 way stop but it would needlessly slow people down most of the day if a light wasn't implemented?
lowtrain
New Member
New traffic lights installed at Bloor and Perth are causing complete havoc to traffic in that area. Bloor and Symington is already bad enough with it's 3-phase setup and drivers getting confused and blocking the box all the time. Roughly 5 cars get through the Symington intersection going West. All this for what? So that pedestrians don't have to walk extra 50 meters to cross the street? I live in the area and mostly walk but this new intersection serves no purpose other than increase traffic and slow down the Symington bus. I will let this Waze estimate speak for itself, taken on a Sunday afternoon so not high traffic period.
Admiral Beez
Superstar
I'd have to be mad to drive around there during weekdays. I basically stay away from the box of Parkside to Bloor to Jarvis to Lakeshore throughout the week. If I must enter the box in my car I'll go on early weekend mornings. Otherwise it's the subway, bicycle or walk. But mostly I stick to the east end in my car trips.
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