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

[ehlow]

A cursory look at Yonge and Eglinton as offered by Google Street view here at a variety of times and dates shows at best an approximate ratio of 50 motor vehicles to one bicycle moving on the street, at some dates there are no bicycles at all. Did the planners on this project realize that the bicycle lobby here in Toronto is much noisier than their numbers justify? The sidewalks are far from crowded in every instance. https://www.google.ca/maps/@43.7066...!1e1!3m2!1scbArqF9mJirHfHRhO0EUhw!2e0!5m1!1e3

Give me a break. I'm at Yonge & Eglinton every day, throughout most of the day. You're trying to say there aren't many pedestrians at Yonge-Eg? It's usually one of the top 3 (sometimes #1) in pedestrian traffic.

http://spacing.ca/toronto/2011/06/0...oronto-with-the-top-25-walking-intersections/

 

[denfromoakvillemilton]

What do you mean? Wasn't this all posted on the Eglinton Connects website almost 3 months ago - http://www1.toronto.ca/wps/portal/contentonly?vgnextoid=44ae86664ea71410VgnVCM10000071d60f89RCRD

They have been very up front about this project. We have received mailings, there have been a number of public workshops, all the businesses were invited, etc. I was voting on the changes last October in a survey of differing options.

Okay, then why did they reverse course on the number of lanes? I never expected bikes = lane reduction.

 

[nfitz]

Okay, then why did they reverse course on the number of lanes? I never expected bikes = lane reduction.

Have they reversed course? It's been three lanes for a long time for this project.

Perhaps your thinking of the LRT project. It doesn't reduce lanes ... but if the city comes along later and decides to have less lanes in a different project ... then that's something else.

You don't think bike lanes would mean a lane reduction? On a narrow road with limited sidewalks? Out of curiousity, where did you think they'd get the extra width from?

 

[BurlOak]

Have they reversed course? It's been three lanes for a long time for this project.

It not 3 lanes according to the City planner. The quote on the preveious page had her saying that there would not be one (through) lane at any location.

 

[innsertnamehere]

its 3 lanes, plus parking. No, things haven't changed. Yes, the development was unanimously approved by council. Yes, it has full support of local residents. I don't understand the problem here? The only people who seem to be upset about it are the ones who live far away and which this project will have little or no impact on.

 

[Midtown Urbanist]

A cursory look at Yonge and Eglinton as offered by Google Street view here at a variety of times and dates shows at best an approximate ratio of 50 motor vehicles to one bicycle moving on the street, at some dates there are no bicycles at all. Did the planners on this project realize that the bicycle lobby here in Toronto is much noisier than their numbers justify? The sidewalks are far from crowded in every instance. https://www.google.ca/maps/@43.7066...!1e1!3m2!1scbArqF9mJirHfHRhO0EUhw!2e0!5m1!1e3

We don't bike on Eglinton, too many cars, buses and especially pedestrians. We bike on Roehampton, Broadway or Soudan instead.

We'll gladly bike on Eglinton when there is a bike line here.

its 3 lanes, plus parking. No, things haven't changed. Yes, the development was unanimously approved by council. Yes, it has full support of local residents. I don't understand the problem here? The only people who seem to be upset about it are the ones who live far away and which this project will have little or no impact on.

Exactly. The only people upset about this project are people who on the rare occasion intend to use the street as their expressway. There is Lawrence and the 401 for that.

Hopefully after Eglinton Connects is complete, trucks will stop using Eglinton as their expressway too.

 

[ehlow]

I think the confusion stems from the fact that:

The on narrowest section between Mt Pleasant an Ave it is: one lane in each direction and a left turn lane in the middle: 2 lanes + 1 turn lane + parking.

People are describing this configuration as "3 lanes", "2 lanes" (not counting the turn lane), "one lane in each direction".

Also funny: Rob Ford kept calling Eglinton a "subway" during the press conference where he was heckled by the shirtless protestors. I guess he was referring to the underground section, since that's what's under construction.

 

[nfitz]

It not 3 lanes according to the City planner. The quote on the preveious page had her saying that there would not be one (through) lane at any location.

I have no idea what your talking about.

But said planner tweeted earlier - https://twitter.com/jen_keesmaat/status/486651257458016256 referencing http://www1.toronto.ca/City Of Toro...bout Eglinton Connects July 8 14 e update.pdf that explicitly says "However, a 3 lane cross section was approved for about 1.5km of the corridor, roughly between Avenue Road and Mount Pleasant.".

So yes, it is still 3 lanes. As it has been for a long time.

I'm not sure what all the fuss is about.

 

[typezed]

Ford, lying liar that he is, said it will go from 5 lanes to 2. Which is definitely untrue. But it is understandable that when people are told that they will believe there is something seriously wrong with this project. Liar wins again.

 

[BurlOak]

Ford, lying liar that he is, said it will go from 5 lanes to 2. Which is definitely untrue. But it is understandable that when people are told that they will believe there is something seriously wrong with this project. Liar wins again.

The problem is that Ford is correct.

Go to Google and check how many through lanes there are at Yonge. 3 Eastbound + 2 Westbournd = 5 total lanes.
Next look at the new plan - link provided above. There is 1 lane EB and 1 lane WB = 2 total lanes.
Thus Eglinton is going from 5 lanes to 2. Although he has lied in the past, this statement appears to be 100% true.

 

[innsertnamehere]

in all traffic engineering circles turning lanes are counted as an additional through lane, as without them another lane at intersections is generally devoted to left turns. To advertise it as 2 lanes is misinformation, as many would be led to believe that the entire street would be held up by someone turning left.

But again, and as always, This project has unanimous support from local groups, businesses, community organizations, politicians, and planners. what is wrong? Everyone who this lane reduction would actually effect seems to be perfectly fine with it.

 

[typezed]

The problem is that Ford is correct.

Go to Google and check how many through lanes there are at Yonge. 3 Eastbound + 2 Westbournd = 5 total lanes.
Next look at the new plan - link provided above. There is 1 lane EB and 1 lane WB = 2 total lanes.
Thus Eglinton is going from 5 lanes to 2. Although he has lied in the past, this statement appears to be 100% true.

Existing now: 5 lanes of which the outside 2 are occupied often by parked cars and bus traffic is heavy.
Future: 2 through lanes plus a turning lane = 3 lanes.
100% untrue to say it goes from 5 to 2.

And yes, also important that this plan is approved by the neighbourhood.

 

[EnviroTO]

Go to Google and check how many through lanes there are at Yonge. 3 Eastbound + 2 Westbournd = 5 total lanes.
Next look at the new plan - link provided above. There is 1 lane EB and 1 lane WB = 2 total lanes.
Thus Eglinton is going from 5 lanes to 2. Although he has lied in the past, this statement appears to be 100% true.

Currently immediately west of Yonge the configuration is:
1 eastbound lane where there are always cars trying to turn at the busiest pedestrian crossing in the city which means only a few cars per light get through.
1 eastbound lane which actually works.
1 westbound lane dedicated to transit only.
1 westbound lane which actually works.
1 westbound lane which has service vehicles in it or standing vehicles.

Ford doesn't get lost in the details. People who live in the neighbourhood and people conducting traffic studies get it. One of the materials presented was traffic counts showing vehicle movements through the various intersections.

 

[ehlow]

A few things I just noticed from the Eglinton Connects mega map:

A few new mixed-use areas between Mt Pleasant & Bayview: I'm pretty happy about this! Some retail would enliven this stretch of Eglinton.

In the Eglinton LRT EA from 2010 they show one left turn lane from Eglinton EB to Leslie NB. However, in the Eglinton Connects map they show two left turn lanes like we currently have. This aligns with what they say on the website: http://www.thecrosstown.ca/the-project/stations-and-stops/leslie-stop.

We are maintaining two northbound left turn lanes from Eglinton onto Leslie.

 

[Midtown Urbanist]

In addition to what the others have said,

After the Crosstown and Connects is completed, traffic on Eglinton even with the reduced roadspace will still move quicker and be less congested than it is currently today. This is the bottom line of the issue.