^ Ancient things in the ceiling.
^ Broken security mirror.
^ No elevators.
^ No CCTV in use.
This stop should be closed. The Glendale/St. Joe's stop and Claude pathway is close enough. It's amazing they left this stop intact when the stairs at South Kingsway were demolished.
Will it really take another
Mariam Peters to either close this stop permanently, or to upgrade it properly?
Edit:
Grand Concourse in the Bronx has a lot of permanently closed off underpass-Subway connections that were originally built as streetcar transfers.
Closed for good reason.
Good observations. But not sure I agree with the conclusion, exactly.
But first, let me add my own observation, obvious deficiencies aside, the stairs and corridor have relatively new granite tiles. So an investment in repair was made not that long ago; though clearly not to everything, and some stuff has likely become problematic since.
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I totally concur with your concern, but closing off access to Parkside/Keele for passengers on the 501 does mean a pretty out-of-the-way diversion. From the east, it adds ~250m, in all likihood, from the west it adds ~400M, and together makes for a 650M stop spacing which would miss the most major road out of the three.
The low-cost, if sub-optimal investment here is obvious:
1) Basic repair and add improved lighting and CCTV. One step further would to improve natural light/exterior visibility. Not easily done the way this has been built, and would definitely add costs, but there should be able to be light tunnels, and probably a window, over the entrance on Parkside, with high ceilings at least giving people a good view to, and maybe up that first set of stairs. Side Windows, while feasible would involve lots of construction to create light-access and then a hallway you don't need, and more space to maintain, which is obviously not the most practical choice.
The higher cost, longer term investment would actually be to remove a big chunk of the berm on which this section of Queensway sits, then have an at-grade intersection with Parkside.
This would be my preferred solution, and much cheaper to maintain in the long term. However, it would obviously be quite expensive, would produce a moderately aggressive grade of ~5% or so, going up/down hill just east of Parkside, and would probably need to affect the closure of Claude Avenue at Queensway.
That option will probably not happen, and if it does, its two or more decades from now.
As a fall back, could make Glendale the presumtive stop for accessing Parkside. But the existing connection (only on the northside, doesn't feel particularly safe to many either,with a high berm on one side, a narrow walkway and fenced off private property on the other. Though it is lit, at least.
If we went with this option, I would want to see the trail widened, I'd like to see newer, better pedestrian lighting, a clearer gateway with wayfinding at the entrances/exits, and it would have to be cleared of snow in winter.
