Black Creek Drive

[Juan_Lennon416]

Would you leave Black Creek Drive as is? Would you like to see it upgraded to an expressway? Converted into an arterial road with more intersections? A cycling route?

Let's hear some ideas...

 

[junctionist]

It works just fine, so from a functional perspective, leave it as it is. It cuts through a natural area and is bordered by parks, a suburban style NoFrills, and in general properties that turn their backs to it. There aren't any intersections that you could create and the rest of the built form around it isn't cyclist friendly.

However, I'd beautify it, especially from Eglinton to Weston. It carries visitors and residents from 400 and should be clean and attractive. But the shoulders are crumbling, there's often a lot of litter and the impression that Weston makes is grim. The road surface is deteriorated and there's little or no new construction. It's what Jane Jacobs would have called a failing or failed neighbourhood because of its lack of vitality in terms of new construction among other things. But it can be a great area with diverse buildings from different eras, diverse people. It could use more density and shorter blocks; the bottom line is that the area of Weston Road at Black Creek needs revitalization.

 

[duper]

I say they should at least add sidewalks and along it, and possibly a bike line from Weston to Lawrence.

 

[W. K. Lis]

I say they should at least add sidewalks and along it, and possibly a bike line from Weston to Lawrence.

I would add a bike path on the east side of Black Creek Dr. from Jane Street down to Weston Road, maybe more along Black Creek itself.

If possible, maybe altering the Weston Road and Humber Blvd. North intersection so that bicycles would be able to under Weston Road to connect with Humber Blvd. South. The concrete waterbed and channel of Black Creek at that intersection could be rebuilt to allow that to happen without messing with the creek flood flow. That way, Humber Blvd. North will remain as a continuation for Black Creek Dr., but Humber Blvd. South would become a continuation of the bike path.

Link to the Google map here.

 

[Dan416]

I vote Expressway it.

 

[dunkalunk]

I would add a bike path on the east side of Black Creek Dr. from Jane Street down to Weston Road, maybe more along Black Creek itself.

If possible, maybe altering the Weston Road and Humber Blvd. North intersection so that bicycles would be able to under Weston Road to connect with Humber Blvd. South. The concrete waterbed and channel of Black Creek at that intersection could be rebuilt to allow that to happen without messing with the creek flood flow. That way, Humber Blvd. North will remain as a continuation for Black Creek Dr., but Humber Blvd. South would become a continuation of the bike path.

Link to the Google map here.

I like it! It would be good if the trail could be wide enough (4m) to allow adequate room for faster trail users to pass slower ones in the middle. Hopefully, this path could be connected directly to the railpath following the east side of Weston Sub with a slight diversion at the diamond.

 

[W. K. Lis]

I like it! It would be good if the trail could be wide enough (4m) to allow adequate room for faster trail users to pass slower ones in the middle. Hopefully, this path could be connected directly to the railpath following the east side of Weston Sub with a slight diversion at the diamond.

Continuing south and west on Humber Blvd. South, it merges with Humber Blvd. North to become Alliance Avenue, which ends at Jane Street. If Smitherman's plan for bicycle expressways comes about, the bike path/lanes could use Alliance Avenue until Rockcliffe Blvd. and then follow the Black Creek through Smythe Park and the Lambton Golf and Country Club to reach the Humber River. If a bicyle and pedestrian bridge is built over the Humber River, it could then connect with the bicycle path on the west side of the Humber River. If not, then have it follow the east side of the Humber River.

 

[Justin10000]

Monorail.

 

[adma]

Hovercraft.

 

[nfitz]

Surely what is needed is a huge park-and-ride at the 401, and everyone switches to streetcar or walking. Anyone offering other suggestions is just deceiving us!

 

[junctionist]

Alas, neighbourhood revitalization is needed most. Some pathetic bike route to be used by three people a day won't really do anything.

 

[W. K. Lis]

Alas, neighbourhood revitalization is needed most. Some pathetic bike route to be used by three people a day won't really do anything.

Pedestrians and bicycles would risk life and limb if they try to use Black Creek Drive at the moment. By putting in sidewalks or a walking path and bicycle path, it would provide a safe means of travel for those of us who don't want to get fat driving a car.

 

[junctionist]

Pedestrians and bicycles would risk life and limb if they try to use Black Creek Drive at the moment. By putting in sidewalks or a walking path and bicycle path, it would provide a safe means of travel for those of us who don't want to get fat driving a car.

You're right, it would definitely be useful to open up new travel options for pedestrians and cyclists. It's just that it seems that the area around Black Creek Drive needs more attention. Employers like Kodak are gone and the replacement will mostly be chain retail, for instance.

 

[adma]

I find it puzzling that the Black Creek ROW *hasn't* been made more non-motor-user friendly, esp. in the "valley" sections--unless they're concerned about thugs and hoodlums lurking in the bushes or something...

 

[Northern Light]

What to do w/Black Creek Drive eh?

Well, that depends on a lot of things.......like what you think is wrong with it now; and what type of transportation system you would like to achieve.

As a licensed driver and car owner; I hate the thought of expressways in my City, I have very little time for them. They are pollution-promoting, sprawl-inducing, neighbourhood dividing, crud.

Highways have their purpose, which to my mind is rural, long-haul, inter-city travel for people and goods. Black Creek Drive does not meet that test, nor would any 'expressway-ization' get it there.

As such the question then becomes, if I could close my eyes and wish it away, what would I do to replace its capacity/function.

The first thing I need to note is, so far as I am aware, Black Creek mostly serves as an arterial road, that is connecting local residents between local places; and/or as an overly long on-ramp to 400/401

So that is the function I would seek to replace.

1) Remove Black Creek Drive in its entirety, with the 400 ending at a T-basket-weave with 401

Then Alter the Road Grid as follows:

a) Unify Keele Street by directly connecting all of it from St. Clair up; including removing its current configuration w/Tretheway

b)Having unified Keele, 'new Weston Rd' becomes redundant (portions that don't become Keele go local)

c)Old Weston Road becomes Weston Road again, including the section of Rogers Rd that is rightfully Weston Rd. clearing up the silly confusion.

d)Punch Lansdowne north.....( preferably to me through the cemetary...but I know some are sensitive about such things, so, just seemless integrate it with Caledonia, creating a single north-south artery from Bloor up, under the Lansdowne name)

e)Make Culford a major road on its current alignment, but extend south to a westerly extension of Castlefield and north across the 401

f) Extend Glencairn west to unify with Dennison, the residual Tretheway will meet the new street as a T - intersection

g)Remove/reduce in size large portions of Humber Blvd/Alliance in favour of a restored Black Creek Valley, and local streets as required for select properties.

f) Extend Rogers Rd west of the new Weston, on a straight-ish alignment using the portions of Alliance that don't obstruct Black Creek and then e-w streets to the north thereof, in parallel to create a new Rogers Road out to Jane St.

g) finally, punch Runneymede north to Eglinton.

All 'new' streets to incorporate on-road bike lanes

GO Georgetown and Barrie Corridors upgraded, as proposed, 30min-off peak service and hourly off-peak, and full 2 way rush hour service.

All current TTC routes are retained and/or extended as the new road grid permits.

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Not much change at all!