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Toronto Crosstown LRT | ?m | ?s | Metrolinx | Arcadis

Wait, hold on. Metrolinx hired consultants to determine station names? You have got to be kidding me. It's amazes me how many times to province loves to waste money on ridiculous and pointless things, but this is out of hand.

Metrolinx -the organization responsible for transit planning in the province- had to hire outside consultants to figure out the best way to name stations on a transit line? Then the consultants release the names, and Metrolinx tells them that they don't like the names. This is possibly the most pathetic thing I have heard in my life (and i'm putting that very lightly).


It looks more like Metrolinx hired a consultant to help come up with a protocol for standardizing names across the whole GTHA, including all the local services that have "stations" (e.g. YRT, MiTrans, ZUM). The Crosstown people were then forced to use that protocol for developing their names. Apparently it's the protocol that needs to be rethought, which is a much bigger issue than just coming up with another set of names. I think one of the biggest things that needs to be rethought is avoiding using hyphenated names (e.g. Bloor-Yonge). That is a Toronto tradition and is the easiest way to locate yourself in the city. Maybe every station should just be the hyphenated name of the nearest major intersection.
 
It looks more like Metrolinx hired a consultant to help come up with a protocol for standardizing names across the whole GTHA, including all the local services that have "stations" (e.g. YRT, MiTrans, ZUM). The Crosstown people were then forced to use that protocol for developing their names. Apparently it's the protocol that needs to be rethought, which is a much bigger issue than just coming up with another set of names.

Agreed. To me the questions are:

  • Should we have a framework for naming rapid transit stations (or, for that matter, all transit stops)?
  • If yes, should it be based on uniqueness (each station has a unique name) or should it permit duplicates (two or more stations on the rapid transit system having the same name)?
  • If unique: We can't keep just adding "North" and "West" to station names. So, should we try to base it around neighbourhood names and landmarks? Or should we permit repetitiveness (e.g. Keele-Eglinton, Dufferin-Eglinton)?
I think we should have a framework. After all, the number of rapid transit stations in the region is going to increase greatly over the coming years. The other the questions seem to really be what's up to debate in my mind.
 

Yet if you look at the Leslie/Eglinton intersection on Google Earth, the bordering parks are named Wilket Creek, Serena Gundy and Ernest Thompson Seton respectively. Sunnybrook Park is actually much further to the northwest and extends up to Bayview and Lawrence.

So naming the Leslie stop Sunnybrook Park would not only be a misnomer, but also confuse riders into thinking that it's the closest station to the very prominent hospital of the same name when in fact Bayview/Eglinton is far closer and has a Sunnybrook Plaza at one of it's corners already. "Leaside" best describes the Laird/Eglinton intersection.
 
Yet if you look at the Leslie/Eglinton intersection on Google Earth, the bordering parks are named Wilket Creek, Serena Gundy and Ernest Thompson Seton respectively. Sunnybrook Park is actually much further to the northwest and extends up to Bayview and Lawrence.

So naming the Leslie stop Sunnybrook Park would not only be a misnomer, but also confuse riders into thinking that it's the closest station to the very prominent hospital of the same name when in fact Bayview/Eglinton is far closer and has a Sunnybrook Plaza at one of it's corners already. "Leaside" best describes the Laird/Eglinton intersection.
The city webpage for Sunnybrook Park, clearly says the park is "Near: Leslie St & Eglinton Ave E". It then goes on to say to get to it you go "to Leslie Street at Eglinton North Side Stop. Walk a few metres north to the park entrance on the west side of Leslie."

Google is certainly not a reliable source - it's information is provided by users. Though if you must rely on Google, simply go to the corner of Eglinton and Leslie in Google Streeview, where you can in the distance see a sign saying "Sunnybrook Park"! There's certainly no such sign on Bayview!
 
Yet if you look at the Leslie/Eglinton intersection on Google Earth, the bordering parks are named Wilket Creek, Serena Gundy and Ernest Thompson Seton respectively. Sunnybrook Park is actually much further to the northwest and extends up to Bayview and Lawrence.

So naming the Leslie stop Sunnybrook Park would not only be a misnomer, but also confuse riders into thinking that it's the closest station to the very prominent hospital of the same name when in fact Bayview/Eglinton is far closer and has a Sunnybrook Plaza at one of it's corners already. "Leaside" best describes the Laird/Eglinton intersection.
Anyone who has visited Sunnybrook Park in their lives knows that the easiest way to access it is through Leslie. If you talk to any local, they would tell you that Sunnybrook Park is at Leslie and Eglinton.

Sunnybrook Hospital is at Bayview and Lawrence, which is quite a distance away from Bayview and Eglinton.

That plaza on Eglinton and Bayview is going to be an excavation pit soon enough, and regardless it's name isn't very well known even among locals.

---

I wonder if we could get the people running the South Bayview Bulldog News and the South Bayview BIA to lobby Metrolinx to name the station South Bayview.
 
At least the station at Leslie and Eglinton would not be called "Holland Bloorview," especially since Holland Bloorview is closer to Leslie and Eglinton than Sunnybrook Hospital is to that intersection.

The station at Leslie and Eglinton should be called Wilket Park or E.T. Seton Park.
 
At least the station at Leslie and Eglinton would not be called "Holland Bloorview," especially since Holland Bloorview is closer to Leslie and Eglinton than Sunnybrook Hospital is to that intersection.

The station at Leslie and Eglinton should be called Wilket Park or E.T. Seton Park.

Wilket Park or E.T. Seton Park are not points-of-reference for people. Next to High Park, Sunnybrook Park is probably the most important park in the city for activities, gatherings and events. Thousands of people from all across the city visit it every weekend for various reasons and almost all on them access it from Leslie and Eglinton, either by car or bus. The stop should be called Sunnybrook Park because that is where thousands of people will get off to get to Sunnybrook Park.
 
Wilket Park or E.T. Seton Park are not points-of-reference for people. Next to High Park, Sunnybrook Park is probably the most important park in the city for activities, gatherings and events. Thousands of people from all across the city visit it every weekend for various reasons and almost all on them access it from Leslie and Eglinton, either by car or bus. The stop should be called Sunnybrook Park because that is where thousands of people will get off to get to Sunnybrook Park.
wrong. I know there is sunnybrook hospital on Bayview so I would get confused with that sunnybrook and I am sure I am not alone. Name the station names with the cross street name. Why is this so difficult that pages and pages have been devoted to these names on this forum
 
Why is this so difficult that pages and pages have been devoted to these names on this forum
Given the issue lead to the longest and most contentious (and perhaps only!) debate at the board level in the history of Metrolinx, it's not surprising that it has also lead to some debate here - especially when some are concerned that stop names shouldn't duplicate hospital names elsewhere in the city, but are not concerned about duplicating station names on the same street.
 
Anyone who has visited Sunnybrook Park in their lives knows that the easiest way to access it is through Leslie. If you talk to any local, they would tell you that Sunnybrook Park is at Leslie and Eglinton.

Sunnybrook Hospital is at Bayview and Lawrence, which is quite a distance away from Bayview and Eglinton.

That plaza on Eglinton and Bayview is going to be an excavation pit soon enough, and regardless it's name isn't very well known even among locals.

How local? I used to live in North Toronto so when I'd bike over to Sunnbrook as a child I'd arrive via Sunnybrook Hospital. I always associated Leslie and Eglinton with Serena Gundy, which is what the sign actually says down in the park. I think the sign at the entrance on Leslie North of Eglinton now says it provides access "To Sunnybrook" but that's not comes to mind for me. But then I also worked at the plaza.
 
I work in the area and go to "Sunnybrook Park" for lunch during the summer. I wouldn't understand what you meant if someone said lets go to Serena Gundy. I've always just thought the entire park was a single entity. Didn't realize it was actually multiple parks in one. There is no physical seperation of them so kind of hard to tell.
 
Anyone who has visited Sunnybrook Park in their lives knows that the easiest way to access it is through Leslie. If you talk to any local, they would tell you that Sunnybrook Park is at Leslie and Eglinton...

I'm a local. To me, Wilket Creek Park is at Leslie and Eglinton, where I used to toboggan down the Leslie Street slope many many years ago. Now it's all trees.

Sunnybrook Park is a 2 km walk/ride from Wilket Creek Park or a 2 km walk/ride from the Sunnybrook Hospital entrance.

Serena Gundy is across the jiggly bridge. And I may have been the one who gave the info to Google to name all the parks properly.:p
 
Anyone who has visited Sunnybrook Park in their lives knows that the easiest way to access it is through Leslie. If you talk to any local, they would tell you that Sunnybrook Park is at Leslie and Eglinton.

Sunnybrook Hospital is at Bayview and Lawrence, which is quite a distance away from Bayview and Eglinton.

That plaza on Eglinton and Bayview is going to be an excavation pit soon enough, and regardless it's name isn't very well known even among locals.

---

I wonder if we could get the people running the South Bayview Bulldog News and the South Bayview BIA to lobby Metrolinx to name the station South Bayview.

I emphasized "through" because that reads like an admission that Sunnybrook Park is not directly off Leslie and Eglinton. One has to go through another park in order to get to it. That park is Wilket Creek.

More evidence supporting my point are as follows:

final1map4springintoaction.png walkathon2014_map.jpg ls.jpg
That last image is the park plaque visible just north of the Leslie/Eglinton intersection. So that's compelling proof that the area is recognized more so as Wilket Creek than as Sunnybrook by several organizations and thus arguably, the general public.

So yeah, let's name the Bayview stop "Leaside" even though it's common public knowledge that Laird is the heart of that community and let's not give the prominent hospital it's bona fides by naming the stop 750 metres to the south after it; in favour of instead naming stops after a park that stretches over 2 kilometres with several other points of access but with no direct naming/branding tie to Leslie/Eglinton, at least not to the extent of Wilket Creek, Serena Gundy or ET Seton Parks.

The name Sunnybrook should be reserved for Bayview and it alone. "South Bayview" will only confuse riders.
 

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Sunnybrook Park is the landmark, and it is easiest to access through Leslie. I do not see the contradiction.

Sunnybrook hospital is not at Bayview and Eglinton. I live at Bayview and Eglinton with a view of each 4 corners. I do not see Sunnybrook hospital from my window. It takes me as long to reach Sunnybrook hospital by foot as it would take me to reach Mt. Pleasant, Laird or Davisville.

Bayview shouldn't be renamed Leaside either. Personally, I wouldn't mind the name South Bayview, I think it would be cool for the BIA to expand north to the station. My dream one day is for retail to extend from Eglinton down to Davisville along Bayview.

The best solution is for the station on Sheppard to be renamed to Bayview Village and for the Eglinton station to be called Bayview.
 

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