News   Mar 28, 2024
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Cycling infrastructure (Separated bike lanes)

While Council was passing the recommended cycling infrastructure..........

Councillor Pasternak got an add-on motion passed asking for more!

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I love the public art on these barriers. It add a lot of visual interest. Hopefully they stand up to wear!


In other news, I was pleasantly surprised to discover during my ride today that Peel is rehabbing a good stretch of Erin Mills to add a multi-use path and eliminate many of the channelized right turns.

Current work between 403 and Britannia:


Most of the way between QEW and 403 completed last year:

Peel Region has started to improve things - their roads are generally really bad for cyclists and pedestrians, more so than roads maintained by Mississauga and Brampton. There's a multiuse path along part of Mississauga Road in Brampton, including signalized bike crossings, and the Queen Street/Gore Road intersection has bike signals in all four corners, though they require a beg button to activate.
 
Big news update on the East Don Trail



Spring Construction Update​

June 7, 2021

PHASE 2

Spring is here, and for the first time Phase 2 (Wigmore Park to Wynford Drive) of the East Don Trail can be explored in this beautiful season.

As the weather becomes more suitable for construction work, contracted staff are back on site to complete minor tasks, including:

  • Installation of gates (i.e., P-gates) at three locations along the multi-use trail, including Wigmore Park, the maintenance entrance off of Pitcairn Crescent, and at the planned switchback. These gates will prevent vehicle access and will not obstruct trail users.
  • Laying down coloured and textured asphalt at a few nodes, including close to Wigmore Park.
  • Topsoil, seeding, and restoration of minor areas as required.
  • Installation of signposts, signs, waste collection containers, etc.


sections of coloured and textured asphalt at a key node of the East Don Trail
Coloured and textured asphalt strategically implemented at resting nodes, steep grades, forks in the trail, and at trail intersections.
drawing of P-gate designs to be implemented on the East Don Trail
Two types of P-gate designs planned for Phase 2.


One of the recent works completed included paving the maintenance access off of Pitcairn Crescent in order to provide better access for maintenance vehicles while reducing dust and mud from tracking onto Pitcairn Crescent and the East Don Trail.

If you are using the multi-use trail, please be aware that construction vehicles and staff will be accessing these areas. Some areas will require temporary fencing and will be cordoned off during this work.

Users are asked to adhere to directions from site staff and to exercise caution while using the trail during these periods.

PHASE 1

The project team is working closely with the City of Toronto and contracted consultants to undertake the detailed design of the proposed tunnel (Metrolinx 1 – Tunnel) and pedestrian bridge (Metrolinx 2 – Bridge) over the Metrolinx rail line, and have submitted the 60% design to Metrolinx and AECOM for review and approval.

Once the 100% detailed design package has been completed, reviewed, and approved, tendering will commence with construction tentatively scheduled for Spring 2022, pending receipt of permits and approvals.

The completion of the bridge and tunnel construction will kick off the remaining construction works from Taylor Creek Park in the south and Bermondsey Road in the north.

Completion of Phase 1 is tentatively scheduled for Summer 2022, with installation of railings, final paving, signage, resting nodes, and site restoration to follow bridge/tunnel construction.

Phase 1 (Lower Don Trail to Bermondsey Road) of the East Don Trail will feature five bridge crossings over the beautiful East Don River.

For the safety of the public during construction, temporary fencing and signage have been installed on the bridges. We appreciate the public’s desire to access this area but would like to remind users that this area is still under construction and is not open to the public.

There has been notable vandalism to the fencing, resulting in unsafe conditions and trespassing on private lands as well as the Metrolinx rail crossing. We would appreciate users adhering to signage in the interim, as we work towards completing the remaining sections of multi-use trail.



temporary fencing installed during construction of the East Don Trail phase 1
Temporary fencing installed on bridges along Phase 1 in response to increased trespassing on active construction sites.

Of notable interest is this map:


Which shows the entire project including phase 3. I didnt realize the whole trail system was planned out.

EDT_Map-of-Bridges-Tunnels.png
 
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The southern part of the East Don trail is delayed by another year. Metrolins seems not to be able to tender the tunnel construction. Not great!

Northern and the south part should have been connect as snow on the map. It seems this won’t happen!
 
I noticed yesterday that the City has started painting the two-way bike lane on the south side of Mill Street from Bayview to Cherry - continuing the ones on the east side of Bayview. When it's done, the existing lane on north side of Mill will, I assume, go.

I think the City plan to add the bike lanes to south side of Mill from Parliament to Cherry this year too but that the lanes on The Esplanade (to Yonge) will only be done in 2021 - these blocks are getting more significant changes for motor vehicles.
 
Work has begun on the new bike lanes and patio space for Yonge from Davisville to Bloor:

From the Twitter Account of Becky Katz:

View attachment 327980

This is very nice for other than obvious reasons: Yonge Street happens to be the least-steep road within the downtown area over the north hill of death, also known as the old Lake Iroquois shoreline bank.

Anyone whos has biked up Poplar Plains Road (which has the distinction of being the first dedicated bike lane in Toronto) or Spadina Road knows how killer that hill is.

Yonge has the least steep grade of all the roads over this hill (however it dips down again as seen in this pic north of St.Clair, so if efficiency is your game its best to head back west to avoid this dip), but its always a nightmare with cars during rush hour.

Will be very happy to use this.
 
I noticed yesterday that the City has started painting the two-way bike lane on the south side of Mill Street from Bayview to Cherry - continuing the ones on the east side of Bayview. When it's done, the existing lane on north side of Mill will, I assume, go.

I think the City plan to add the bike lanes to south side of Mill from Parliament to Cherry this year too but that the lanes on The Esplanade (to Yonge) will only be done in 2021 - these blocks are getting more significant changes for motor vehicles.

I remember reading somewhere that they plan on getting the bike lanes on the south side of Mill St / The Esplanade completed from Bayview to Sherbourne in 2021, and the rest of The Esplanade in 2022 after the Market tent comes down. I came within centimetres of being doored on The Esplanade by a pickup truck in the live lane of traffic just last week. These lanes can't come soon enough!
 
I remember reading somewhere that they plan on getting the bike lanes on the south side of Mill St / The Esplanade completed from Bayview to Sherbourne in 2021, and the rest of The Esplanade in 2022 after the Market tent comes down. I came within centimetres of being doored on The Esplanade by a pickup truck in the live lane of traffic just last week. These lanes can't come soon enough!
You are right! The Project Website says:

The new bikeway and associated changes along The Esplanade and Mill St between Lower Sherbourne Street and Bayview Avenue is proposed to be installed in 2021. This would provide a physically separated, east-west cycling route for people cycling between the Downtown and Waterfront neighbourhoods. This connection is proposed to be permanent, but is timed, in part, to act as a cycling route in lieu of the closure of the Lower Sherbourne Street bikeway underpass starting in 2022 (due to planned Metrolinx work), and the Lower Don Trail closure from 2022 to 2023 (due to planned Waterfront Toronto work).

In 2022, the bikeway would extend west from Lower Sherbourne Street to Yonge Street. Construction would commence as soon as the temporary St. Lawrence Market tent is removed, south of The Esplanade, as the Farmers Market activities move to the new North Market Building. The block between Church Street and Scott Street would be implemented along with a planned resurfacing of this block of The Esplanade.


With the delays with the North Market, I suspect the tent will not go until late summer 2022 so this section may not happen until spring 2023!
 
Honestly, nearly no one. It is a bad idea to have laws on the books that are basically never observed.

To clarify, treating a stop sign as a yield (Idaho stop) does entail waiting your turn. It just means you don't have to come to a complete stop every time, when there is no other vehicle at the intersection when you arrive.

But what's the point in demanding cyclists dismount for basically no reason?

Sorry guys, I meant should we treat four stop signs for cars the same way as @afransen noted in the first post above. Personally I would prefer most four way stops in the suburbs to be replaced with roundabouts.
 

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