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Cycling infrastructure (Separated bike lanes)

I would argue, my somewhat long-shot idea (in the near term) of putting GO Rail into the 401 corridor would align perfectly with the centres. Intersecting Scarborough City Centre and Line 2; and North York Center and Lines 2 + 4.

Etobicoke City Centre is served by Line 2 (which could, and probably will go further west at some point); and Milton GO which could in turn feed a mid-town GO line at some point.

A N-S link is less likely (by transit) though using either of the 427 ROW or the Kipling Hydro Corridor could be contemplated.
I've always found it strange the city isn't considering some kind of N-S rapid transit along/around Kipling. A Kipling LRT or something similar could be useful in terms of filling out the rapid transit grid.
 
I've always found it strange the city isn't considering some kind of N-S rapid transit along/around Kipling. A Kipling LRT or something similar could be useful in terms of filling out the rapid transit grid.

Kipling was considered to get an LRT line by the city back when Transit City was being developed.
 
^ That's an area about the size of the inner city of Amsterdam (within the ring road) it should be quite doable to make that very cycling friendly. With e-bikes, longer commutes than this even become practical for average people. Population is going to keep rising, there is no more room for cars and transit can only do so much.
Transit would be able to do a lot more if we actually built proper transit in this area. But I digress.

Actually, one of the problems with polynucleation is the 905 and how Union is the only Toronto terminus of varying GO lines. So if you locate an office in Scarborough Centre per se, nobody from Peel, Halton, parts of Toronto and parts of York will consider it as an employment location. You've got eastern Toronto and Durham region basically. Whereas *everyone* can get downtown via transit, at least relatively easily. It's even why Bloor-Yorkville is losing offices and has been for 20 years. Nobody wants the second commute up Line 1. Albeit, a Summerhill GO could conceivably turn that around somewhat.
This wouldn't be much of a problem if more of these suburban downtowns were developed on GO corridors. I guess back when these decisions were made nobody was thinking of an RER type system.
 
This wouldn't be much of a problem if more of these suburban downtowns were developed on GO corridors. I guess back when these decisions were made nobody was thinking of an RER type system.

Yes, the suburban centres were built with highway access in mind.
 
Transit would be able to do a lot more if we actually built proper transit in this area. But I digress.
Definitely. Cycling and transit can work together too to create last mile solutions. Cycling infrastructure is cheap and fast to implement and should help to increase demand (and support) for transit, particularly for longer trips.
 
A lot of the GO stations were placed for park and ride as opposed to building out ‘downtowns‘. I’m looking at you, Bramalea.
As a fully planned community, Bramalea could have been developed around what became the GO station, but instead, it was a mall in farmer's fields a frustrating few kilometres north. MCC and Cooksville/PortCredit are similar situations.
 
I rode 23 km around downtown today, down River, Bloor, Richmond, University, etc. One thing I notice is when we come to a stop at lights, the protected curb ends about six meters before the intersection. Why is this? This would seem the likeliest spot where right turning traffic will kill a cyclist.
 
I rode 23 km around downtown today, down River, Bloor, Richmond, University, etc. One thing I notice is when we come to a stop at lights, the protected curb ends about six meters before the intersection. Why is this? This would seem the likeliest spot where right turning traffic will kill a cyclist.

Three words: "temporary" and "lowest bidder".

Remember "Jarvis Street" by Rob Ford and the new "Family Compact" (Ford Nation)...
 
His cronies are still around at City Hall and (worse) at Queen's Park.
We have hard curbs now where the path meets an intersection, but the curb ends too soon, exposing cyclists to right-turning vehicular traffic. Why? It can’t just be the cronies of a dead former mayor from a past decade.
 
Because protected intersections will tick off the car loving councillors like Holyday, Ford, and Minnan-Wong. Because City Council is afraid to be bold and implement protected intersections.
 
Because City Council is afraid to be bold ...

I think this is the most important bit.

In general, Toronto City Council is incredibly reluctant to change. There’s a huge “bias to no” and a “prove it” culture in the city. Part of this if because.the councilors aren’t “at large”, and so, are hyper focused on local voices, which are themselves reluctant to change.
 
Because protected intersections will tick off the car loving councillors like Holyday, Ford, and Minnan-Wong. Because City Council is afraid to be bold and implement protected intersections.
Could it be that protected intersections are incompatible with the trucks needed to build our insatiable demand for condo towers?
 

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