junctionist
Senior Member
That concern about firetrucks seemed alarmist. It'll be fine. There will be enough space for cars to pullover. The sidewalks and bike lanes will be busy. The Crosstown will also reduce congestion on Eglinton by getting more people on transit and walking. A lot of the people in the walkable neighbourhoods around Eglinton--whether working class or upper class--drive everywhere and live a somewhat suburban lifestyle. That can change.
With that said, we've seen a general trend towards larger firetrucks that need wider lanes, and hence, wider streets. You see it in greenfield development in suburban areas across North America like the 905--all streets are wider than in pre-WWII neighbourhoods--whether it's a 2 lane side street or a 6 lane arterial. That's not good for our cities because we have to build larger roads that are harder for people to cross. Studies show that fire response in older neighbourhoods with narrower streets is just as good as in the suburbs with wider streets and larger trucks. We shouldn't accommodate the trend of fire departments upsizing trucks with wider streets.
With that said, we've seen a general trend towards larger firetrucks that need wider lanes, and hence, wider streets. You see it in greenfield development in suburban areas across North America like the 905--all streets are wider than in pre-WWII neighbourhoods--whether it's a 2 lane side street or a 6 lane arterial. That's not good for our cities because we have to build larger roads that are harder for people to cross. Studies show that fire response in older neighbourhoods with narrower streets is just as good as in the suburbs with wider streets and larger trucks. We shouldn't accommodate the trend of fire departments upsizing trucks with wider streets.