King-Queen-Roncy Intersection/ROW

[gabe111]

Just seen a streetcar on Kipling and Lake Shore today doing testing. Honestly I was a bit surprised seeing it. I saw some police officers and others wearing high-vis vests. No one in the driver’s cab and the streetcars emergency lights were on. The picture is kinda shitty because I had to take it quickly, but it shows streetcars can actually get to lakeshore now.

 

[Amare]

Just seen a streetcar on Kipling and Lake Shore today doing testing. Honestly I was a bit surprised seeing it. I saw some police officers and others wearing high-vis vests. No one in the driver’s cab and the streetcars emergency lights were on. The picture is kinda shitty because I had to take it quickly, but it shows streetcars can actually get to lakeshore now.View attachment 513409

Great first post!

Are we in the Twilight Zone, and is this real life? Streetcars in Etobicoke again? How did the city and TTC accomplish such a monumental feat like this?

 

[drum118]

Oct 11
More up on my site

Baffle as to why the the Roncesvalles stops are still not accessibility when there is no construction going on for them an I see nothing wrong with them for both direction.

As noted, the OS is 100% strung, with trees planted east of Parkside Dr for landscaping and some may have to be replace in the spring. The 2 new platforms have railing around them and no shelter for them.

Work to take place west of Parkside Stop with markings on the ROW as well 10 brackets on the platform

More up on my site

 

[Parkdalian]

The little park at the corner of KQQR is finished. Very ho-hum, but better than a big hole in the ground!

 

[crs1026]

I'm liking the stonework...but, um, streetcars to Long Branch ????????

- Paul

 

[turbanplanner]

Great first post!

Are we in the Twilight Zone, and is this real life? Streetcars in Etobicoke again? How did the city and TTC accomplish such a monumental feat like this?

Don't worry they'll close them for another 3 years in 6 months

 

[Northern Light]

Oct 11
More up on my site

Baffle as to why the the Roncesvalles stops are still not accessibility when there is no construction going on for them an I see nothing wrong with them for both direction.

Now....everyone here knows I like my trees..............but I'm looking at this........I'm looking at the distance between the trees and the catenary and thinking this doesn't seem like the wisest thing ever.

The species selected (its a bit hard to tell, but don't seem to be columnar in form (straight up/down). So it appears, if these do well, that there will be a need for fairly constant and aggressive pruning.

Now, look at the space here......Separated cycle track anyone?; maybe just an MUP on the north side, which could have a had a row of trees separating it from the road which would not require aggressive cutting.

Alternatively, if one felt the surplus space had to go beside the rails, I think I would have gone for shrubs that give great fall colour and are lower maintenance.

 

[milkycontent]

The little park at the corner of KQQR is finished. Very ho-hum, but better than a big hole in the ground!

View attachment 514969View attachment 514970

Pathetic!

 

[turbanplanner]

Now....everyone here knows I like my trees..............but I'm looking at this........I'm looking at the distance between the trees and the catenary and thinking this doesn't seem like the wisest thing ever.

The species selected (its a bit hard to tell, but don't seem to be columnar in form (straight up/down). So it appears, if these do well, that there will be a need for fairly constant and aggressive pruning.

Now, look at the space here......Separated cycle track anyone?; maybe just an MUP on the north side, which could have a had a row of trees separating it from the road which would not require aggressive cutting.

Alternatively, if one felt the surplus space had to go beside the rails, I think I would have gone for shrubs that give great fall colour and are lower maintenance.

Remember when metrolinx wanted to cut down a bunch of varied species tries and their plan was to replace all of them with 1 species because they didn't understand the drawbacks?

 

[crs1026]

Alternatively, if one felt the surplus space had to go beside the rails, I think I would have gone for shrubs that give great fall colour and are lower maintenance.

I have lost the thread here..... was this originally a TTC project to fix the tracks or a City project to fix the intersection? Was there ever consultation on the whole design?

The TTC did a track replacement project back in 2017, running from Parkside to Humber Loop. The template for roadway and tree planting and platform upgreades for the full stretch of the Queensway dates from that project. The recent project from Parkside east to Roncy seems to simply replicate that template. I can't remember design discussions back that far, but the "new" template was at least an improvement from what was there before. What was acceptable in 2017 may not be as desirable any more.... maybe that's proof that progress is being made, I suppose.

- Paul

 

[drum118]

I have lost the thread here..... was this originally a TTC project to fix the tracks or a City project to fix the intersection? Was there ever consultation on the whole design?

The TTC did a track replacement project back in 2017, running from Parkside to Humber Loop. The template for roadway and tree planting and platform upgreades for the full stretch of the Queensway dates from that project. The recent project from Parkside east to Roncy seems to simply replicate that template. I can't remember back that far, but the "new" template was at least an improvement from what was there before. What was acceptable in 2017 may not be as desirable any more.... maybe that's proof that progress is being made, I suppose.

- Paul

It was both as well dealing with stuff under the road that I never saw being replaced as proposed. TTC also change the radius of the curve to a larger one for King to connect to the intersection and the yard east gate.

One big issue I have seen since traffic changes were made for the intersection is the confusion over the traffic lights for going east on Queen. It is common to see eastbound traffic sitting on a green thinking the red light for turning left is their light to the point the right hand turning lane is used by drivers to get around drivers sitting on the green light.

There was some consultations for the project, but seem to fly under the radar.

 

[drum118]

Now....everyone here knows I like my trees..............but I'm looking at this........I'm looking at the distance between the trees and the catenary and thinking this doesn't seem like the wisest thing ever.

The species selected (its a bit hard to tell, but don't seem to be columnar in form (straight up/down). So it appears, if these do well, that there will be a need for fairly constant and aggressive pruning.

Now, look at the space here......Separated cycle track anyone?; maybe just an MUP on the north side, which could have a had a row of trees separating it from the road which would not require aggressive cutting.

Alternatively, if one felt the surplus space had to go beside the rails, I think I would have gone for shrubs that give great fall colour and are lower maintenance.

Like you, I was taken back on the trees planted there when I was there last and was expecting to see grass and shrubs.

If you look at what was there before to what there is there today, no room for bike lanes other than widening the overpass. There is no sidewalk on the southside at all and would require an retaining wall for it next to RR corridor.

 

[crs1026]

^Cyclists are well accommodated west of Glendale, but putting a bike lane on the bridge over Parkside would be a huge improvement over the need to cross Parkside at grade.

The current path along Queensway to the north of the roadway abruptly ends at Glendale - connectivity to Queen King and Roncesvalles is totally absent.

- Paul

 

[max]

^Cyclists are well accommodated west of Glendale, but putting a bike lane on the bridge over Parkside would be a huge improvement over the need to cross Parkside at grade.

The current path along Queensway to the north of the roadway abruptly ends at Glendale - connectivity to Queen King and Roncesvalles is totally absent.

- Paul

The bike lane is present on the bridge over Parkside as that's west of Glendale.

There appears to have been ample land from Glendale to KQQR but I'm not certain of the location of the property line between the Queensway RoW and the railway corridor so maybe not. Perhaps as @drum118 notes retaining walls would have also been needed, but now we're far too late for anything but a MUP on the south side given that the tracks just got rebuilt and I suspect there's no appetite to take a lane away from the WB motor traffic.

 

[Northern Light]

but I'm not certain of the location of the property line between the Queensway RoW and the railway corridor

Here are the property lines, I've used the 2020 background image to avoid construction causing confusion.

The curious anomaly here is that there is no property line distinguishing the rail corridor from The Queensway.

Easterly Section:

Central Section:

West (and beyond)

* Of note for the future, St. Joe's Hospital is coming up for comprehensive redevelopment; so there may be an opportunity to gain land for The Queensway ROW when that comes forward (or maybe not, depending on the plan)