King Street (Streetcar Transit Priority)

[MetroMan]

Time to setup cameras to catch all this illegal drivers who ignore the no left turn and straight through signs at various intersections.

It will new nice to finally see shelters move as well bump out platforms than the current ramp.

Some nice red paint showing where cars aren't allow with markings

Cameras cannot be used to enforce any rules other than red light infractions. Mike Harris made sure of it by encoding it in the Highway Traffic Act and Ford’s provincial government isn’t going to change that.

 

[MetroMan]

I hope step one is to quickly restore and improve the temporary works there now which aged poorly over the winter. I know the city likes to wait like a gardener--hold off until the May 24 weekend to say winter is officially over--but it's getting ridiculous how it has deteriorated. It was built cheap and fast on purpose, but as a result it all looks like junk now and they shouldn't wait months to spruce it up again.

Many of the temporary installations have already been removed. What looks like junk if so little has remained?

Certain things won’t be replaced as they were because longer term infrastructure elements will be put in. For example, the yellow textured strip at stops will probably not be returning and will instead be replaced with something like this:

Plantings will have to wait until end of May for the same reason as gardeners wait: the threat of overnight frost ruining the plants.

Dozens of new patios will be built this year, four times as many as were built last year. Many of the temporary art installations will instead be patios built to last for several seasons.

I live on King so I’m just as eager as you are to see improvements made but we’re going to have to be patient.

 

[DSC]

I didn't know that King Streetcar Track Replacement was slated for 2023. That's a long time to repave King Street for true transit priority and permanent improvements to the public realm.
I heard this in this video at 2:18:45 and wanted to ask if this was the case.

The streetcar tracks on King were last replaced in 2003 and 2004 so the 2023 date is their normal lifespan. As the tracks are all of the 'new design' the replacement is actually 'only' of the rail and the top layer of concrete so is comparatively fast. Of course, this does not preclude some asphalt replacement (grind and pave) earlier - it is much needed in some places!

 

[299 bloor call control.]

In the King Street Report to the Board they recommend installing a new curve @ York. It would also be good to add/repair the track on Adelaide at least from York to Victoria.

The Adelaide Street tracks from Charlotte to Victoria are planned to be replaced in conjunction with road reconstruction in 2021 or 2022.

 

[DSC]

The Adelaide Street tracks from Charlotte to Victoria are planned to be replaced in conjunction with road reconstruction in 2021 or 2022.

The replacement of the Adelaide tracks has been in the TTC's project list for a decade but is constantly moved forward so I will only believe this when I see it happening!

 

[vic]

Cameras cannot be used to enforce any rules other than red light infractions. Mike Harris made sure of it by encoding it in the Highway Traffic Act and Ford’s provincial government isn’t going to change that.

This forum often talks about using different traffic lights.... but what if the light was always red, other than for transit? Then anyone driving through would be running a red. (Yes, there's the whole taxi exemption thing...sigh...)

 

[KevinT]

This forum often talks about using different traffic lights.... but what if the light was always red, other than for transit? Then anyone driving through would be running a red. (Yes, there's the whole taxi exemption thing...sigh...)

That is a really good point. With no lefts and no straights, there's no reason to ever have a green during rush hour when there are no taxi exemptions. Just add a streetcar only signal to let them through and you're done, and standard red light enforcement cameras will do the job with no changes to the HTA required.

Brilliant!

 

[MetroMan]

This forum often talks about using different traffic lights.... but what if the light was always red, other than for transit? Then anyone driving through would be running a red. (Yes, there's the whole taxi exemption thing...sigh...)

Well, I’m not sure you need an answer then. The taxi exemption prevents any signage based solution other than what was implemented.

The only way to make King St. dead stupid is to stop having exemptions for only some types of cars. If through traffic is exclusive to transit, then it’s easy to design a street that makes it obvious that only transit can go through.

 

[pstogios]

This is clearly going to sail through City Council. Even Denzil MW voted to make it permanent without any amendments.

Bearing that in mind, we can start thinking about what form King Street is going to take. We have a lot of time to decide because a full King Street rebuild won’t happen until 2023 when the TTC is planning to replace the tracks.

In the interim, staff have recommended that some permanent fixtures and infrastructure be put in place this Summer:

- Transit shelters are moving to their proper places at the new far side stops. This will finally end the confusion where a transit shelter isn’t actually a transit stop.

- Concrete jersey barriers will be replaced with sidewalk bumpouts and transit stops will either be built out as extended sidewalks or modular sidewalk extensions will be put in.

- Permanent street furniture will replace the temporary chairs and other street furniture that was initially designed to be easily moved around and removable.

- New patios going in for this Spring/Summer (over 60 licenses were granted) will be built to last.

- Wherever a developer is building a tower, the sidewalk adjacent to it will be rebuilt according to the new layout. We'll probably see this first at King and Peter where King Blue condos are nearing completion and are adjacent to a transit stop. KING condos will be another opportunity to transform nearly an entire city block.

- Other things like transit priority and traffic light timing adjustments are happening this Summer without the restriction of the possibility of having to revert it back.

You’d didn’t list any infrastructure or improved signage or enforcement of illegal maneuvers by drivers (driving through intersections or blocking traffic when turning left and getting stuck behind loading streetcars). These are still major problems and must be addressed.

 

[MetroMan]

Joe Cressy has asked the TTC to find ways to bump up capacity of the 504 line to 100,000. I’m told the TTC is looking at express buses to complement streetcars during rush hour.

Is there any restriction preventing the 504 from running additional streetcars on the line if the vehicles were made available? Does it present a problem at terminal stations/stops?

We now have what the mayor called “a downtown subway line built over a weekend”. Can we not prioritize our streetcar fleet to go on this line until demand has been met?

 

[drum118]

Joe Cressy has asked the TTC to find ways to bump up capacity of the 504 line to 100,000. I’m told the TTC is looking at express buses to complement streetcars during rush hour.

Is there any restriction preventing the 504 from running additional streetcars on the line if the vehicles were made available? Does it present a problem at terminal stations/stops?

We now have what the mayor called “a downtown subway line built over a weekend”. Can we not prioritize our streetcar fleet to go on this line until demand has been met?

There is nothing stopping TTC adding more streetcars to 504, other than not enough cars on hand, plus staff and an operation budget. Then you have the issue as how to deal with small station loops that can only handle 1/2 cars at a time to give drivers a break between runs. Only Dufferin and Cherry St can hold 3 cars at a time, with Cherry holding more.

The big issue is how to deal with traffic outside the pilot area, as well illegal drivers disobeying traffic signs in the pilot area.

Until 2022/23, some things can take place to improve service, but will have to wait until the tracks, roads and sidewalks are rebuilt then. Shelters can be relocated this year.

 

[ehlow]

Adding buses at rush hour would be great. This line is totally full

 

[DSC]

Adding buses at rush hour would be great. This line is totally full

Though I agree that the Flexities are full at rush hours, I hope that the mid-term plan is to add more of them rather than buses. (I realise that we are still very short of streetcars but the TTC needs to get on with making a supplementary order!)

 

[MetroMan]

While I think we should start thinking of King Street as an above ground downtown subway line and run it exclusively on Flexity cars, buses are not a bad idea because they can provide an express service that streetcars can’t. For example, picking up passengers in the financial district in the evening rush hour and dropping them off in the centre of Liberty Village.

An express downtown service would be enough to lure a segment of passengers off the streetcars, leaving room for those who absolutely need the full route.

 

[MetroMan]

Back on to street design, I’d like to see certain blocks closed to traffic entirely or at least converted into woonerfs. University to John is one of those ideal blocks. There are no parking garage entrances or building driveways and there are alleyways behind businesses for commercial deliveries. Most of this block is a public square. There would still be Mirvish Way for tour bus and taxis for passenger drop offs and parking.

Spadina to Portland is another such block. By closing off a block like these, there’d be no way for drivers to use King for crosstown access, even if they disobey rules. Their path would be physically blocked and that would put an end to a lot of the law breakers. What’s the point of driving on to King if there’s physically no road every few blocks?