King Street (Streetcar Transit Priority)

[DSC]

It's possible. But it's also interesting that the only strips that are not damaged are the ones next to the wheelchair ramp, where it's not possible to park.

Or use the big ploughs they use.

 

[steveintoronto]

^ In all fairness, the yellow 'tactile' strips, which are very dangerous when wet for cyclists btw, are peeling off the Roncy bike lanes where you rise to streetcar stops. Any bollards that were erected on Roncy are long gone, many knocked over incessantly, and therefore becoming a real danger to cyclists and pedestrians alike, as they invariably lay across the cycle path.

For King Street, it really does have to come down to enforcement. Instead of requesting motorists to behave themselves, the law has to be enforced with consequences. And we're now into how many years that Tory has promised the special enforcement officers?

 

[MetroMan]

Looks like today is one of the 29 days per month with no enforcement on King Street. Feel free to park or pull into the the streetcar stop areas to pick up and drop off. Did you get there early? No problem. Sit and wait for 10 or 20 minutes!
View attachment 183587

As a local resident who has watched this pilot every day and noticed the trends, I can say for certain that since the pilot was made permanent, drivers have moved in large numbers towards ignoring the rules entirely. Stand at one of the smaller intersections like Portland or Peter and you'll see entire convoys of cars going through illegally.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1122572758746005505

There's a real danger that the pilot will be lost to complacency if the city doesn't act quickly to solidify the rules as a physical layout, rather than just signs.

Don't believe me? See what happened to the rush hour streetcar ROW that existed on King Street for decades but over time grew to being completely ignored. So much so that it led to the gridlock that prompted the King St. Pilot to begin with.

 

[MetroMan]

Was it possibly the plows that were damaging the strips?

Hopefully now it's permanent, there'll be some better installations. I don't see any reason there can't be some bollards to stop cars trying to drive onto the streetcar platform.

They're being replaced by modular platforms until the sidewalks are rebuilt with platforms built in.

Over time, as sidewalks are rebuilt when doing utility work or scheduled resurfacing, sidewalks will be rebuilt up to the new road limits over what are now curb lanes, with cutouts for loading areas and taxi stands.

There'll be a major reconstruction of the street in 2023 when the TTC is rebuilding all the tracks.

 

[W. K. Lis]

Where are the traffic cameras?

Where are the green arrow traffic signals? Where are the transit signals?

The Toronto Transportation Department is still doing their best worst against public transit.

Where are the traffic enforcement officers? If not available, then where are the police officers?

 

[DSC]

Where are the traffic cameras?

Where are the green arrow traffic signals? Where are the transit signals?

The Toronto Transportation Department is still doing their best worst against public transit.

Where are the traffic enforcement officers? If not available, then where are the police officers?

If I understand right you cannot use cameras to deal with this due to Ontario law. (Only red light cameras.)
The green arrow signals are not legal here due to Ontario regulations
The traffic enforcement officers cannot deal with moving offences due to Ontario law.

God knows, the City is not perfect but in this case their hands are tied.

 

[steveintoronto]

They're being replaced by modular platforms until the sidewalks are rebuilt with platforms built in.

Do you have a reference for this?

The green arrow signals are not legal here due to Ontario regulations

??? It's in the HTA

The traffic enforcement officers cannot deal with moving offences due to Ontario law.

Mayor Tory wants special constable status for Toronto’s new traffic wardens
Mon, Jun 6, 2016
https://globalnews.ca/news/3760496/special-constable-status-traffic-wardens/

Almost three years ago!

 

[TransitBart]

Where are the traffic cameras?

Where are the green arrow traffic signals? Where are the transit signals?

The Toronto Transportation Department is still doing their best worst against public transit.

Where are the traffic enforcement officers? If not available, then where are the police officers?

@W. K. Lis - off the couch, man. *throws you a whistle*

 

[MetroMan]

Where are the traffic cameras?

Where are the green arrow traffic signals? Where are the transit signals?

The Toronto Transportation Department is still doing their best worst against public transit.

Where are the traffic enforcement officers? If not available, then where are the police officers?

Green arrow traffic signals are there. They just can’t stay on. The solid green light still has to be there for authorized vehicles. What you’re suggesting can’t be implemented due to exceptions. This isn’t solved by different signs or even enforcement as police can’t supervise every intersection 24/7.

This is a layout problem. What looks like an open road ahead will always be driven as such. Raised curbs or road humps funneling regular traffic into a right turn is what’ll solve this problem. Drivers who go out of their way to contour the curbs right, left, right then straight to proceed through the intersection will be doing so intentionally and are easy to bait for the police.

 

[MetroMan]

Do you have a reference for this?

Yes. I’ve been in contact with city and TTC staff. It was then discussed at the Exec Committee meeting that preceded the pilot being made permanent and Brad Ross has since confirmed that it remains the plan when asked on Twitter. I’m waiting on a timeline. At the latest, it’ll be this summer when many temporary items will be replaced by permanent infrastructure.

 

[steveintoronto]

This is a layout problem. What looks like an open road ahead will always be driven as such. Raised curbs or road humps funneling regular traffic into a right turn is what’ll solve this problem.

Except that's not what the present intention is. In that respect, I agree. I think all traffic save for deliveries and access to residences should be banned, just as many other cities do. Permits should be issued to those who *need* access, not those that *want* access. The City thinks otherwise, however.

Brad Ross has since confirmed that it remains the plan when asked on Twitter. I’m waiting on a timeline.

For this?

They're being replaced by modular platforms until the sidewalks are rebuilt with platforms built in.

I'm dubious.

 

[Jonny5]

They're being replaced by modular platforms until the sidewalks are rebuilt with platforms built in.

I can't wait for these to be bought, paid for, and arrive only for the TTC to then suddenly realise they are not compatible with the accesibility ramp built in to the new streetcars.

 

[steveintoronto]

I can't wait for these to be bought, paid for, and arrive only for the TTC to then suddenly realise they are not compatible with the accesibility ramp built in to the new streetcars.

The Roncy 'bump-outs' still haven't been made compatible. Wheelchair users still can't get on and off on Roncy seven years later.

South End Reconstruction on Roncesvalles: POSTPONED
UPDATE FEBRUARY 21ST, 2019:
Please take note that the South End Construction and the work to adjust the TTC ramps that was scheduled to start March 31st, has been postponed until 2020.
[...]
https://roncesvallesvillage.ca/2019/south-end-reconstruction-on-roncesvalles/

 

[pstogios]

As a local resident who has watched this pilot every day and noticed the trends, I can say for certain that since the pilot was made permanent, drivers have moved in large numbers towards ignoring the rules entirely. Stand at one of the smaller intersections like Portland or Peter and you'll see entire convoys of cars going through illegally.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1122572758746005505

There's a real danger that the pilot will be lost to complacency if the city doesn't act quickly to solidify the rules as a physical layout, rather than just signs.

Don't believe me? See what happened to the rush hour streetcar ROW that existed on King Street for decades but over time grew to being completely ignored. So much so that it led to the gridlock that prompted the King St. Pilot to begin with.

View attachment 183600

What a joke.

An ever bigger joke is that there are NO MAJOR PLANS to address this GLARING ISSUE in the proposed improvements to King now that the pilot is permanent.

There are NO plans to increase enforcement.

The other GLARING ISSUE that nobody seems to take seriously is the total disregard by drivers turning left onto King and then getting stuck behind loading streetcars. I am the ONLY ONE talking about this, I have posted numerous times on this here. Hang out at King and Spadina any day of the week and witness this happening dozens of times per hour.

By not addressing these GLARING ISSUES all of the advances made by the Pilot will be totally lost.

Sheer incompetence.

 

[W. K. Lis]

Meanwhile...

Amster-Damn! European City Leads on Banning Ban Gas-Powered Cars

From link.

Now here’s a city rising to the challenge of the impending crisis: Amsterdam is moving head on a plan to phase out all gas- or diesel-powered vehicles by 2030, according to the Dutch news site Het Parool.

The green changes are starting almost immediately: Beginning next year, the city will ban older diesel vehicles, those from 2005 are earlier, from an “environmental zone,” within in the city center.

By 2022 all buses entering the city will need to be electric. Then by 2025, all buses, taxis and delivery trucks that come within the city’s A10 ring road will need to be emissions free.

Finally by 2030, the plan is to make the entire city free of (on-site anyway) emissions-producing vehicles, Deputy Mayor Sharon Dijksma announced, adding that the moves will extend the life of the average city resident by three months.

Low-emissions zones are part of a trend picking up speed in Europe and even potentially North America. London last month launched an “Ultra Low Emissions Zone” in the central city. Those vehicles not meeting the city’s definition of “ultra low emissions” must pay a steep fine (£12.50 or about $16.30) to enter the area, which incorporates a large portion of central London. Vancouver, B.C., has also advanced a plan to add zero emissions zones in order to meet its climate goals.