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King Street (Streetcar Transit Priority)

I am thinking of a hybrid Option 3 and 4, in which it is Option 4 during the day, but Option 3 during the night. This way, it would be pedestrian and cyclist friendly during the day and speeding up streetcars during rush hours, while allowing delivery vehicles and taxis to be on King during the night. Pillars could pop along King Street during the day to discourage vehicular traffic.
 
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Johnny Au said:
I am thinking of a hybrid Option 3 and 4, in which it is Option 4 during the day, but Option 3 during the night. This way, it would be pedestrian and cyclist friendly during the day and speeding up streetcars during rush hours, while allowing delivery vehicles and taxis to be on King during the night. Pillars could pop along King Street during the day to discourage vehicular traffic.
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I think this makes sense but wonder how much time and money will it take to add the bollards/pillars to the intersections?

I think ideally option 4 would be best for transit, but that may mean they will have to remove the bike lanes from Adelaide/Richmond as a compromise.

Option 3 may work too if they paint the streetcar lanes red or something and have bigger warning signs with better enforcement. Option 3 seems to be the better compromise for drivers.

If they want a pilot project, then no left turn and parking period will be a start.
 
Option 3 (no cars in streetcar lanes) can be enforced very effectively with cameras and tickets by mail. I've seen this set up with bus lanes in Sydney...and you do not see cars driving in those lanes when they shouldn't be.
 
Napoleon said:
Option 3 (no cars in streetcar lanes) can be enforced very effectively with cameras and tickets by mail. I've seen this set up with bus lanes in Sydney...and you do not see cars driving in those lanes when they shouldn't be.
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Considering the kerfuffle around red light cameras, and the morass at the traffic court I am not sure if we can translate the Sydney experience that effectively.

AoD
 
Johnny Au said:
I am thinking of a hybrid Option 3 and 4, in which it is Option 4 during the day, but Option 3 during the night. This way, it would be pedestrian and cyclist friendly during the day and speeding up streetcars during rush hours, while allowing delivery vehicles and taxis to be on King during the night. Pillars could pop along King Street during the day to discourage vehicular traffic.
Click to expand...

I think there are areas where Option 4 (no cars) could be implemented fairly quickly.

From University to Yonge the only vehicular access right now is at TD Centre. But they have one on Wellington so it could be removed (with negotiations). By allowing larger patio's that utilize some of the room I'm sure the city can get the landlords on side. You can actually probably get all the way to Spadina with no cars. After that there are parking lots which the city would have to allow access to or expropriate the right (expensive!)

But wherever you have the on-lane option there needs to be restrictions on taxi's. They can't just stop mid-block and back up everyone for minutes while they fiddle with an obsolete dial-up credit card machine.

But I'm actually 100% AGAINST bike lanes. Having a street with pedestrians and LRT's with lots of patio's sounds exciting. But if you add in bikes that are going 30km/hr it decreases the slow-ness of the street. Travelling through Europe it's rare to see a bike lane on a pedestrian street for that reason. I think bikes should be allowed but going as slow as the pedestrians with no right of way.

If you want to bike fast there are lanes a block or two north of King
 
muller877 said:
If you want to bike fast there are lanes a block or two north of King
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Exactly, I'm amazed by cyclists asking for a ROW on King when the have fresh cycle tracks on Richmond and Adelaide. I ride them regularly and the only issue I feel is present is the York-Victoria condo construction, and that should wind down soon--certainly King isn't immune to construction, at any rate.

Either keep King for pedestrians and streetcars only, or remove the Richmond and Adelaide cycle tracks and replace them with traffic lanes, then put cycle tracks on King.

I actually would prefer the 2nd option if not for the fact that there's already been minor but not insignificant expense in setting up those cycle tracks--it would have been nice if there had been some foresight and the will to make King happen faster, then Richmond and Adelaide could never have been tampered with, but alas.
 
Per this tweet from Jennifer Keesmaat, "June 16th we are formally launching the King St transit priority corridor pilot". Does this just refer to the public consultation/media articles/a study, or has something actually been put in place as of today? I haven't been able to find any information on it. Surely the transit mall hasn't gone live today, but have left turn and parking restrictions and enhanced TSP gone live? Or is this just more big talk exaggerating a mere study?
 
Megaton327 said:
Per this tweet from Jennifer Keesmaat, "June 16th we are formally launching the King St transit priority corridor pilot". Does this just refer to the public consultation/media articles/a study, or has something actually been put in place as of today? I haven't been able to find any information on it. Surely the transit mall hasn't gone live today, but have left turn and parking restrictions and enhanced TSP gone live? Or is this just more big talk exaggerating a mere study?
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I think this is the day they present the options to council. Implementation of the pilot would not start until Fall 2017.
 
Megaton327 said:
Exactly, I'm amazed by cyclists asking for a ROW on King when the have fresh cycle tracks on Richmond and Adelaide. I ride them regularly and the only issue I feel is present is the York-Victoria condo construction, and that should wind down soon--certainly King isn't immune to construction, at any rate.

Either keep King for pedestrians and streetcars only, or remove the Richmond and Adelaide cycle tracks and replace them with traffic lanes, then put cycle tracks on King.

I actually would prefer the 2nd option if not for the fact that there's already been minor but not insignificant expense in setting up those cycle tracks--it would have been nice if there had been some foresight and the will to make King happen faster, then Richmond and Adelaide could never have been tampered with, but alas.
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People on bikes aren't going to park them two blocks away and walk to their destination on King, though. They're going to bike on the sidewalk if they aren't allowed on the road.

The solution is to provide bike lanes with some sort of traffic calming devices - floating streetcar stops would add a level of calming due to the presence of tons of people and the curves required, for example.

Cyclists are going to use this street whether you design for them or not - do you want the more reckless ones riding on the sidewalk? Or should they have their own "local" lanes. I would maintain Rich/Adelaide as the "arterial"/through bike lanes.
 
Megaton327 said:
Per this tweet from Jennifer Keesmaat, "June 16th we are formally launching the King St transit priority corridor pilot". Does this just refer to the public consultation/media articles/a study, or has something actually been put in place as of today? I haven't been able to find any information on it. Surely the transit mall hasn't gone live today, but have left turn and parking restrictions and enhanced TSP gone live? Or is this just more big talk exaggerating a mere study?
Click to expand...

It's going live today. I'm out on Queen with a bucket of paint to paint the ROW. Please tell the police to leave me alone ;)
 
As long as the city is committed to the permanent Richmond-Adelaide cycletracks - meaning better separation, especially on Adelaide - I don't see the need for bike lanes on King. Better as a long-term goal is a continuous east-west bike route via Wellington Street from the Market to Strachan (where it would connect to the Railpath extension).

In other news, Richmond Street is going to be closed - including the cycletrack - between Church and York for several months this summer and fall for watermain work and TTC trackwork. The old eastbound track will be removed. Getting across any diversion on a bike will be fun (King or Queen Streets?), expect lots of sidewalk riding.
 
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