King Street (Streetcar Transit Priority)

[Tulse]

The "extended sidewalks" are largely a safety measure for passengers alighting the streetcars.

 

[JGHali]

Calgary reserves all of 7th Ave through downtown for the LRT (it's even a fare free zone). Of course King St and most of TO's downtown is a lot more vital and crowded than Calgary's, but transit-only seems to work well there, even in a city that's generally very spread out.

So it can be done.

 

[Tulse]

There are parking garage entrances on King, as well as businesses that receive deliveries there. It would be extremely difficult logistically to completely ban cars on King.

 

[crs1026]

Staff are predicting that vehicular traffic volumes will be reduced by up to 50% along any given block but (at a glance) aren't venturing to say how much they expect transit travel times to decrease (which is the whole point of this thing IMO).

It's about travel time + gap reduction + maintaining capacity (so the car that comes isn't loaded to the handholds).

I like it better than Roncesvalles, where the changes to the street gave more space to pedestrian and bike but did it by forcing all vehicles into the path of streetcars.

It's about time that the City pointed out that "giving cars their fair share" actually involves "restricting cars to only taking their fair share". If you want to call that a war on the car, so be it.

- Paul

 

[muller877]

There are parking garage entrances on King, as well as businesses that receive deliveries there. It would be extremely difficult logistically to completely ban cars on King.

Each block should be looked at independently. There are some where a 100% ban is feasible. But others where From Toronto to Widmer I think there is only one parking garage (TD) but its main entrance is on Wellington so it does not block access.

With the current proposal I wonder if the city will enforce no stopping. I can just imagine the number of taxi's fighting for those 3 or 4 spots and the 5th taxi blocking all the cars/streetcars.

 

[dowlingm]

With the current proposal I wonder if the city will enforce no stopping. I can just imagine the number of taxi's fighting for those 3 or 4 spots and the 5th taxi blocking all the cars/streetcars.

Or - crazy thought - we could just exile the taxi ranks to Adelaide and Wellington, and north-south streets where there is capacity to do so. Then erect signage letting people know where to find them. If people have to walk 100-200m to a transit stop, asking them to walk 50-100m to a parallel street taxi rank is not onerous.

 

[muller877]

Or - crazy thought - we could just exile the taxi ranks to Adelaide and Wellington, and north-south streets where there is capacity to do so. Then erect signage letting people know where to find them. If people have to walk 100-200m to a transit stop, asking them to walk 50-100m to a parallel street taxi rank is not onerous.

Having cameras to catch illegal left-turners or drivers/cyclists who drive past open doors is a provincial issue that will need new legislation. However, since a taxi license is a municipal license Toronto can implement fines/penalties without the need for provincial legislation. It should be monitored to see if taxis do block streetcars and if they do we should implement camera monitoring and fnes (with repeat fines resulting in a suspension of the license).

Of course that assumes the taxi lobby doesn't keep on buying City Hall.

Toronto can also work with Uber to ensure that the app has most of King St a no stopping zone. The "suggested pickup point" moving you away from King St

 

[dowlingm]

Having cameras to catch illegal left-turners or drivers/cyclists who drive past open doors is a provincial issue that will need new legislation. However, since a taxi license is a municipal license Toronto can implement fines/penalties without the need for provincial legislation. It should be monitored to see if taxis do block streetcars and if they do we should implement camera monitoring and fnes (with repeat fines resulting in a suspension of the license).

Of course that assumes the taxi lobby doesn't keep on buying City Hall.

Toronto can also work with Uber to ensure that the app has most of King St a no stopping zone. The "suggested pickup point" moving you away from King St

The problem with ticketing taxis is presumably that they negotiate tickets down/away using the same agents delivery vehicles do, no? If fines ever looked like being onerous for the industry Jimmy K and his suburban friends would be heard from loud and clear

 

[amnesiajune]

For anyone who's curious about why traffic isn't being forced to turn at certain streets...

https://twitter.com/moore_oliver/status/875414211203125248

 

[salsa]

TTC board has approved the King street pilot project, with councillor Campbell being the lone vote against because it removes parking spaces (staff pointed out that 180 parking spaces will be removed, but that there are still ~8,000 spaces within a five-minute walk of King).

This goes to mayor's executive committee next week and then council next month.

 

[pman]

TTC board has approved the King street pilot project, with councillor Campbell being the lone vote against because it removes parking spaces (staff pointed out that 180 parking spaces will be removed, but that there are still ~8,000 spaces within a five-minute walk of King).

This goes to mayor's executive committee next week and then council next month.

Of course it would be an Etobicoke councilor voting to kill a sane, if timid, transit improvement nowhere near his suburb, in the cause of opposing a 2% reduction in parking. Cause, WOTC, folks.

 

[salsa]

Of course it would be an Etobicoke councilor voting to kill a sane, if timid, transit improvement nowhere near his suburb, in the cause of opposing a 2% reduction in parking. Cause, WOTC, folks.

And he's supposedly one of the smarter councillors from Etobicoke. What he also said today:

- "I think taxis and Uber should be treated the same way as our transit vehicles"
- Loss of parking on Bloor has hurt businesses, while also taking a shot at the provincial minimum wage increase
- Wants express buses on Yonge as subway relief. "TTC should have a downtown bus relief line."
- Proposes premium fare be charged on all rocket and express routes.

 

[ADRM]

TTC board has approved the King street pilot project, with councillor Campbell being the lone vote against because it removes parking spaces (staff pointed out that 180 parking spaces will be removed, but that there are still ~8,000 spaces within a five-minute walk of King).

This goes to mayor's executive committee next week and then council next month.

Having a sitting member of the TTC board reject a proposal to improve one of the most-used and poorly-performing transit lines because of superfluous single occupancy vehicle parking is peak Toronto.

 

[ADRM]

smarter councillors from Etobicoke

*oxymoron*

 

[salsa]

*oxymoron*

Emphasis on 'moron'.