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Saks Fifth Avenue Flagship (Queen & Yonge)

interchange42 said:
Hmm. Your response is more diplomatic than mine. I'm happy to be more blunt, and to show a little outrage: there is not a chance in hell that any part of the Richmond bike lane will be removed in favour of a Saks valet parking lane—nor should there be—as 1) the cycling lobby (rightfully) has way more clout currently than some may realize, and 2) the need to keep cyclists safe far exceeds the need to cater to the entitlements of the tin-eared.

For those who don't know, the Richmond and Adelaide bike lanes have been a major boon, opening up the downtown to another mode of transportation, a sustainable one, and have helped increase cycle traffic significantly in the area because of the speed and (especially) the safety they offer to cyclists.

It was a battle to get the lanes as many feared that motorized vehicle traffic would be adversely affected, while others didn't even believe that people would want/need to cycle into or through the area, but now that the lanes are in and the cycle traffic has grown (and motorized vehicle traffic is fine), you simply don't carve up the lane: it's a major safety issue. Private cars will always be with us—and in fact the future is brighter in terms of safety as driverless vehicles as on their way—but until such time that cars don't have a possibility of running a cyclist down, you don't add a several kilometre-long protected lane and then interrupt it for an entirely frivolous use.

There are certain prices that are not worth paying for the cachet of having a Saks here. If this store fails because of no valet service at the door? Tough shit for Saks.

42
Click to expand...

There really is no need to turn this into class warfare. Rich people ride bikes too :)
 
One solution is to raise the bike lane to the level of the sidewalk
- as has been done in several places on Vancouver's Hornby St. separated bike lane.
Here's a pic at the entrance to the Vancouver Art Gallery.
The bike lane is where the cyclist is (note the crosswalk markings) and vehicles would drop off patrons where the white truck is located.
Note the island between the vehicle lane and the bike lanes (for pedestrian standing room and car door clearance)
You can see where there used to be a pull-out/lay-by to drop off passengers.

Hornby-St-bike-route-at-the-art-gallery-Aug-2011.jpg

https://averagejoecyclist.com/make-bike-routes-in-vancouver-safer/

5248308224_f7632fa2d9.jpg

http://onfewwheels.blogspot.ca/2010/12/introducing-hornby-bicycle-lanes.html

Similar situation on the Dunsmuir separated bike lane to accommodate access to a bus stop.

5584084028_74c2a16f7b_b.jpg

http://katiehyslop.com/2011/06/19/the-self-conscious-cyclist/
 
Last edited:
DTowner said:
Meh. What a load of nothing. It's the Bay revamped with the Saks logo plastered everywhere and higher prices. The men's dept is a ridiculous little joke . The women's shoe dept (which is in the same area of the men's dept) is nothing compared to the Bay's (which is conveniently just next to it). For the most part there isn't anything there you can't get at the Bay, Holts or Sephora (or Shoppers). I'm thinking their attitude is, "Well, the Bay's men's dept is a lot bigger and has more of a selection. Why don't you check that out?" Or, "The Bay's women's shoe dept is just next door. Give it a try!" The whole thing just seems pointless. Unless, the intention was to draw people in with the hoopla and hype of Saks and have them wander into the Bay and spend their money there. Lol.

It LOOKS fantastic, though, as the pictures above can attest. I'll give them that.

#TargetPart2
#SaksFauxAve :p
Click to expand...

precisely what I was thinking. Men's department is pathetic, with only a handful of brands. Within 5 minutes you are already out of it. Most shoppers will not find what they look for and go somewhere else.
All the fanfare for nothing. And the confusing layout didn't really make a good impression either.
 
I thought the layout was very confusing too, until I walked into it for the first time and figured it out in a couple of minutes. Before I was in there and saw how it worked, however, it was a bewildering mystery to me.
 
If you want a hint of what the Pusateri's Food Hall will look like in the basement here, check out the pics from the Sherway opening, starting here, and/or check out the front page story here.

42
 
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