Toronto Bloor Street Revitalization | ?m | ?s | Bloor-Yorkville BIA | architectsAlliance

Was on Bloor E today. The trees are still pretty anemic. On both sides of the street. Most look at least half dead. Some look completely dead. What's up?
 
Give them a few more weeks, they'll be fine. A couple may be lost, that's not unusual but the rest will do well along here.
 
picard102 said:
So when these trees mature, and then die, will they need to pull up the entire sidewalk to remove the tree and it's roots?
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If they die within 7 or 8 months of being planted I doubt there would be any roots to have taken hold. It shouldn't be too difficult a task to replace any that don't make it. Remember we had no rain in April so they didn't get off to a great start.
 
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If a tree takes root, they'll live full lives, at which point Bloor's granite will have been replaced with anti-dirt titanium, silica (glass) and materials we've never even heard of.

On the other hand, the sidewalks will be ripped up every few months to make hydro repairs.
 
If only palms grew here. Then we could just plant a mature tree and be done with it. No need to wait for the tree to grow only to watch it hopelessly die of salt poisoning or root confinement.

Third%20Street%20Palm%20Planting.jpg
 
dt_toronto_geek said:
If they die within 7 or 8 months of being planted I doubt there would be any roots to have taken hold. It shouldn't be too difficult a task to replace any that don't make it. Remember we had no rain in April so they didn't get off to a great start.
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They were being watered in April with those water bags, no?
 
About 1/3rd of the trees are struggling, many with large dead branches among the green branches, I'm not sure if this is normal for this type of tree. About 6-8 trees didn't make it between Church & Yonge, hopefully they'll replace them in good time. These trees need water too. The bags are always empty and dry when I go by, including today. Aside from this Bloor Street looks terrific through this area.


Click on the thumbnail to enlarge, then click again on the image for full size.

 
When I asked for a circle and post bike stand to be installed outside the Tim Hortons at 175 Bloor Street East, I was told that holes were not allowed to be drilled into the granite, and that the plans for the street do not provide for any alternatives. Good planning, huh?
 
On the bright side, at least they care enough about not doing nasty things to the granite - can you imagine at any other time the city being so concerned about the appearances refrained from doing anything of a makeshift nature?

AoD
 
I've always suspected that some snobs at the BIA wanted to banish bikes from their stretch of Bloor. Nonetheless, bicycle parking must be incorporated on this central stretch of Bloor. It can get ugly if people start chaining their bikes to trees and in to other objects in awkward places.
 
But it's in the interests of the BIA to have bicycle parking, because it's good for business. If cyclists don't feel welcome there, they won't shop there much.
 
Presumably bike racks will eventually be increased in the areas that surround Bloor Street like Cumberland Ave., Charles St., Park Road, Bay Street, Balmuto Street etc. I'd rather see the vision retained than hundreds of bikes locked to devices along Bloor Street, I don't mind locking my bike up and walking a block or two.
 
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Exactly right. I was at a seminar/debate at the reference library on just this a few days ago, and a study mentioned there showed that most people arrived at the stores on this stretch via bike and feet more so than car. Having less car spots along the street also gives a better view of the fronts of stores and again increases business walkins. Bike spots aren't just necessary for encouraging less car usage, they are beneficial for the companies along here. If the BIA really wants to be snobs towards bikes, it would be their loss to business. Hopefully they aren't that foolish and read the study.
 
If they don't install bike racks some cyclists will lock their bikes to the trees which can eventually kill them. Even if they install extra racks on side streets some inconsiderate jerks would still lock their bike to a young tree.
I personally can't think of a solution if they are trying to avoid 'unsightly' bicycles littering Yorkville.
 
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