Toronto Queens Quay & Water's Edge Revitalization | ?m | ?s | Waterfront Toronto

I don't drive very often in this area nor do most of my friends, but man... for the first time, I understood why so many drivers are so confused when navigating through this area. I was sitting in the passenger seat and got a driver's view of what it's like to drive at night in this area. Everything just seems to be in a big blob where everything blends -- lights, signage, roads, streetcar tracks, intersections. Nothing is clear and, most importantly, intuitive.

Reese/Queens Quay is one example. The left turn lines are borderline impossible to see at night. Now add to that the cars that would be at the lights on Queens Quay (heading west) and now it looks like a one way street.

While great for pedestrians, it's a nightmare of cars. There must have been a better solution.
 
The subtext here seems so be that Toronto drivers are incapable of dealing with a level of complexity that’s pretty moderate by the standards of cities outside of North America.
 
pman said:
The subtext here seems so be that Toronto drivers are incapable of dealing with a level of complexity that’s pretty moderate by the standards of cities outside of North America.
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There's that, but Queen's Quay has been a head-scratcher from the get-go, even with cyclists vs pedestrians. The legalities of the 'cycle-path' are still ambiguous, and even if they weren't, the way it's set-up couldn't invite disaster and conflict much more than it already has.

It's just bad design...
 
I walked Queen’s Quay this weekend and was pleasantly surprised to find that not only were all the dead trees replanted, they planted trees matching the approximate maturity of what the original trees would have been had they survived.

Some of the originals have thrived and outgrew others but on average, of the surviving trees, the new ones match them seamlessly. Here’s one of the exceptional original trees that just blew up in width over the winter.

176975
 
MetroMan said:
I walked Queen’s Quay this weekend and was pleasantly surprised to find that not only were all the dead trees replanted, they planted trees matching the approximate maturity of what the original trees would have been had they survived.

Some of the originals have thrived and outgrew others but on average, of the surviving trees, the new ones match them seamlessly. Here’s one of the exceptional original trees that just blew up in width over the winter.

View attachment 176975
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It's a miracle of god that any tree could survive the amount of rock salt on the ground of this city.
 
MetroMan said:
I walked Queen’s Quay this weekend and was pleasantly surprised to find that not only were all the dead trees replanted, they planted trees matching the approximate maturity of what the original trees would have been had they survived.

Some of the originals have thrived and outgrew others but on average, of the surviving trees, the new ones match them seamlessly. Here’s one of the exceptional original trees that just blew up in width over the winter.

View attachment 176975
Click to expand...

I will walk Queen's Quay in a few weeks to see what's alive from last fall's planting.

I will report back to the group.
 
The trees are to 4 inches like the ones at Sugar Beach, but sadly not all of them are. There are a few large trees on the south side of the south sidewalk that have far well since been planted.

The tress for the 2 new parks are to see 4 inch trees when planted.Love Park is to start next year and open in 2021.
 
WislaHD said:
We salt our streets too heavily in the winter in what is really, a stupidly harmful practice that has unfathomably been allowed to be normalized in our society. I really can't blame our trees for giving up some of the time.
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We do this, because it kills and injures less people.

I'm all for normalizing practices that save lives!
 
nfitz said:
We do this, because it kills and injures less people.

I'm all for normalizing practices that save lives!
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How do people survive in Montreal with their harsher winters and lesser salt consumption? What about other winter cities? Even if we accept that road salt has to be used to 'save lives', Toronto uses considerably more salt per capita compared to other winter cities.

Also it isn't just about trees (which are in itself a secondary concern compared to the damage the salt does to our water systems and water table). This practice is crazy harmful to our roads, bridges, cars, and boots. There is a massive monetary cost associated with the damage caused by road salt, that goes completely under the radar.
 
WislaHD said:
How do people survive in Montreal with their harsher winters and lesser salt consumption?
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Montreal less salt consumption? I'd be surprised - that certainly wasn't the case when I lived there, which was a while ago.

What's the source for that?

Toronto's road salt quickly flows into Lake Ontario, and I'm aware of no significant salinity concerns in Lake Ontario - which isn't a surprise given the short residence time. Of course we should try and minimize as much as possible; but to a great extent, it's the lesser evil.

I doubt that most people are more concerned about some stains on boots than more injuries and deaths!
 
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nfitz said:
Montreal less salt consumption? I'd be surprised - that certainly wasn't the case when I lived there, which was a while ago.

What's the source for that?
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Sand instead of salt is pretty widespread in Quebec, though I'm not sure if it's used much in MTL. Quebec City for sure.
montreal.ctvnews.ca

Quebec municipalities using environmentally friendly options to road salt

Several Quebec municipalities that want to reduce their use of rock salt are turning to beet juice and wood chips as alternative de-icing options.
montreal.ctvnews.ca
 
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