Jonny5
Senior Member
Yes, I am talking about the pieces on top. They are now installed at least from Oakwood to Avenue.
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Yes, I am talking about the pieces on top. They are now installed at least from Oakwood to Avenue.
junctionist
Senior Member
Some are whimsical. The one at Keele has different blue fishes appearing to be swimming. The one at Old Weston Road looks cheesy, though, with some weird yellow graphics. All in all, they're unexpected and I think make they make streetscapes more pleasant and provide something to look forward to while passing stops. It doesn't seem to be serious art, but has a "fun" quality amidst the more serious elements of the streetscape, like all the sleek poles and finely textured concrete of the ROW.
This project is far from over, but I'm still wondering if the remaining overhead wire along the north side along some stretches of St. Clair will eventually disappear. It's a fairly thick black wire and is quite noticeable. It ends at a substation just west of Old Weston Road.
This project is far from over, but I'm still wondering if the remaining overhead wire along the north side along some stretches of St. Clair will eventually disappear. It's a fairly thick black wire and is quite noticeable. It ends at a substation just west of Old Weston Road.
k10ery
Senior Member
allabootmatt
Senior Member
Good for Gee for going against the conventional wisdom on this one. Clearly the construction was totally screwed up, but last I visited St. Clair seemed to be in the midst of a real revival. Lots of new restaurants and bars and quite decent transit service. STILL, I think the TTC missed a huge opportunity here--both in the execution of the plan, which is obvious, but also in not using St. Clair as an LRT showcase. One very easy way to do so would have been to get moving on the new streetcar order a few years earlier, and put the first new vehicles on St. Clair with all-door-boarding and POP. The ROW would then have been something cool and futuristic--not a tweak of same 'ol.
k10ery
Senior Member
That's a good point.
I also wish that when the media talk about the "massive" cost overrun on St Clair they say it wouldn't pay for even one station of the Vaughan extension.
I also wish that when the media talk about the "massive" cost overrun on St Clair they say it wouldn't pay for even one station of the Vaughan extension.
drum118
Superstar
Jan 13 visit to the eastbound shelter at Oakwood
k10ery
Senior Member
Tagged already! Darn kids!
Still Waters
New Member
Just to be clear, there was no massive cost overrun on St. Clair. There was a cost increase due to increased scope of work, much of which was already planned to be done in future years. Rather than tear up the street for successive years, these projects were accelerated and their costs combined with the St. Clair project budget. Most of the construction problems were delays resulting from the fact that major additional work was added when the project had already been planned and started based on the original, transit-only scope. Of course, the biggest single delay to the whole project resulted from the court case brought by SOS. Some problems are just not foreseeable either, e.g. the fact that Hydro, while in the middle of undergrounding their wires on St. Clair, had to stop their work and redirect their resources to checking all of the handwells in the city for stray electrical current. That, in turn, caused a downstream ripple effect on the rest of the construction schedule. Gee is right -- I just wish more of the media would have gotten the St. Clair story correct from the beginning.
Last edited by a moderator:
nfitz
Superstar
The media was too busy trying to tar and feather our NDP mayor and councillors, to warm up the electorate for a non-NDP mayor. This seems to be something the media managed to succeed at - perhaps better than they intended.
Irishmonk
Senior Member
The St Clair ROW is one of the more positive things to have come out of the Miller years and will eventually be seen as such.
adma
Superstar
Well, yeah. They meant that mayor to be Smitherman.
nfitz
Superstar
This started 3-4 years ago. I doubt that they knew Smitherman would be the candidate.
The media loves a good scandal. They see the initial number. They see the final number. Increase in costs = somebody's incompetent. Story printed. Generally, the media doesn't do very well with details.
SlickFranky
Active Member
This headline just screams front page: Cost Increase Justified and Reasonable
drum118
Superstar
The completed Toronto Transit Commission [TTC] project to place the St. Clair streetcar line on reserved center-of-the-street right of way has produced a lawsuit from merchants who seek $100 million in damages, The National Post reports:
"Merchants file $100M lawsuit over St. Clair transit project
Megan O'Toole, National Post
Mar. 25, 2010
Last Updated: Mar. 28, 2011 8:43 PM ET
(photo caption)
Brett Gundlock, National Post
Merchants along St. Clair Avenue West claim that a "complete breakdown" in co-ordination of the St. Clair streetcar project has led to financial problems for dozens of local businesses. The merchants have launched a $100-million lawsuit against the city, the province and the TTC.
(article)
The city is facing a new storm over the troubled St. Clair streetcar project, in the form of a $100-million lawsuit that casts a shadow over Toronto's massive planned light-rail expansion.
Lawyer Stephen Edell, who is representing dozens of merchants and landlords along St. Clair Avenue West, yesterday issued the claim against the city, the province and the Toronto Transit Commission.
"The record of what happened on St. Clair is a clear and obvious one," Mr. Edell said, citing "many besieged merchants on the street, many who are holding on to their stores by the flimsiest of margins, many of whom have lost their businesses."
The claim seeks $100-million in damages and a further $5-million in punitive damages against the City of Toronto only. The named plaintiff, Curactive Organic Skin Care Ltd., is acting as a representative party for a group of commercial interests on St. Clair between Bathurst Street and Old Weston Road.
The claim alleges a "complete breakdown" in the St. Clair project's co-ordination, leading to substantial delays that negatively impacted local businesses.
"After construction prematurely began, debate continued about project scope and design, resulting in the uncertainty and confusion caused by changes in project scope," the claim alleges.
"Further, and in particular concerning St. Clair Avenue West from Bathurst Street westwards, chaos and inordinate delays resulted from a lack of supervision, the mismanagement of contractors ... and conflict in the oversight and control of the project."
Similar concerns were cited in a recent report commissioned by the TTC, which decided to review the St. Clair project as it launches Transit City, a$9-billion plan to weave 120 kilometres of light-rail track across Toronto.
The claim alleges businesses along St. Clair West faced "repeated intrusions of a serious nature," and notes approximately 200 commercial interests failed during the delayed construction, while others fell into financial peril.
The claim accuses the TTC of gross negligence in the construction and delivery of the project; the province of breaching its duty of care through insufficient oversight; and Toronto of public abuse of authority.
"The spirit and intent of Transit City has been betrayed by Toronto and the TTC ... in favour of its secretly declared 'war on cars,'" the claim alleges. Representatives from the TTC, the city and the province all declined to comment on the matter as it is before the courts.
The named parties have 20 days to respond on their intent to defend once the claim is served, after which class-action certification can be sought. Roughly 100 people have expressed an interest in signing on, Mr. Edell said, but parameters of the class action would be set later by a judge.
Initially pitched as a $48-million project for a 6.8-kilometre track, the cost of the St. Clair streetcar project soared past $106-million. Five years later, it remains incomplete.
Mr. Edell says the lawsuit was a last resort after a series of meetings with the city and the TTC late last year, during which the city ultimately advised it would not offer a settlement.
AnnaMaria Buttinelli, owner of the Curactive and Tulip hair salon on St. Clair West, says the project left her with a severely overextended line of credit; she has not seen a paycheque of her own for about three years.
"They put us out of business for three solid years," Ms. Buttinelli said, noting the prolonged construction blocked vehicle and pedestrian traffic, significantly impacting her bottom line. "Who are these people that have the right to put people in debt and out of business like that?" Ms. Buttinelli asked indignantly. "It's not like I can pack up and leave. This is my bread here."
URL:
http://www.nationalpost.com/news/canada/toronto/\
Merchants+file+100M+lawsuit+over+Clair+transit+\
project/2722959/story.html
"Merchants file $100M lawsuit over St. Clair transit project
Megan O'Toole, National Post
Mar. 25, 2010
Last Updated: Mar. 28, 2011 8:43 PM ET
(photo caption)
Brett Gundlock, National Post
Merchants along St. Clair Avenue West claim that a "complete breakdown" in co-ordination of the St. Clair streetcar project has led to financial problems for dozens of local businesses. The merchants have launched a $100-million lawsuit against the city, the province and the TTC.
(article)
The city is facing a new storm over the troubled St. Clair streetcar project, in the form of a $100-million lawsuit that casts a shadow over Toronto's massive planned light-rail expansion.
Lawyer Stephen Edell, who is representing dozens of merchants and landlords along St. Clair Avenue West, yesterday issued the claim against the city, the province and the Toronto Transit Commission.
"The record of what happened on St. Clair is a clear and obvious one," Mr. Edell said, citing "many besieged merchants on the street, many who are holding on to their stores by the flimsiest of margins, many of whom have lost their businesses."
The claim seeks $100-million in damages and a further $5-million in punitive damages against the City of Toronto only. The named plaintiff, Curactive Organic Skin Care Ltd., is acting as a representative party for a group of commercial interests on St. Clair between Bathurst Street and Old Weston Road.
The claim alleges a "complete breakdown" in the St. Clair project's co-ordination, leading to substantial delays that negatively impacted local businesses.
"After construction prematurely began, debate continued about project scope and design, resulting in the uncertainty and confusion caused by changes in project scope," the claim alleges.
"Further, and in particular concerning St. Clair Avenue West from Bathurst Street westwards, chaos and inordinate delays resulted from a lack of supervision, the mismanagement of contractors ... and conflict in the oversight and control of the project."
Similar concerns were cited in a recent report commissioned by the TTC, which decided to review the St. Clair project as it launches Transit City, a$9-billion plan to weave 120 kilometres of light-rail track across Toronto.
The claim alleges businesses along St. Clair West faced "repeated intrusions of a serious nature," and notes approximately 200 commercial interests failed during the delayed construction, while others fell into financial peril.
The claim accuses the TTC of gross negligence in the construction and delivery of the project; the province of breaching its duty of care through insufficient oversight; and Toronto of public abuse of authority.
"The spirit and intent of Transit City has been betrayed by Toronto and the TTC ... in favour of its secretly declared 'war on cars,'" the claim alleges. Representatives from the TTC, the city and the province all declined to comment on the matter as it is before the courts.
The named parties have 20 days to respond on their intent to defend once the claim is served, after which class-action certification can be sought. Roughly 100 people have expressed an interest in signing on, Mr. Edell said, but parameters of the class action would be set later by a judge.
Initially pitched as a $48-million project for a 6.8-kilometre track, the cost of the St. Clair streetcar project soared past $106-million. Five years later, it remains incomplete.
Mr. Edell says the lawsuit was a last resort after a series of meetings with the city and the TTC late last year, during which the city ultimately advised it would not offer a settlement.
AnnaMaria Buttinelli, owner of the Curactive and Tulip hair salon on St. Clair West, says the project left her with a severely overextended line of credit; she has not seen a paycheque of her own for about three years.
"They put us out of business for three solid years," Ms. Buttinelli said, noting the prolonged construction blocked vehicle and pedestrian traffic, significantly impacting her bottom line. "Who are these people that have the right to put people in debt and out of business like that?" Ms. Buttinelli asked indignantly. "It's not like I can pack up and leave. This is my bread here."
URL:
http://www.nationalpost.com/news/canada/toronto/\
Merchants+file+100M+lawsuit+over+Clair+transit+\
project/2722959/story.html