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Well, hopefully fewer elevated streets soon: the Gardiner off-ramps to Yonge-York-Bay can't come down soon enough. Next year maybe if we're lucky?

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ProjectEnd said:
Boooo. More layering!
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Beyond aesthetic/visual interest for photographers, what purpose does "layering" serve in this context? (Given that it's a layer of the city that serves cars, and doesn't even do a very good job of that).

ps. Don't get me wrong. I have a huge soft spot for the Gardiner. It's large, it's brutal, it's concrete, it's historical piece that speaks volumes about the era it was put up in (and the man who bullishly pushed his pet project forward). I find it to be quite an interesting piece of infrastructure. But I'm not sure this "interest" outweighs our reasons for removing it. Also, somebody is most certainly going to die before we bring it down. Falling concrete is going to kill someone.
 
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I basically have the same position as SP!RE. In general I'm against layering because it tends to create dead streetscapes and block views. However, I am willing to embrace it within a relatively confined neighbourhood such as Southcore. The elevated rail corridor and the Gardiner are already there and they're not coming down anytime soon (at least the main Gardiner west of Jarvis). So elevated pedestrian bridges fit the existing context. Also, I think there will be quite enough pedestrian traffic to fill both the actual sidewalks and the pedestrian bridges.

And as more skyscrapers go up around the Gardiner, I can't help but feel like I'm in the movie Akira anytime I'm driving along it after dark:
akira0122.jpg


That said, I welcome the removal of the ramp over York street.
 
This is going further off topic, but with the Gardiner becoming fully enveloped by skyscrapers, it might (already has?) become a very iconic drive. As odd as it sounds to say this, it could be considered an endearing part of the fabric of the city and be considered a cultural heritage landscape thus the Gardiner, at least for a portion, should never come down.
 
I agree, it really is starting to be an impressive drive into the city. I'm fine with keeping the raised central portion of the Gardiner so long as they do something to beautify the underside. It's not as bad as walking under the train tracks, but it's pretty ugly.
 
It's also the noisiest thing in downtown Toronto, nothing comes close.

Ultimately I think that the noise emanating from this highway rather than its visual impact will eventually lead to its demise.
 
RC8 said:
It's also the noisiest thing in downtown Toronto, nothing comes close.

Ultimately I think that the noise emanating from this highway rather than its visual impact will eventually lead to its demise.
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The noise emanating from the highway is also lessened by the presence of adjacent buildings. It will become more of a nuisance for adjacent condo owners than the public at large.
 
The Gardiner through downtown is one of the most scenic drives in Canada. I've driven the Icefields Parkway and can say that it's in the same league. With that said, I'd gladly see it go for a quieter, cleaner and more attractive downtown.
 
I make a point of driving this route when traveling east-west through the city--For the view alone. It's becoming more spectacular by the week. Each variable, including direction travelled, time of day, time of year, weather, even traffic volume, work to create an array of fantastic urban vistas.

I know many people who live right next door to the Gardiner downtown; NONE have ever complained about the noise.
Only a few have even discussed the merits of having it removed, but they prefer having it close-by whenever they have to drive out of the city. Most would rather keep it intact, as opposed to the alternative.

Face it and embrace it, the Gardiner is here to stay.
 
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Transportfan said:
Here we go again. Another poster who likes the Gardiner, but...
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The experience on the ground of a city as a pedestrian is the most important experience. So I'm willing to sacrifice an Icefields Parkway-calibre scenic drive to make it the best possible experience and to ensure that downtown is as livable as it can be.
 
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