Toronto Union Station Revitalization | ?m | ?s | City of Toronto | NORR

harry_fine said:
Sorry if this has been answered, I don't follow this thread to often. Just walked past Union Station today on Front and noticed there was no wrapping over the building. Can someone tell me when that happened, and also am i imagining it or does the east side of the building not look clean like the center and west side?
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The wrapping of the "centre block' was removed starting in mid-December - there is a post higher up with a photo. The west block was done first (2012?) and the inside fitted out for the GO/Metrolinx head offices. The 'east block' has not yet been cleaned and I suspect it will be done as soon as the Bay concourse closes and they can do so without danger to pedestrians.
 
Walked along Front Street from Bay to York today. While the area is still very much an active construction zone, I did notice two parked cars on the new centre median (one of which was a police car). I understand the intent of the median is to separate traffic and allow pedestrians to cross the relatively wide Front Street more safely/easily.

Union Station has a large number of passenger drop-off/pick-ups (given its role as both Via and Go terminus) and no actual place for cars to safely do so.

Its very easy for cars to mount the median and safe to assume without a physical barrier (bollards) drivers will likely to do so to a) drop off or pick up train passengers, and b) pass a car which has stopped in the driving lane to drop off or pick some one up.

The reason I am posting is I'd like to know if anyone knows whether bollards will be installed...otherwise the centre median may be a real mess.
 
mrgrieves said:
The reason I am posting is I'd like to know if anyone knows whether bollards will be installed...otherwise the centre median may be a real mess.
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It's already a mess. Cars are constantly parked on it. If bollards are not planned, then the city needs to rethink this area.
 
I don't fully understand the advantage of having the midblock crossing versus having wider sidewalks instead and a more conventional street layout which would include more traffic lights to keep things safe. Considering there is no where to park to pick-up/drop-off people I imagine that is what the mid block crossings will be used for.
 
All your questions will be answered in detail in this document:
http://www1.toronto.ca/city_of_toro...pdf/front-st-ea-pic2-all-comp4-sec-orient.pdf

As for drop-off/pick-up, there is in fact a designated area, to the east. It could be that it's still under construction. I haven't seen how things are lately.

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Markster said:
As for drop-off/pick-up, there is in fact a designated area, to the east. It could be that it's still under construction. I haven't seen how things are lately.
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Yes, that is exactly the current problem. The pick-up zone #4 is not yet operational as they are still working on the sidewalk in that area. Taxi Zone #3 is totally blocked off as they are still working on the road east of the Royal York front doors (and the sidewalk area too, pedestrians are still walking on the concrete base east of the RY doors.) Loading Zone #1 is only partly available, or that was the situation last week. That said, I will be interested in seeing how it all actually works when it's finished, the slightly raised mid-block crossing does look very tempting for parking!
 
It should be noted that the "mid-block crossing area" is limited only to the central third the road in front of Union. The area with the narrowed roadway.

The medians to the east and west, where the laybys are, are not intended to be used for pedestrian crossing. They chose a mountable curb because:
• traversable by vehicles allowing maneuverability around any vehicles that may be double parked
• provides flexibility for vehicles performing U-turns, the location for which are indicated by breaks in the median
• allows space to be used as a plaza during event closures
• reduces visual obstruction
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For now, things are still under construction, and one shouldn't expect anything other than chaos.
 
DSC said:
That said, I will be interested in seeing how it all actually works when it's finished, the slightly raised mid-block crossing does look very tempting for parking!
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I don't know how anyone would park there. It will be lined with bollards and in the accessible drop-off I'm sure there will be obvious blue wheelchair signs.
 
devjohnson said:
Wow! Thank you for the pictures, especially the first one. Forgot the true beauty the station really is.
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Agreed! Thank you for the pics. Although its been chaotic for some time now during construction I can really see it coming together and will be proud in a Torontonian way to show it off to visitors when all the construction is completed.

They really did a great job cleaning the outside of the building, the one picture with the center block and eastern wing in the same pictures really illustrates just how much cleaner the building is after restoration. I hope this fresh looks lasts many years!
 
Kraylin said:
They really did a great job cleaning the outside of the building, the one picture with the center block and eastern wing in the same pictures really illustrates just how much cleaner the building is after restoration. I hope this fresh looks lasts many years!
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It was last cleaned, what, some point in the 80s? I remember in the 70s, it was absolutely filthy and almost covered in black soot. Looked like it had been through a major fire.
 
My father's told me of how, during his childhood in the late 50s, it still looked grand and relatively new. For the longest time, that was always his mental image/impression of the building. Walking past it a few years ago (before the recent set of restorations), he was noting how it now looks like a venerable old building now.
 
Markster said:
My father's told me of how, during his childhood in the late 50s, it still looked grand and relatively new. For the longest time, that was always his mental image/impression of the building. Walking past it a few years ago (before the recent set of restorations), he was noting how it now looks like a venerable old building now.
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i hope he comes back when its done, id like to see what he thinks
 
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