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

It looks like the Maple Room (Possibly the Oak Room) is making a reapperance. I found this through a locked door in the West Wing this morning.

I remember the late Derek Boles once saying that all the paneling was removed. Looks like it wasn't.

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As early as February work will begin on the Union Station Enhancement Project (USEP) which will affect the station’s southern most platforms. A laydown area (where contractors can store materials and equipment safely) has been created east of Union between lower Jarvis and Sherbourne Streets on the south side of the corridor to facilitate this work.
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Oh really? financial close coming soon?
 
Kraylin said:
I find major terminals in countries i dont speak the language far easier to navigate than union Station... phew was hard to put that politely.
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Toronto is notoriously bad at signage. When Pearson's new T1 opened there were no signs telling you which way to go or they were ineffective/not located in a suitable place. One had to figure out which way to go based on intuition or follow someone else hoping they knew where they were going. If there was a sign, it became a guessing game a mere 20-30 seconds further along. Repeat the guessing game 6-10 times.

There are city streets with no sign telling you what street you're on. You just have to know based on experience or ask someone. The rest is a jumbled grab bag of designs, colours, sizes, and placement. It's often too small to see till you're in the intersection. If driving you often have to come to a complete stop to read it. Same goes for all those DO NOT TURN DURING (insert TIME PERIOD) signs. I swear, Toronto just hires people who know how to manufacture a sign then place them without any thought it the world. There, JOB DONE!
 
isaidso said:
Toronto is notoriously bad at signage. When Pearson's new T1 opened there were no signs telling you which way to go or they were ineffective/not located in a suitable place. One had to figure out which way to go based on intuition or follow someone else hoping they knew where they were going. If there was a sign, it became a guessing game a mere 20-30 seconds further along. Repeat the guessing game 6-10 times.

There are city streets with no sign telling you what street you're on. You just have to know based on experience or ask someone. The rest is a jumbled grab bag of designs, colours, sizes, and placement. It's often too small to see till you're in the intersection. If driving you often have to come to a complete stop to read it. Same goes for all those DO NOT TURN DURING (insert TIME PERIOD) signs. I swear, Toronto just hires people who know how to manufacture a sign then place them without any thought it the world. There, JOB DONE!
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My beef with Toronto signage is not that all signs are hard to read or not there (though that IS a problem) it is that many No Left Turn Signs (for example) have THREE sets of hours, Monday-Friday, Saturday and Sunday.) They are often ALMOST the same so the sign gets cluttered up for no real gain. If a turn is forbidden Monday -Friday 5-7, and Saturday 5-6.30, would it REALLY matter if it said Monday-Saturday 5-7pm? Signage needs to be EASY to read, while driving and walking
 
Yeah, the no left turn signs are pretty much impossible to read unless you are right in the intersection. Usually by the time I can actually read them, I have been creeping forward slowly with my signal on for about 20-30 metres. And my licence requires me to wear my glasses, so I can't blame my eyes.
 
Those new brightly lit ones that turn on only when left hand turns are prohibited are nice, but they aren't hung where most people are used to looking for direction on left hand turns.
 
evandyk said:
Those new brightly lit ones that turn on only when left hand turns are prohibited are nice, but they aren't hung where most people are used to looking for direction on left hand turns.
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I’ve actually never seen those but good to know they are looking to improve. I’m guessing as time goes on more and more would be replaced.
I find driving here much easier than East Asia where I’m from, because the roads are mostly in straight lines and grids, except those times when roads change names halfway through for no good reasons
 
trtcttc said:
I’ve actually never seen those but good to know they are looking to improve. I’m guessing as time goes on more and more would be replaced.
I find driving here much easier than East Asia where I’m from, because the roads are mostly in straight lines and grids, except those times when roads change names halfway through for no good reasons
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Here are examples at King & Jarvis

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DSC said:
Here are examples at King & Jarvis

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That's actually a really good example of what's wrong with Toronto signage.

There are 3 signs beside each light.

I might have time to read them all on a red; but on a green light, approaching at 40km/ph, there's no way I can consume all that, and look for other cars, cyclists and pedestrians, even as an attentive driver.
The signage and instruction needs to be simplified, streamlined, consolidated and road design needs to work with the signage so that its fairly intuitive/reinforced.
I can follow it all, because I'm down there a lot and know the area and the street and the City signs etc.
But to anyone who doesn't frequently use King in that area, that's an unholy mess of instruction to take in within a split second.

The digital sign is the best of them; and they'd be better off removing the others.
 
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^I'm probably nitpicking, but I will wonder aloud - - I'm not sure that those digital signs, as standalone, qualify as regulatory signs under the HTO. Both Reg 615 Item 49, and the Ontario Traffic Manual Book 5 make reference to the permissible use of digital signage, but they specify that the signage must be as similar as possible to the traditional version. Reg 615 is pretty clear that the traditional model no-turn sign must have a black arrow on a white reflective background. I wonder if that's enough of a difference to matter legally.

The digital signs are much easier to see and understand, so they are an indisputable aid to drivers - but the traditional sign may need to be there to fulfil the HTA. Or the Reg needs to be changed to make the digital version used in Toronto a legal regulatory sign on its own.

- Paul
 
For those who wonder about past details - I happened on a report with floor plans from February 1967 in Charles Coopers' online archive of the Upper Canada Railway Society's Newsletter which describes the changes to platforms at Union coincident with the start of GO Transit service and also CN Turbotrain service. Interesting bit of history, and it shows some of the original uses of various bits of space at Union,

- Paul
 
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