Aug 05.14
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I’m not trying to rain on any specific parade here, but every single weekend during summer in Toronto, streets are closed for
something.
If our infrastructure was better, perhaps we wouldn’t have anything to complain about.
But with automobile
and pedestrian congestion at an all-time high, should the city of Toronto be closing this many streets and major intersections? Or are the events themselves what makes Toronto what it is?
It’s going to be hard to write this without coming off as a grouch.
I recognize how important social events are in Toronto, specifically cultural ones, that shine a light on Toronto as the most multi-cultural city in the world.
I love this city, and I’m passionate about it.
I would never want to be accused of hating on, or putting down events that I don’t attend, however I do want to raise the question of whether all of these events, festivals, and gatherings create value add to the city.
Case in point: the 2015 Pan-Am Games.
It’s the games that nobody asked for in Toronto, nobody cares about, nobody really wants, and yet we’re having them next summer at a major cost to taxpayers, and at a major inconvenience to downtown-dwellers.
The Commonwealth Games were just held in Glasgow, Scotland, and while I’m proud of our athletes who represented the country we live in and love, I have to be honest when I say that I didn’t watch any of it, follow it at all, and I really couldn’t have cared less about it.
Same goes for the Pan-Am Games.
There is only
one Olympic Games, and while I’m sure the mother of a Canadian shot-putter from Saskatchewan would be pissed at me for suggesting this, I have to think that the Commonwealth Games and Pan-Am Games are meaningless in comparison to the Olympics.
Topic for another day, I suppose. But From July 10th to July 26th, 2015, the City of Toronto will be an absolute nightmare to move around in. Whether in a car, on a bike, on foot, or on our feeble public transit system, the Games are going to wreak havoc in the downtown core. It could be worse too, if the rumours of certain lanes of traffic being
only for Games competitors and staff hold true.
But the city’s roads have
already been impacted by the games, and we’re still a year away. In May, June, and July, there were intermittent road closures on Lakeshore Boulevard in preparation of the Games.
We know that the Gardiner Expressway is down to two lanes until 2016, which is absolutely comical, but consider that the Lakeshore Boulevard is the only alternate route for people who don’t want to stew in traffic, and it was downright laughable to see Lakeshore Boulevard completely shut down for the Honda Indy two weekends ago.
I’m not a racecar fan, and I’m not hating in the Honda Indy itself as I know how important it is to Toronto. I just think the weekend of July 19th and 20th was a farce in the downtown core.
And
this is the point I want to drive home in today’s blog.
It’s not
just the fact that the Gardiner Expressway is already down a lane, and then we go and shut down the Lakeshore. It’s the fact that there were no fewer than SIX other festivals being held that weekend that shut down major intersections in Toronto.
“BIG on Bloor Festival” shut down Bloor Street West, between Lansdowne & Dufferin, from 9am on Saturday to 9pm on Sunday.
“Salsa on St. Clair” shut down St. Clair Avenue West, between Winona & Christie, from 8am on Saturday to 11pm on Sunday.
“Youth Day” shut down Yonge Street, between Queen & Dundas, from 10am to 10pm on Sunday.
“The Chinatown Festival” shut down Dundas Street West, between Spadina & Beverley, from midnight on Friday to 11pm on Sunday.
“Thrill Of The Grill” shut down Danforth Avenue, between Broadview & Jackman, from 8am to 5pm on Saturday.
And last but certainly not least, the “Live Toronto Green Festival” shut down Yonge Street, between Gerrard and Richmond, from 10am to 11:30pm on Saturday, as well as Yonge Street from Queen to Dundas.
So for those of you playing along at home, that’s ONE weekend, with no Lakeshore Boulevard thanks to the Honda Indy, the Gardiner Expressway already a parking lot, and six festivals closing major roads and intersections throughout the central core.
Are you guys okay with this?
Tell me if you are, or if you aren’t.
I’m honestly on the fence about it.
I’m putting this out there because the question needs to be asked, “When is it too much?”
I understand the importance of these events, but what is the end goal here? Is it the economic activity gained from the events? Or is it just the smiles on people’s faces? If it’s the latter, then at what cost should these events come to the rest of the people who aren’t in attendance?
I’m not going to suggest that a few extra minutes in a commute is going to kill me, but do you know how much goes into some of these events?
Take the Goodlife Toronto Marathon, for example, which was held on May 3rd. This is a complete list of road closures for the event:
Beecroft Rd. Elmhurst Ave. to Horsham Ave. (5:30 am to 9:00 am) N/B lane open for condo access.
Ellerslie Ave. Beecroft Rd. to Yonge St. (7:00 am to 9:00 am)
Churchill Ave. Beecroft Rd. to Yonge St. (7:00 am to 9:00 am)
North York Blvd. Beecroft Rd. to Yonge St. (5:30 am to 9:00 am)
Park Home Ave. Beecroft Rd. to Yonge St. (7:00 am to 9:00 am)
Yonge St. Horsham Ave. to Hwy 401 – S/B only (7:00 am to 9:00 am)
Hwy 401/Yonge St. – S/B ramps (7:00 am to 9:00 am)
Yonge St. Hwy 401 to York Mills Rd. S/B only (7:00 am to 9:00 am)
Yonge St. York Mills Rd. to Eglinton Ave. S/B only (7:00 am to 10:00 am)
Yonge St. Eglinton Ave. to Chaplin Cres. S/B only (7:30 am to 10:30 am)
Yonge St. Chaplin Cres. to Aylmer Rd. (8:30 am to 10:30 am) (½ Marathon Only)
Chaplin Cres. Yonge St. to Oriole Pkwy. W/B only (7:30 am to 10:00 am)
Oriole Pkwy. Chaplin Cres. to Lonsdale Rd. S/B only (7:30 am to 10:00 am)
Lonsdale Rd. Avenue Rd. to Spadina Rd. W/B only (8:00 am to 10:00 am)
Forest Hill Rd. Lonsdale Rd to Kilbarry Rd. N/B only (8:00 am to 10:00 am)
Kilbarry Rd. Forest Hill Rd. to Warren Rd. W/B on S/S (8:00 am to 10:00 am)
Warren Rd. Kilbarry Rd. to Lonsdale Rd. S/B (8:00 am to 10:00 am)
Spadina Rd. Lonsdale Rd. to St. Clair Ave. West S/B only (8:00 am to 10:00 am)
Spadina Rd. St. Clair Ave. West to Austin Terrace (8:00 am to 10:00 am)
Austin Terrace Spadina Rd. to Walmer Rd. 8:00 am to 10:00 am)
Walmer Rd./Kendal Ave. Austin Terrace to MacPherson Ave. (8:00 am to 10:00 am)
MacPherson Ave. Kendal Ave. to Davenport Rd. (8:00 am to 10:00 am)
Davenport Rd. MacPherson Ave. to Belmont St. (8:00 am to 10:00 am)
Belmont St. Davenport Rd. to Yonge St. (8:00 am to 10:00 am)
Aylmer Ave. Yonge St. to Rosedale Valley Rd. (8:00 am to 10:00 am)
Rosedale Valley Rd. Aylmer Rd. to Bayview Ave. (8:00 am to 11:00 am)
Bayview Ave. Rosedale Valley Rd. to Lower River St. (8:00 am to 11:00 am)
Lower River St. Bayview Ave.to King St. East (8:00 am to 11:00 am)
King St. East River St. to Sumach St. S/S only (8:00 am to 11:00 am)
Sumach St. King St. East to Eastern Ave. (8:00 am to 11:30 am)
Eastern Ave. Sumach St. to Front St. East (8:00 am to 11:30 am)
Front St. East Eastern Ave. to Wellington St. East (8:00 am to 11:30 am)
Wellington St. East/West Front St. East to John St. (8:00 am to 11:30 am)
John St. Wellington St. West to Front St. West (8:00 am to 12:00 pm)
Front St. West John St. to Bathurst St. (8:00 am to 12:00 pm)
Bathurst St. Front St. West to Fort York Blvd. (8:00 am to 12:30 pm)
Fort York Blvd. Bathurst St. to Lake Shore Blvd. West (8:00 am to 12:30 pm)
Marine Parade Dr. Humber Bay Park East to Waterfront Dr. (8:30 am to 4:00 pm)
Waterfront Dr. Marine Parade Dr. to Palace Pier Ct. (8:30 am to 4:00 pm)
Lake Shore Blvd. West E/B curb lane from just east of the Humber River to Ontario Place Blvd. (8:30 am to 3:00 pm) Access to roads on the south side will be permitted when safe to do so.
All told, you have to interrupt the entire city of Toronto to hold this event, and this is just
one of the many events that takes place every summer in Toronto.
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