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Yonge Street Revitalization (Downtown Yonge BIA/City of Toronto)

It's almost as if the city's large institutions are incapable of communicating and sharing notes on upcoming projects and proposals. Very complicated stuff, I hear!
From my experience with the (ongoing) Wellington upgrade fiasco (and other streetscape projects) the problem is not that the City and the utilities do not communicate (there is actually a permanent liaison group), it is that the City has a very poor idea of what is buried where and the utilities themselves are equally vague about their underground plant. There is also the problem that many of the utilities are regulated and sometimes a necessary upgrade project cannot be funded until they get regulatory sign-off. Then there is the added complexity that a new development 'suddenly' decides that they need to start work so it makes more sense to postpone the streetscape until that is finished. (The upgrade of Victoria south of Dundas was postponed several years ago because of potential conflicts with the work on St Mikes and Massey Hall and in the interim one of the other utilities (maybe Enbridge) installed pipes that got in the way of work already planned by Hydro. In that case I understand Hydro are suing - and the work is still 'on hold' and, with the Ontario Line work starting, may remain that way for a decade!)
 
What about Dupont to College? They should be at least doubling the sidewalks with nice brick as opposed to standard ugly concrete.

Torontonians have gotten use to Yonge which is a shame because it results in people having low expectations of it. I don't think Torontonians truly appreciate what a dump of a street Yonge is. It is ugly, unkept, the sidewalks are laughably thin, and hence is probably the only street in the entire city that doesn't have a sidewalk cafe or terrace.
 
What about Dupont to College?

I'll assume you mean Davenport, since Dupont doesn't meet Yonge.

They should be at least doubling the sidewalks with nice brick as opposed to standard ugly concrete.

Torontonians have gotten use to Yonge which is a shame because it results in people having low expectations of it. I don't think Torontonians truly appreciate what a dump of a street Yonge is. It is ugly, unkept, the sidewalks are laughably thin, and hence is probably the only street in the entire city that doesn't have a sidewalk cafe or terrace.
I totally agree. Can’t get any uglier than it already is. In every aspect. It’s the main artery in the city and there is 0 appeal. Sad.

The section of Yonge, from College/Carlton to Bloor is planned, tentatively for 2026-2028.

The intent is do the consultation/planning while the construction further south is under way.

Bloor to Davenport will be done after it has been excavated for the Yonge/Bloor station expansion, sometime between 2029-2031.

****

When the work is done, the sidewalks will be widened, likely done in brick except in Yorkville where its likely to granite; the only question mark is whether there will be bike lanes in the Bloor-College section.

That will influence how wide the sidewalks end up.

There will be some vehicle access in all likelihood, to allow for shuttle buses/night buses, and deliveries and the like, but no more than 1 lane vehicle lane each way. Details TBD.
 
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Ya, I meant Davenport.

Well one can only hope that they don't put in more stupid bike lanes because all it will do is decrease the sidewalk widths.
 
Ya, I meant Davenport.

Well one can only hope that they don't put in more stupid bike lanes because all it will do is decrease the sidewalk widths.
Pretty sure the city has a minimum sidewalk width standard, and they aren’t going to be reducing that to put in bicycle lanes - unless you have examples otherwise?
 
Ya, I meant Davenport.

Well one can only hope that they don't put in more stupid bike lanes because all it will do is decrease the sidewalk widths.

This will not occur, at minimum 2 vehicle lanes of 3.2M each on average will be removed.

That space will then be re-allocated. A full cycle track, with buffer is ~2.4M That would still leave 0.8M to widen the sidewalk minimum.

In reality it will likely be more, as the remaining 2 lanes would likely be narrowed further; and its unlikely you would get 'delux' cycle track width on this particular section of street.

So more than likely a minimum addition of 1.1M per sidewalk on average.

Pretty sure the city has a minimum sidewalk width standard,

They do, though Yonge would be over the prescribed city-wide minimum of 2.1M already

But to be clear Yonge itself is prescribed for larger. The target for this section of Yonge is generally ~ 6M as redevelopments occur, even w/o a road narrowing.

and they aren’t going to be reducing that to put in bicycle lanes - unless you have examples otherwise?

There will be no reduction of sidewalk width here, not happening.

I can't think of a single example of the City ever having narrowed a sidewalk for a bikelane.

The City has in a couple of spots stolen from the 'street furnishing' zone (the boulevard); but even that is rare.
 
When I say that bike lanes reduce the sidewalk width I don't mean they will be slimmer than they are now but rather much thinner than they could be. The sidewalks should be 100% widened to where the single lane car lane is now.

What are bike lanes? They are an active TRANSPORTATION system. That's great for many streets but Yonge isn't one of them. Why?....because Yonge should not be viewed as a transportation route in the first place. Even the vomit comet only comes every half an hour. These bikes will be whizzing past the pedestrians faster than the cars will.

If I had my way the entire Bloor to King section of Yonge would be 100% pedestrian and allow delivery trucks to use the road before 10AM when no one is there anyway because it's too early for shoppers/dinners etc and nobody walks down Yonge to get to work and even if they did they can be closer to the stores themselves.

Yonge is a complete dump and a horrid embarrassment to the city and it is going to take a major overhaul {and political balls} to turn it into the premier street of the city that it deserves to be.
 

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