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| Dundas, Boustead, Hewitt, Howard Park |
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Starting at the north end. Check out the latest scroll to see what's proposed for Dundas, Boustead, Hewitt and Howard Park and the block north of these.
East Side
West Side
These plans were based on input from the TTC, the BIA and Roncesvalles Renewed, among others. They show the proposed bumpouts and places where the TTC wants to extend the sidewalk. They'll be built with ramps for cyclists.
The sidewalk extension at the TTC stops shows up on the scroll as a dark grey bar These raised lanes slope at each end, for cyclists. Transit riders can board the streetcar without crossing a lane of car traffic and without having to step down onto the road and back up to board the streetcar. The TTC is referring to these raised lanes as "transit platforms" in their EA materials. Too bad, because it makes you think that riders will be standing on these so-called "platforms" waiting for the streetcar. Completely wrong! In fact, they are not transit platforms at all. They are raised lanes. The BIA has a detailed description of these raised lanes.
To get your bearings, see the google map for these blocks.
This is not a final plan. This is a starting point for the formal design and consultation process that will begin in the late summer or early fall. It's part of an informal process that has taken place over the last two years. We don't need to wait until the summer to make ourselves heard. These conversations are very productive, and have already resulted in important and beneficial changes to the original proposals. But there's lots of work to be done, so Roncesvalles Renewed is grateful for whatever insight you can provide.
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| Re: Howard Park, Hewitt, Boustead, Dundas |
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Here are some notable changes from the previous proposal, for the block south of Howard Park, as captured by John Bowker.
1) The southbound TTC stop has been moved from north of Howard Park to the south, in front of the Revue
2) The entire west side of Roncesvalles, from Howard Park to Marmaduke, has been widened and street parking has been removed. This is perhaps a net benefit for restaurants (which can now create patios), but perhaps a loss for the paint store and laundromat (which may prefer to keep some parking). [I have posted some additional info on how this plan would affect parking here.]
3) The bumpout is partnered with another across the street, strengthening the relationship between the east and west side, hopefully creating a more intimate feel along this section of Roncesvalles. Some folks have expressed safety fears of increased jaywalking, while others feel that the intimacy might encourage drivers to slow down, making the street safer. This latter argument is counterintuitive, and many folks will declare firmly that cars, streetcars, pedestrians and cyclists simply don't mix. But there is strong evidence that this is not always true, and that in some cases increased sharing actually makes things safer. [More on this here.]
4) A left-turn prohibition, previously proposed for southbound Howard Park, has been quietly removed from the current proposal; the TTC may revisit this later, however. [More background here.]
5) The plan generally preserves right-turn lanes, so that the streetcar would not be blocked by motorists waiting to turn right. This was a key demand of the TTC, which insisted that the new streetscape not increase trip times for transit riders. However, the sidewalk remains widened at the southbound right turn at Marmaduke. We will need measurements to tell for sure, but it appears possible that motorists may have to turn right here partly from the streetcar lane. This is not a big deal now, but if pedestrian traffic increases over the next 20 years, increasing right-turn wait times, this may evolve into a problem. This is perhaps another argument for not widening the sidewalk on the southern half or quarter of the block.
6) Northbound motorists at Neepawa will clearly need to turn right from the main streetcar lane. It may be better to move the corner bumpout from the main street to the side, increasing space for either the fruit market or the coffee shop, while keeping the main street space free for right turns
John Bowker |
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| Re: Howard Park, Hewitt, Boustead, Dundas |
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The two pictures above are featured in a BlogTO piece by Rick McGinnis. The article is part of an ongoing series of blogs by Rick on the changing nature of Roncesvalles from the early 20th century to the early 21st century. Other intersections in the series include Roncesvalles and High Park as well as Queen and Roncesvalles. The blogs come at an opportune time to reflect on our neighbourhood, with the coming reconstruction of Roncesvalles Avenue scheduled to begin this summer. As can be seen by the pictures above, this particular corner has not changed very much over the last one hundred years. By managing to capture an oncoming streetcar in the contemporary picture, Rick was able to further match up the similarities.
I noticed on the proposed plan that the corner of Roncesvalles and Dundas remains essentially unchanged, except for a slight widening of the east sidewalk on Roncesvalles. This intersection is a little tricky for pedestrians, and it would be great to see if something could be done to simplify the traffic lights and pedestrian crosswalks. Also, the triangular space just north of the Starbucks would be a prime spot for a little green space or a nice large tree! |
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