Distinctive as Roncesvalles is, you wouldn’t know you were arriving anywhere special at either of its key entry points -- at the north end, where Dundas West, Roncesvalles and Boustead form a triangle, or at the south end, where King, Queen and Roncesvalles meet. 

At the north end, the public space in front of the Starbucks coffee shop consists of a bleak triangle of pavement separating Roncesvalles and Dundas West.  Navigating the crossing is awkward, involving long waits, and not one but two streets that must be crossed, and in the winter, add to that the biting wind and slush.  The intersection is clearly designed for cars, not people.

As “gateways” to Roncesvalles village, those intersections have the potential to welcome visitors in a comfortable and community-oriented manner.

This coming Monday, residents have an opportunity to voice their concerns and vision for the north intersection at a meeting at the High Park Baptist Church to discuss the Bloor-Dundas ‘Avenue’ Study. 

Although it is technically not on Roncesvalles proper, the intersection should be of great interest to anyone concerned with renewing Roncesvalles.

Sandwiched between the Bloor Dundas ‘Avenue’ Study area and the Roncesvalles BIA, the intersection runs the risk of being forgotten. However, the Roncesvalles BIA has taken a strong interest in this section of Dundas, which connects Roncesvalles Village to the Dundas West subway station on Bloor.

The meeting at High Park Baptist Church is a follow-up to a meeting in November of 2008.  At the meeting on November 18, it appeared that more thought was being given to this neglected intersection.  Anne McIlroy, a lead consultant on the study, announced that the Dundas intersection was of significant pedestrian interest, and the plans, instead of displaying a concrete triangle, now shoed a “green triangle”.  Improved pedestrian access was also said to be in keeping with long-term goals.

At the upcoming meeting on January 26, there will be new information about land use at that intersection and examples of several built-form scenarios will be revealed.

The main issues for the Roncesvalles BIA and Roncesvalles Renewed are improving pedestrian traffic connections, property configuration and “greening” the intersection, with trees and shrubs.

When it comes to pedestrian connections, it’s important to understand that most visitors to Roncesvalles arrive from the Dundas West subway station, making it vital that the stretch of Dundas from Bloor to Roncesvalles become more pedestrian-friendly. There is a proposal to add a new exit at the Dundas West subway station, as the current configuration makes the walk southbound difficult. The sidewalks between Bloor and Roncesvalles are narrow and lack continuity. There are long stretches of parking lots, single-use retail with deep setbacks, and other features that make this walk unattractive to pedestrians. Proposals include widening the sidewalks and encouraging the building of mid-rise residential or office properties, with storefront retail at street level, to promote a steady flow of pedestrians down the street.

Negotiating the awkward system of signaled crosswalks at Roncesvalles, Dundas and Boustead adds to the difficulties for pedestrians.  The Roncesvalles BIA suggests improving the corner by shortening crosswalk distances and perhaps creating a "pedestrian scramble", thus eliminating the multiple crossings required simply to cross from the east side of Dundas to the west. In addition to crosswalk improvements, the corner could be reconfigured to include green space, trees, benches and public art.

The Roncesvalles BIA and Roncesvalles Renewed are also concerned about a proposed bumpout south of this intersection on the east side.  A series of bumpouts have been proposed by the TTC – selected spots along Roncesvalles where the sidewalk is widened so that transit riders can board the streetcar without crossing a lane of traffic.  If such bumpouts are to be built, Roncesvalles Renewed and the BIA believes they should be consolidated, where possible, with existing paved space, to allow for maximum public use.

Unfortunately, a recent preliminary plan for Dundas and Roncesvalles shows the proposed TTC bumpout lying south of this intersection on the east side, away from this very problematic corner. This configuration would not consolidate the corner space, nor would it shorten the east-west crosswalk.
 
Another concern is that city planners have chosen to leave room for two lanes of northbound traffic along the stretch of Dundas from Roncesvalles to Bloor. This seems like a wasted opportunity for increased pedestrain space.  It is not clear that a second lane of traffic is of much value, given that almost all northbound traffic comes from Roncesvalles, which has only one lane of traffic. It seems it would be easier for westbound Dundas traffic to merge with just one lane of northbound Roncesvalles traffic, as opposed to two. The need for this second lane, at this location, should be questioned and weighed against the lost opportunities for improving an important public space that links Bloor-Dundas to Roncesvalles Village.

Visit http://www.toronto.ca/planning/bloordundas.htm for more information on the Bloor Dundas ‘Avenue’ Study.

Please join us for the meeting on Monday, January 26 at High Park Baptist Church – Lower Auditorium, 9 Hewitt Avenue (at Roncesvalles Avenue). The meeting will begin with an Open House at 6:30 pm and a Presentation at 7:15 pm. Your input will help to improve and refine the draft framework for the study area. The draft framework will result in a final study report, and subsequent new urban design and zoning by-law provisions for the Bloor Dundas ‘Avenue’ Study area.