Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! Hope you were able to enjoy the long weekend with lots of food, as well as some riding. With today being sunny and 10’C, I rode 25 kilometres to check out the progress along the East Don Trail, new cycle tracks along Ferrand, and improvements to the Leaside Bridge.
Tonight marked the second cycling consultation I attended this week after the West Parkdale bikeway one on Tuesday which was also well attended. There was some security present at this consultation; probably because of last week’s event in Etobicoke. Even so, I didn’t see any protest signs tonight and there wasn’t a petition against this project as far as I know of, while there were still some concerns to be had. I already discussed the project in an earlier blog post, but wanted to take this opportunity to provide some additional information, as well as highlight some other projects coming down the pipe.
Last year, the City of Toronto announced plans to upgrade existing bikeways on the Leaside Bridge to cycle tracks which were approved by City Council. However, there was still a big question mark on providing an additional north-south connection from there to Danforth Avenue. The City recently announced a public consultation scheduled for Thursday, March 7 (6 – 8 PM) at 816 Logan Avenue to address just that.
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| The City of Toronto's proposed bikeway connecting the Leaside Bridge to Danforth Avenue |
All of us feel inconvenienced by construction regardless of how we get around; especially when projects keep getting delayed as what happened with the Eglinton Crosstown LRT. Per Luis Ledesma from the Cycling in Toronto Facebook group, Sanscon Construction was responsible for having several projects delivered behind schedule such as the College Street Upgrades and the King-Queen-Queensway-Roncesvalles (KQQR) Intersection. Another of their projects – Military Trail Road Reconstruction – was discussed at last week’s Infrastructure & Environment Committee (IEC) meeting. I will review these Sanscon projects and stress the need to hold contractors accountable when delivering projects that support climate action such as public transit and cycling.
Earlier this week, I was informed by a fellow concerned Torontonian – Kaila Hunte – that Broadview Avenue from Danforth Avenue to Gerrard Street would see streetcar track replacement and road resurfacing later this year with a virtual information session happening on Thursday, May 4 at 6:30 PM. Unfortunately, nothing for people biking was proposed as part of this project which represents the latest missed opportunity to make streets safer during construction. Another similar problem was raised by Cycle Toronto in Summer 2021 with the reconstruction of O’Connor Drive from St. Clair Avenue East to Bermondsey Road despite a requirement to take a complete streets approach by default as part of the 2019 Vision Zero update.
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| Map of Broadview Avenue construction (via City of Toronto) |
Next week’s Infrastructure and Environment Committee meeting will be the last one held before the 2022 election. Upon reviewing the agenda, there are seven items which affect people who bike. Let’s do a quick recap of the projects to bring you up to speed and encourage you to send your submission over the long weekend.
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| Map of Yorkdale Transportation Master Plan (via City of Toronto) |
IE31.10 (Yorkdale Transportation Master Plan) – The Yorkdale Transportation Master Plan covers an area from the Barrie GO line to the west, Allen Road to the east, Wilson Avenue to the north, and Lawrence Avenue to the south. The improvements will span over 20 years and is expected to cost between $356 to $458 million; the most expensive part of which involves extending Caledonia Road under Highway 401. Some cycling improvements are called for along Bridgeland Avenue, Yorkdale Road, Cartwright Avenue, and Dufferin Street. Dedicated pedestrian and cycling bridges are also called for crossing both the Barrie GO corridor and Highway 401. Here is a map of the plan for your reference.
