Does Streetcar's Riverside Square proposal make the Cycling Connection across the DVP?

View Does Streetcar's Riverside Square proposal make the Cycling Connection across the DVP? in a larger map

Did a walkabout today (Sunday, October 19, 2014) of the Riverside Square proposed Development by Streetcar - to begin to understand their proposed connections planning.

Streetcar.ca | Welcome to Riverside Square | http://streetcar.ca/welcome-riverside-square/

We know that safe cycling routes attract cyclist users; but we also know that if that safe route is not a direct one it will not attract users just as if it were a dangerous route. The distances of the two comparable routes: straight over the "death ramp" - 1.2km; and via Streetcar's route - 1.9km (see the sidebar placemark notations at the map - http://goo.gl/maps/nykAU ).

In my opinion the streetcar development proposal does nothing more than connect two parks on either side of the Don Valley for recreational users. It does nothing to connect Scarborough to the Downtown; it does nothing to connect the Don Valley Trail to the cycling infrastructure on the road grid in the neighbourhoods to the east or to the west of it.

Does Streetcar's Riverside Square proposal make the Cycling Connection across the DVP? A Map: http://t.co/mo2p1JZlhy @STREETCARlofts #biketo
— Ward 30 Bikes (@Ward30Bikes) October 20, 2014

That being said - the development proposal is a giant leap forward in development planning in that it includes a complete streets transportation vision as part of the architectural design process in the redevelopment (and densification) of a neighbourhood.

Image: Streetcar's Proposed Cycle Network for Riverside Square

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W30B News - New Official Bike Plan Feedback - October Meeting Minutes

City of Toronto - New Bike Plan

Right now, one of the things we're doing is looking for feedback on what Main Streets and what Residential Streets you think should be cycling infrastructure priorities in the next 5, and also in the next 10 years.

It's an early phase of a process towards the New Official Bike Plan that the City of Toronto is working on.

We need your feedback on this by the end of the 1st week of November.

'Main Streets' mean protected bike lanes on major arterial roadways;

Suggested so far:

• Broadview is a key collector – needs facilities
• Danforth cycling separated facilities
• Eastern Ave to Broadview and over DVP to Adelaide/Richmond lanes
• Carlaw needs cycle facilities (perhaps in combination with Logan)
• Out of ward – Bayview / Connection to Brickworks
• Out of Ward – eastern to beaches
• Ramp to lower don trail
• Leslie St complete street
• Martin Goodman Trail Intersections at Carlaw and Cherry
• Speed reduction
• Queen St / King St. solutions?

'Residential Streets' mean 'Bicycle Boulevards', or neighbourhood streets that connect across the city to some extent - that you think should get cycling priority treatments - like:

• reduced speed limits,
• on-street colour,
• speed bumps moved off the curbside to allow cyclists to ride through smoothly,
• cyclist priority at 4-way stop intersections,
• phased signals along the route that work to keep cyclists moving at major signalized roadways,
• Contraflow lanes on one-way streets to create long, legal and safe routes for cyclists ...

Read more: At our last meeting's Minutes - at our Facebook group (must have a Facebook account, and Join the Group): https://www.facebook.com/groups/148229472024000/permalink/341214889392123/

If your not a Facebook-er - we have published the Minutes on a Page here at the Blog: http://ward30bikes.blogspot.ca/p/v-behaviorurldefaultvmlo.html

If you have an opinion on new cycling infrastructure priorities please comment - here, or at the Facebook link.


Michael Holloway
Ward 30 Bikes