Ward 30 Bikes
Monday, June 22, 2015
The image is a proposal to add a pedestrian crossing across Eastern Avenue at the bottom of Rushbrooke Avenue. What do you think?
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| Image mark-up from a screen capture of a detail of the intersection via Toronto Maps v2 (http://map.toronto.ca/maps/map.jsp?app=TorontoMaps_v2&a=2%20Rushbrooke%20Ave) |
Eastern Avenue is a designed-for-speed Avenue with Bike Lanes on both sides from Logan to Leslie which has a couple of dangerous chicanes (at Rushbrooke to Leslie; and at Woodfield Rd to Coxwell).
On W30B's Jane's Walk this spring* (which Ward 30 Councillor Paula Fletcher attended) concerning the Ryerson Study we commissioned** - which visioned connecting the Jones Ave Bike Lanes to the Lake via Rushbrooke, Mosely and Leslie - it was not deemed possible to create the route that the Ryerson Students detailed due to a couple of issues.
But one element of the vision which did appear to have legs was a safe crossing for pedestrians (and cyclists) at the bottom of Rushbrooke. I've detailed through the years, many examples of people using Rushbrooke to walk south to the Big Box stores to do their shopping - and finding it quite difficult to cross Eastern Avenue there because of the fast design of the roadway; plus the chicane in the roadway which makes sight lines for both drivers and pedestrians difficult.
During the Jane's Walk a pedestrian crossing came up at the bottom of Rushbrooke as we watched several pedestrians trying to actually run the gauntlet there. Northbound pedestrians loaded with shopping bags - and if they're also parents - with strollers, can be seen having an even more difficult time crossing the roadway.
The image attached is a proposal for discussion, to add a pedestrian crossing across Eastern Avenue at the bottom of Rushbrooke.
I note that at T&EY Community Council a motion*** is in process to create Island Parking on the east side of Rushbrooke to enable more parking on that street for the residents who live there. The proposal also notes the traffic calming effects of Island Parking.
Also of note is item 3 of the motion:
Community Council Decision(my emphasis)
The Toronto and East York Community Council - June 16, 2015:
[...]
3: Requested the Director, Transportation Services, Toronto and East York District to undertake a review once the Leslie Barns and connecting track is operational and the cycling contraflow review has been completed.
So an amendment that talks to the Ryerson Student's Proposal for a Contra-flow on Rushbrooke? W30B has no knowledge of this.
After some quick number crunching - if the Island Parking goes in, the Ryerson Students proposal for a contra-flow on Rushbrooke goes out the window - because there is not enough width on Rushbrooke to have permanent west side parking, east side Parking Islands and a contra-flow beside the northbound traffic lane at the proposed 3.3 metre width (even at 3m there is not enough room - under a metre).
The drawing notes the start point of the most southerly of the four 2-car, west side, traffic islands proposed.
To make the westbound Eastern Avenue Bike Lanes safer (and to allow less confident eastbound cyclists a route north), I have added another street calming proposal to the drawing, a big bump-out on the northeast corner of the intersection; this plus widened sidewalks on the south side of Eastern Avenue creates a shorter distance across the roadway for pedestrians - and with this, a signaled pedestrian crossing from the northeast corner of Rushbrooke to the south side of Eastern just west of Mosely - at the westbound start of the Eastern Avenue chicane there.
What do you think?
References:
* Jane's Walk 2015 | Connecting Riverdale to the Lake - A Quick Start Proposal | http://janeswalk.org/canada/toronto/connecting-riverdale-lake-quick-start-proposal/
** Connecting Greater Riverdale to the Lake (pdf 69.25MB) | https://www.dropbox.com/s/md354m5wm9yekag/Connecting%20Greater%20Riverdale%20to%20the%20Lake_Final%20Report.pdf?dl=0
*** TE7.88 Parking Regulations - Rushbrooke Avenue | http://app.toronto.ca/tmmis/viewAgendaItemHistory.do?item=2015.TE7.88
Post at this blog: "W30B Jane's Walk: Connecting Riverdale to the Lake - A Quick Start Proposal" | http://ward30bikes.blogspot.ca/2015/04/w30b-janes-walk-connecting-riverdale-to.html
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