Complete Intersections in the context of the StudioCentre proposed development at 629 Eastern

by Michael Holloway
Lead - W30B Eastern Avenue working group


I created this image that attempts a close-to-scale drawing corrected to 180 degrees of the StudioCentre proposed Eastern-Caroline intersection.  The new street south is the same width as Eastern Avenue.

Copy it and paste it into a mark-up program (like MS Paint) and add your Complete Intersection treatment ideas - and post at the Google Doc we have up for discussion and writing of a report concerning the StudioCentre transportation context.

Google Doc - StudioCentre: Active Transportation Context | https://docs.google.com/document/d/1PvD4PFR1Cx-S0S_4oapq12YwpDE4QvEArOYuEsm1dPg/edit?usp=sharing

EMAIL Ward30Bikes and request editing permission.


The latest proposal includes bike lanes on new lower Caroline as a two-way roadway; existing Caroline remains one-way southbound with a Contraflow Bicycle Lane northbound. At the public meeting in June 2015, in a presentation by the BA Group Transportation specialist, several treatments were proposed for the north side of the intersection intended to prevent southbound Caroline motor vehicle traffic from proceeding south through the intersection (bikes excepted). The intersection is to be a signaled intersection with left turn lanes on westbound Eastern and on northbound Caroline.

Treatments of nearby intersections (Pape, Winnifred, Larchmount, Berkshire, Rushbrooke) to create connections north-south; and to better allow exits and entrances to the Eastern Avenue roadway are also a part of this process (thought we should start at the key, central intersection of the development proposal).


Michael Holloway
July 27, 2015

Tomorrow: Cycling Network Planning Ride with Cycling Unit Staff; 6pm - Bay/Queen to Woodbine

Meet at the globe sculpture near the northwest corner of Nathan Phillips Square at 6pm - and ride east to Woodbine.

Chris Bouchard's Facebook post from July 23rd:

All are welcome to join this Tuesday's Cycling Network Plan Scoping Ride, no need to RSVP, just show up.

This week (July 28), let's head on an eastward trajectory over to Woodbine Ave.
Same start time; 6pm, (we should wrap by around 8).
Same start location; City Hall - by the Globe on the North West corner of Nathan Phillips Square.

We are working on a new plan to identify opportunities, challenges and priorities so that we may connect, grow, and renew our Cycling Network over the Next 10 years.

Thanks for helping spread the word


(https://www.facebook.com/city.of.toronto.cycling/posts/10152813858741792?fref=nf)

mh

Bike Share has made it to Ward30!

Look what opened up last week just east of the DVP at Toronto Bike Share's maintenance depot:

Bike share now available on Dundas East between Munro and Hamilton - Just east of the DVP

It's not a huge fleet at this location... but it's a start!

Bike Month 2015 - that's a wrap!

With Bike Month officially over, here's a recap of all the things we were up to:


Top Row:  Bike Month kicked off with bike to school week.  Ward30 was there for a hugely popular Bike Train to Withrow Public School.  Ward30 was also there with Greenwood secondary school.  For Bike to Work day we helped marshal rides along the Danforth and Dundas East (with a cheeky cut through the Eaton's Centre pictured above) heading to city hall for the big pancake breakfast

Middle Row: June 6th was the big Bells on Danforth bike ride! Paula Fletcher spoke and shared the great news that the Riverdale Pedestrian bridge staircase down to the Lower Don Trail will be upgraded with a switchback ramp!  Amazing right?  Stay tuned, Ward30 members are part of the design process.   The Bells ride was a huge success and ended at a party with our friends at the Crossroads BIA.  Meanwhile momentum continued on the #danforthlovesbikes campaign where as of today over 50 businesses are on board!

3rd Row:  no time to rest - after Bells on Danforth we're off to Riverside where the BIA hosted an amazing Eats & Beats streetfestival.  Ward30bikes was helping out at the Bike It Block Party on Monro Street. With our friends at Switchback Cyclery we did a bike tune up and kids bike rodeo!  Big thank you to Quince Flowers for hosting a bike decoration station and to Chiropractic who had the blender fixed to a stationary bike for pedal powered smoothies!

4th Row:  later in Bike Month we were part of the 174 (!) people who took time to write into PWIC letters of support for the extension of Richmond and Adelaide bike lanes.  Moments of sadness at the Cycle Toronto lead die-in at city hall.  In the dark times of city cycling, we came together as a community with set meet up locations to ride en-mass to city all.  Hundreds of people were there.  Back out in the community you could find us at Leslieville Tree Festival and the Leslieville Farmers Market .  And  Waterfront Toronto's Queens Quay Re-opening festivities topped off bike month for us.   If you look closely, you can see Ward30bikes co-chair Brandon in this news clip

Fwew!  Another Bike Month over, but the summer has just started. There is so much more to come.

Ride on, everyone!

Eastern Avenue Don River to Queen-Kingston - Proposed Developments Context

By Michael Holloway
Ward 30 Bikes member


In order to frame the issue more clearly, I made a Eastern Avenue Context Map.

(Full Size: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitFmGGt5FYYkT3jQ5yE4uKc0COdL7bhSiNDJpSqXDmWYMfvVIPaN1a3fN87b7N0lQt3bIYueZL9KecocqThwUSeoTNw-4xGIcyPScurIvFLPy02NfnU3WtKk7duLae-qny6I-B8HM_Wzkg/s1600/Eastern+Avenue+Don+River+to+Queen-Kingston+Rd+-+Proposed+Developments+Context.jpg)

Together these development proposals along (so far) 3/4's of the length of Eastern Ave offer a huge opportunity for us to create a Spine Complete Street and at the same time remediate a major barrier to access to the waterfront along the bottom of our City, and our neighbourhood.

When considering the potential remember, when we talk about a roadway we must consider how it acts both as a connector and as a barrier. Right now Eastern acts as a barrier to east-west cycle traffic because it is not connected west and east, and it also is designed such that getting onto it and off of it, is extremely hazardous. Eastern acts a barrier north-south because is is a 'built-for-speed', 'move-cars-fast' designed street.

Induced traffic via the FirstGulf's Project21 and StudioCentre's developments; plus much higher residential density at the 3 now-in-process condo developments on Eastern (and several nearby on Queen St) means if left as is, Eastern will become a greater barrier, a greater hazard, than it is now.

Not to mention the fine-filtering that increased volumes will induce on the local neighbourhood streets that run off of it (also a barrier for cyclist traffic).

The TTC Russell Yards bottle-neck at Connaught to Minto is a problem and an opportunity. It could be a dangerous pinch point, or it could be the Nut of a beginning of a process of calming Eastern east of Leslie; and the beginning of a vision to create Bike Lanes east of Leslie.

Woodfield Rd is an excellent connector from the top of East York at the Cosburn Bike Lanes, and travels almost straight down to the LDRT on quiet residential streets. As such Woodfield is an opportunity to calm Eastern just west of the high-speed chicane there leading to the new pinch point at Connaught that the TTC is constructing right now.

Michael Holloway
July 4, 2015


mh

Cyclist / Pedestrian Turning Count at Rushbrooke & Eastern

By Michael Holloway
Ward 30 Bikes member

The Image below is the results of a Turning Count I did on Tuesday, June 30 at the corner of Rushbrooke and Eastern between 6pm and 7pm (light spitting rain).

The count demonstrates what can be seen by standing and watching the intersection for 5 minutes: in one hour about 50 pedestrians came out of the neighbourhood (mostly via Rushbrooke) in order to cross into FreshCo Parking Lot.

Also of note is the improvised pedestrian crossing just east of the Garage (this is where a pedestrian was killed in 2010).

While I was there two people (separately) stopped to vocalize their support for a Crosswalk with signals. They were both so passionate about it they gave me their names, addresses and phone numbers! (both live at Jones/Queen).

It's a complex intersection - any questions about how to read the count, please ask.



mh