Carlaw + Dundas Public Realm Initiatives - visioning a network of 'people-safe' corridors that connect local destinations

By Michael Holloway - member, Ward 30 Bikes

This article is intended to initiate a discussion towards creating more people-centred public spaces along the flanks of the Carlaw Avenue Corridor between Queen and Gerrard via a very-local network of complete streets treatments and multi-use paths that together, become 'Invitations' to active transportation choices; routes that will - for walkers and cyclists - connect neighbourhood destinations and public amenities already in place along this dangerous corridor which is congested with motor vehicle traffic most of the day.

Below is Ward 30 Bikes representative, Michael Holloway's submission via the Online Survey posted for the 3rd round of the Carlaw + Dundas Public Realm Initiatives public consultation (as per the June 21, 2016 Open House at Morse Street School Gym - http://www.carlawdundas.ca/about-project). Michael Holloway attended all the events through this two-and-a-half year process.

Only the sections of the survey where Michael wrote in feedback are represented in this article. This edited presentation does not include all the Options, or the Images that supported unanswered Options that appeared on: the paper survey; the display boards at the Morse Street School event; or in the Online Survey (which is unfortunately now closed - http://fluidsurveys.com/s/CarlawDundas/)

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Page 2 (16%)

Preliminary Jimmie Simpson Gateway Concept Design Options

 

Option 1 - Colgate Avenue Gateway

[no answer]

Option 2 - Colgate Avenue Gateway

Option 2 - What do you like? Why?

Like. Arc is welcoming.

Option 2 - What would you change? Why?

Ornamental Grasses - replace with naturally occurring vegetation in a bioswale - which pools temporarily, runoff from storm events in a wet/dry bowl feature planted with naturally occurring vegetation. Funnel the entrance feature and near-by sidewalk's run-off into this bioswale.

Perhaps copy at this entrance the existing stainless steel checker plate, 19″ high letter inlay in the sidewalks at the corner of Queen/Broadview? Perhaps with the words "Jimmy Simpson Park"

---

The Entrance feature is for active transportation modes - so it is an entrance way for pedestrians, cyclists, parents with strollers, skateboarders, elderly with mobility devices, the blind using their canes, and so on.

So:

1) Create a pedestrian and cyclist friendly Colgate Ave from Carlaw to Booth (I suggest wider sidewalks between Carlaw and Natalie Place; bike lanes along the entire stretch where possible, sharrows where not possible - safety treatments at transition pinch points (like where the roadway changes widths at Natalie Place); dedicated cycle crossing lanes beside the cross hatches of a new crosswalk across Colgate/Booth;

2) Create entrance features that assist active transportation modes - narrow the crossing area at Booth with bump-outs, add dual pedestrian crosswalk / mounted cyclists' crossing, add blind (and sighted) crosswalk signals;

3) Create pathways in the Park that allow egress for all active transportation modes, to and from the Park's amenities.
(Best practice might be to wait some time after the entrance way is completed and investigate where people travel in the Park via the new entrance - and then add appropriately placed Multi-use Trails at a later date);

4) And add elements along those routes which support the people using them at the amenities which they are using - like 11 Ring & Post bike lock-ups for the soccer field (ie. enough lock-ups for two full teams) placed along the west side of Booth north of Colgate connected to the entrance feature via a Multi-use Path; similarly at the skating rink, basketball pad, tennis pad, hockey pad - and especially - at the main entrance to the recreation centre.
(Existing are too few and badly placed - currently hidden under a tree with no lighting; rather, needs to be 'front and centre', well lit, and near the doors ... in order to keep 'eyes' on the lock-up area. Also, the existing bike lock-up amenity is of bad design and is broken and rusting).

Option 2 - How does the proposed concept meet your needs?

[no answer]

Option 3 - Booth Avenue and Queen Street Gateway

Option 3 - What do you like? Why?

Arc is welcoming.

Option 3 - What would you change? Why?

Existing feature has bad sight-lines at night - feels scary there - seating is hidden away in the shadows; the entire construct blocks a view into the Park behind it. Open it up, but at the same time provide a friendly space to hang out and active transportation amenities for those who travel to the Park via this entrance-way.

Option 3 - How does the proposed concept meet your needs?

[no answer]

Page 3 (50%)

Preliminary Boston Avenue Boulevard Improvements

What do you like? Why?

Like the walking path - but it ends at a parking lot. People using the space have created their own walking path - installing a regulation path won't help the underlying issues -> no sight-lines, dark, path doesn't connect Dundas to the residential buildings.

In my opinion, connecting the walking path to the residential buildings is the only way to create a sustainable public space here; otherwise this is a waste of money.

To make this connection, perpendicular private parking on the west side of Boston from the empty lineal space down to the south face of 245(R) Carlaw should be ended somehow - perhaps an accommodation with the landowners (if this is private land) to improve the back of their building (tattered old fence, rutted gravel driveway) at the same time as a sidewalk and a boulevard is constructed.

This could be done by swinging the parking to parallel along this section, which at the same time would make room for a connection between the winding path to the existing sidewalks to the south. Plus there are lots of empty parking spaces in the lot at the southeast corner of Dundas/Boston.

Bike Lanes

Also, Boston is a good candidate for a contraflow bicycle lane. A northbound contraflow on Boston would help residents of the nearby developments connect to Dundas - and via Heward - to Eastern.

Queen / Carlaw intersection centres a vibrant local community, Boston as a north-south bike route allows 8/80 cycling to the Dundas and Eastern Avenue Bikes lanes (which provide an 8/80 route to the lake front).

Carlaw is not a presently a cycling street. It is congested during peak hours (7 hours a day) with tense, hopped-up LSB commute drivers.

Oddly, the street it is considered a 'destination' by planning staff - yet there is no safe way to bicycle to any of the places along Carlaw between Queen and Dundas; thus connecting cyclists to area destinations - and nearby commuter routes - via Boston and via Logan/Colgate as I've stressed above) would be an ideal alternative to Carlaw.

Page 4 (66%)

Signature Marker Design Competition Shortlist Submissions

Submission #3: Pierre Poussin - "Brick Obelisk"

Best of the lot. But penile, and there's already too much of that at this corner.

How about something penile that has to do with Trains (as it is on the historical railway easement).

Perhaps a sculpture that evokes the classic railway signal post - made out of old rail tracks! (Classic railway signal posts:

Via Dr Elizabeth R. Tuttle Professor of Engineering, University of Denver - https://mysite.du.edu/~etuttle/rail/sigs1.gif

Or - a scale miniature of an old railroad station house - made of scale sized bricks?

.. An old railroad station house?

Via Esprit Co - http://edc.h-cdn.co/assets/cm/15/04/980x653/54c1a7c9c72a7_-_devera-edc-04-14-3-xln-xln.jpg

End

mh

Advocacy in Action! Keeping Bike Lanes During Construction Projects

It started in early January 2015.

The councillor's office emailed us to ask for some input on a section of the Dundas East bike lanes at Carlaw that would be impacted by a condo development.  The request from the developer was to close part of the bike lane as part of the staging area for the construction of their second phase condo.  A few hundred meters of bike lane closure would result in cyclists having to merge with motor traffic, a safety issue the councillor's office was looking to mitigate.  And this closure would last almost a year, right on the back of the bike lane closure right next door at the first phase of the condo development.  We were potentially looking at a grand total of 2 years of partial lane closures in what is in our opinion, the most heavily used bike lane in the east end.

So, a few ideas were suggested.  Maybe some sharrows and some signage that stated 'shared usage lane single file" would help motorists to stay alert for merging bike traffic.   But then one of Ward30bikes' members Vivien suggested something much safer.  On the south side of Dundas, directly across from construction  site were 4 on street car parking spots.  If we could temporarily remove those 4 parking spots during the construction period and restripe the road, all the lanes could shift south and remain open.  Bike lane, car lane, car lane, bike lane.    This sounded MUCH better than:  merged bike/car lane, car lane, bike lane, parking spots.

So we proposed it, and to our delight the councillors office and Streetcar developments were supportive.  A site visit was organised in February for us and also bringing in city staff.  The site visit went very quickly.  All parties agreed it could be done.

So, with a plan, things were underway.  Council approvals happened, but then we had to wait.  Mostly for weather conditions to improve to do the scraping and painting, but there were also some misunderstandings between city departments thinking it couldn't be done, but then in fact it could.    The group of us working on this really were hoping this would have happened in April, but such is life with city processes sometimes.

Eventually it did happen, and in early May our bike lane re-opened (to lots of cheers from us!).

A big thank you to Paula Fletcher's office for being pro-active on dealing with cyclist safety issues and asking for our input at the beginning.  Also a very big thank you to Streetcar Developments for being open to our ideas for keeping cyclists safe during their development work.

This story was picked up in the Beach Mirror: http://www.insidetoronto.com/news-story/5646319-dundas-bike-lane-re-opens-in-leslieville/

But also, just today PWIC voted unanimously in favour of improving cyclist safety during construction. Thank you to  Councillors Joe Cressy, Mike Layton, and Mary-Margaret McMahon for championing this at the committee.  

Ward30 Planning Matters Open House - Ward30bikes was there

Last week Councillor Paula Fletcher and her office hosted a Planning Matters Open House.  The open house included representatives from the city, and local developers to speak about the on going and planned projects for our ward.  Portlands, Broaview Ave extension, Downtown relief line, the fate of the Gardiner, new condo developments - all there in one room.

It was a great community information night, and gave residents the opportunity to ask questions  and make suggestions directly to the people working on these projects.

And Ward30bike was there!  Questioning the plans, reiterating the desire for safe cycle infrastructure to the waterfront (had a great chat with the city planner about the Broadview Ave extension plans and getting access to that little Ward30 jewel Cherry Beach), bike parking along Queen St, and cycle connections across the DVP.    It was also great to see that Councilor Fletcher's office invited a familiar face from the City of Toronto cycling department.  When you get all these people in one room you can hear things like:  '...well we would want to work with the city on that bike lane connection' ' ... so you mean me?' and friendly laughter.

Aside from what we were advocating, it was nice to hear so many residents also express their desires for cycling infrastructure incorporation into these projects.  On the positive, Streetcar developments has in their plans underground weather protected bike parking for residents of their condos. Streetcar also has some ideas on their presentation board for building multi-use connections to some new (to be developed by the city) park space nestled around the DVP eastern Ave pocket (like a smaller version of Corktown Common). They had some big ideas up on their board including a new pedestrian / cycle bridge connection across the dvp parallel to Eastern Ave. The reality (and funding!!) of such an ambitious idea remains to be seen, but when they dream, they dream in fully accessible urban planning.

A note for councilor, I would encourage that funding and implementing these multi-use connections, parklands and greenery be conditional on any development permits.  As one resident that night said, it would be a tragedy for our neighbourhood if this development took shape like the "ghetto-ized" concrete Liberty Village.

Speaking of Liberty Village, overheard was a few residents expressing concern of the potential congestion on the Queen Streetcar line that could result from all the planned condo development.  Definitely a concern that Queen could become the new King Streetcar.  The city of Toronto's planning department representative confirmed that they are running traffic studies for the area, so it's a start.

Finally a note of shame on the presentation of the former Jilly's landmark.  I wish I caught a photo of the Streetcar Developments presentation board that showed Queen Street with a fully redeveloped Jilly's. The street scene showed 2 streetcars slinking down the middle of the road.  On the north side two cyclists pedaled joyously. On the south side a carefree jogger crossed the street, with their delightful golden retriever in tow.  Pedestrians lined the streets casually walking and enjoying this car free utopia.

I questioned the developer.  'Are you proposing that Queen East become car free? '  'Oh no.  Hmm, you know developers... we'll get that picture changed'.

Looks so much like this:  designing nice streets is easy when you pretend cars do not exist

More Dundas bike lane closures - your action please!

Action required ASAP - by Mon Jan 11, 2015.

RE: Construction Staging Area - 1220 Dundas Street East (just east of Carlaw)

B/c of condo construction work by Streetcar Developments, "Transportation Services is recommending that City Council approve the closure of the sidewalk and a bicycle lane on the north side of Dundas Street East, between a point 70.4 metres east of Carlaw Avenue and a point 125.2 metres east of Carlaw Avenue, from February 11, 2015 to December 31, 2015." 

A temporary pedestrian walkway would be created in the bicycle lane, and bicycle lane would be gone for rest of 2015!  We've already had bike lane closures for condo developments in this area through most of 2014.

Please go to Agenda Item for more details, and to submit comments/suggestions.

http://app.toronto.ca/tmmis/viewAgendaItemHistory.do?item=2015.TE3.42

Problems with the comments/suggestions button?  the button triggers a compose email pop up, copy and paste the below and send your feedback:

To: teycc@toronto.ca

Subject:  My comments for 2015.TE3.42 on January 13, 2015 Toronto and East York Community Council

Message body:

To the City Clerk:

Please add my comments to the agenda for the January 13, 2015 Toronto and East York Community Council meeting on item 2015.TE3.42, Construction Staging Area - 1220 Dundas Street East

I understand that my comments and the personal information in this email will form part of the public record and that my name will be listed as a correspondent on agendas and minutes of City Council or its committees. Also, I understand that agendas and minutes are posted online and my name may be indexed by search engines like Google.

Comments:

[add your feedback here]

Queen St., Logan, Port Lands, South of Eastern, Dundas/Carlaw Corridor - a walk-about to discover North-South Cycling Opportunities

Learning through reading, walk-abouts and writing: Bouchette Street, Logan Avenue & Carlaw Avenue --- Commissioners to Dundas

I did a walk-about of the 'South of Eastern Employment Area' in a corridor which includes Carlaw Ave, Logan Ave - and south of Lake Shore, a possible connection from Broadview - Bouchette Street. My walk-about started at Queen Street and Logan, down to McCleary Park and then Bouchette Street to Commissioners. I returned to the neighbourhood via Carlaw from Lake Shore up to the Dundas Bike Lanes.

The map below shows the southerly route in green, and the return trip in red. The purple line is: 'Jeez! I wish that on the way back I had continued east on Commissioners for one block over to Carlaw and the Turning Basin!'  (click on place marks and lines for more route data and short narratives).


View Walking the Port Lands Planning Precincts in a larger map

I was looking for a way to create a North-South Cycling Corridor - as many have suggested a need for this in our Problem/Opportunities outreach to the East Side Community (see CycleTO, Ward 30 Bikes - Problems/Opportunities Map: http://goo.gl/maps/Musw4).

Here' my walk about route Friday December 13, 2013 - on an image of the Port Lands Master Plan pedestrian/cycling map. My walk-about route down is in Green - back up is in Yellow (extending up to Dundas St East).

City of Toronto Planning - Transportation and Servicing Master Plan - Page 5 of 9 - Pedestrian/Cycling Network Map (top of the map is about half way to Queen St.)

(Note how I tried to cross Lake Shore Blvd. at rush hour - bad idea - getting to the median at 5pm was easy, but then I couldn't get across the eastbound lanes no matter how long I waited it seemed. Eventually I decided I had to walk on the median east from Logan to the lights at Carlaw - but saw a walking opportunity, and crossed through grid-locked traffic, about a football field's length from the lights.)

These connectivity issues are being addressed by City of Toronto Planing in their "Transportation and Servicing Master Plan" study - a part of the "Port Lands Acceleration Initiative" - an over-all planning process for the Port Lands and the South of Eastern Avenue area which extends from the Don River over to about Coxwell and down to Unwin Avenue.

To connect the Port Lands and the Waterfront to the city, I'm also exploring north of Eastern by walking it, and reading the Dundas/Carlaw Corridor Study Documents (see link below) - and then also I intend to walk up to Riverdale Ave (just below Withrow Park) - above which the cycling / pedestrian conditions become much better. (There are issues - but those for another post.)

There's a lot to digest in these five Port Lands studies - so I'm making my way through the Transportation and Servicing Master Plan documents first - and at the same time walking the connection routes through the study areas - and - writing up my learning and understandings gleaned from the process as I go.

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Below is an image I produced from City of Toronto Planning, Transportation and Servicing Master Plan, page 5 of 9 - zoomed to 800% - showing part of their proposed Pedestrian/Cycling Network that this article focuses on: Contra-flow Bike Lanes on Carlaw and Logan - intended to connect the existing neighbourhoods to the new Port Lands and to the Waterfront.

City of Toronto Planning  - Transportation and Servicing Master Plan - Page 5 of 9 Zoom -  Pedestrian/Cycling Network - Contra-flow Bike Lanes on Carlaw and Logan below Eastern

On Logan Avenue the Master Plan suggests a One-way with a Contra-flow Lane and On-street Parking.I'm not particularly fond of Contra-flows as we have designed them so far, they are not intuitive (plus one feels like car drivers don't understand it - don't expect you there. Perhaps paint on the street is a fix). So when I did my walk I was imagining either painted on Bike Lanes or a separated Cycle Track along one side.

I started my walk at Queen Street East and Logan Avenue at about 4:30pm (rush hour is just beginning to peak into grid lock). The street seems quite narrow (is it? - tape measure next time), so to add a North-South Bike Route to the street it was either make Logan Ave a One-Way and put in a Contra-flow Bike Lane - or maintain the two-way street, narrow the lanes and add a separated Cycle Track on one side, and keep On-Street parking on the other.

I'll leave out South of Lake Shore for this post - it's a whole different thing. At this time I'm more concerned with how we are going to connect to it, rather than how we may wish to develop it - except to say -  visioning 30% active transportation - aka Complete Streets.

Coming back up I took Carlaw. Carlaw is one of five "Gateway" to the Port Lands - since it already goes across Lake Shore Boulevard. Plans in 2010 and 2012 have always included this and a possible extension with a bridge south of the turning basin. So Lake Shore to Eastern I imagined Carlaw with wider sidewalks; narrower lanes and a Cycle Track along the West side - with on-street parking on the East side. Or - Bike Lanes on both sides - which means no on-street parking (lots of push-back there).

Same goes for Carlaw Ave below Eastern. It seems very uncomfotable walking there - especially on the west side sidewalk at Lake Shore. On the East side sidewalk planners have already installed a Complete Streets deep corner that feels a whole lot safer.

Continuing up Carlaw the sidewalks are really narrow and the buildings seem to almost brush your shoulder as you're walking.

I was thinking wider sidewalks two car lanes and a cycle track on the West side - perhaps On-Street parking on the East side if there's room - but I doubt it.


Above Eastern Carlaw Ave seems to open up a little - I imagine a Cycle Track along the West side of the street - two lanes for cars and On-street parking on the East side of the street.

Placing the Cycle Track on the West side of Carlaw works nicely with Morse Street Public School - kids (and their parents) should enjoy (be relieved) having the cycle track take them right to their schools' front door.

Bike Parking Amenity and Car Parking at Morse Street Jr. Public School - looking South from the middle of Carlaw - just South of Queen

Morse Street Jr. Public has a 30-car Parking Lot just South of the building. Just to the North of the car park beside the driveway for the parking lot is an aging, rusted bike rack of bad design (not useful if you want to lock your back wheel). The contraption sits tilting slightly, amidst weeds growing through the cement on the border of a collapsing textured area near the rear doors of the school.

Image - City of Toronto Transportation Services, Bicycle
Infrastructure Unit - Queen Street West Bicycle
Parking Study Slide Deck (page 15 of 20)

As part of my visioning here I see losing one-third of the car parking and installing a canopied bike parking amenity on the parking lot area closest to the school - narrowing the driveway to the lot so cars cannot use it and make that the entrance-way for bikes. The car park entrance can come from the alleyway to the South.

From here walking North you come to Queen Street and the beginning of the Dundas/Carlaw Corridor Study Area. Again it looks like the same Cycle Track on the West side. The sidewalk on the North-west corner has been widened to accomodate the Bus stop - this area feels good.

I believe Planners at the T&EY-CC Planning Workshop have imagined wider sidewalks up this side of Carlaw here. (Phase One of the Dundas/Carlaw Corridor Study is completing now - another Public Workshop is scheduled in January 2014 - Documents at Councillor Paula Fletcher's website: http://paulafletcher.ca/discover-ward-30/community-planning/#carlaw ) 

The building under construction just above Colegate Ave on the West side has created a raised fronting that will allow sitting there. This structure looks to allow the sidewalk to widen to the comparable width to that of the Bus Stop area at the corner to the South at Queen. The Dundas/Carlaw Corridor Study also suggests Colegate gets a Complete Streets treatment - narrowing the roadway and expanding the sidewalks as an pedestrian friendly corridor West over to Jimmy Simpson Park.

The East side of Carlaw through here feels like a wall. The sidewalks need to be widened here. I suggest losing a lane and adding trees and seating amenities.

There is a break between the two long street fronts (between 239 & 345 Carlaw) that could add to the illusion that the wall of existing built form is broken up; for example a big tree pushing out into the street-view looking South would do it. Also the hydro lines running along the street on the east side add to the lineal 'wall effect' and could be buried when the street is reconstructed.

The Canyon Effect on the East Side of Carlaw looking South from in front of 245 Carlaw - arrow shows alleyway between 235 & 245 Carlaw - break sight lines by burying wires; shaped steel lattice-work between buildings with ivy; large sculpture; colour ...

___________________

That's  it for now.

I'll scout Logan and Carlaw below Lake Shore Boulevard next. My walk along the south side of Lake Shore Boulevard and down Bouchette Street and a little West on Commisioners on Friday the 13th was Really interesting! But I'll save that for a South of Lake Shore Boulevard Connections Opportunities post - next time.

After I've thoughly scouted this corridor south - I plan to walk Boothe Avenue - which looks really interesting on the map.

What's that massive CineSpace Film Studios building doing there? Is there a route through the property? What are the Planners thinking about that? Is that company going to move south into the Film Studio Precinct someday?

Is Bouchette Street a possibility for a North-South crossing of the Grand Boulevard after the Eastern Gardiner Study recommends flattening that structure that ends there?  What about the extension of Broadview down below Eastern? What of a Bike Trail by the Don River there?

Then I take Logan up to Riverdale Ave - and then scout down the Pape-Riverdale-Carlaw corridor and back down to Dundas at Carlaw again.

___________________

Links, References

Port Lands Acceleration Initiative (all the links to all the Study Documents) | http://www.portlandsconsultation.ca/


Ward 30 Bikes | Bike Infrastructure BIG Talking Point at Public Consultation for Dundas/Carlaw Corridor Planning Study | ward30bikes.blogspot.ca/2013/10/bike-infrastructure-big-talking-point.html

City of Toronto Transportation Services, Bicycle Infrastructure Unit - Queen Street West Bicycle Parking Study | http://www1.toronto.ca/wps/portal/contentonly?vgnextoid=60400995bbbc1410VgnVCM10000071d60f89RCRD&vgnextchannel=4655970aa08c1410VgnVCM10000071d60f89RCRD

City of Toronto Transportation Services, Bicycle Infrastructure Unit - Queen Street West Bicycle Parking Study Slide Deck | http://www1.toronto.ca/staticfiles/city_of_toronto/transportation_services/cycling/files/pdf/draft3_bike_parking_study_oct8.pdf

Visioning a Cycle Track on the Dundas / Carlaw Corridor using "StreetMix"

By Michael Holloway

A Cycle Track can move many more people per hour in one lane, than two traffic lanes with cars can. If we build bike lanes in a congested city - people on bikes will come ... thus reducing the number of people using their cars. Adding cycling infrastructure will reduce the congestion that we are all experiencing on Toronto's arterial roadways - at all hours of the business day it seems these days.

Using this "StreetMix" application I can visualize Carlaw Ave in different configurations based on a known Roadway Footprint measurement. For this test I've chosen a 13 metre wide footprint (property line to property line).

Here's Carlaw Avenue as it exists now (assuming 13m) at off-peak hours: two traffic lanes; two parking lanes; and very narrow sidewalks (a function of the Industrial 'built-form' - the architectural and cultural history of the area).

Play with the 'Carlaw Avenue (Existing)': http://streetmix.net/-/96671


Now there are just two car lanes, one northbound and one southbound - wider sidewalks, and a "Cycle Track" (a two-way Bike Lane) on the West side of Carlaw. I also added a separation island for the Cycle Track, and made the sidewalk as wide as I could...

Below I narrowed the Cycle Track and the separation device so it equals the 2.8 metre width of the car lanes. (total car lanes: 5.6 metres). I've widened the sidewalks as much as possible once again.

That feels better. :)



Play with 'Carlaw Avenue (remix)': http://streetmix.net/-/96663

StreetMix: http://streetmix.net/



mh

Bike Infrastructure BIG Talking Point at Public Consultation for Dundas/Carlaw Corridor Planning Study

There was lots of 'Bike Amenities' talk at last nights' initial "Dundas/Carlaw Corridor Study" Public Consultation.

The meeting was held at 326 Carlaw Avenue in the buildings' 3rd floor Amenity Room - a spacious, open room which looks out through three floor-to-ceiling patio doors onto a large, wooden roof-top deck.

Ward 30 Councillor, Paula Fletcher introduced the meeting by putting the study into context for everyone. She noted that this study is one of five area planning studies being undertaken right now by City Planners at her bidding - as Leslieville and South Riverdale and Riverside are experiencing a tremendous growth in the rate of development.

An over-view of the planning process and the history of recent planning in the area was then outlined by City of Toronto Planner, Heather Baron - who then set us to work at our facilitated working group sessions at five tables spaced around the large room.

Each table had 8 to 10 citizens along with a representative from one of the various City departments involved in the study - working as facilitators. Over 45 minutes we went through a list of items prepared by the organizers related to Councillor Fletchers' motion at Toronto and East York Community Council, and our opinions about Public Amenities in the study area.

The categories listed on the big discussion papers that organizers had placed on each table (along with a selection of maps, artists' street-scape renderings, and other documents from Planning) were so broad that they simply acted as a starting point for what people already had on their minds - but also worked as a guide so that we were all addressing basically the same issues.

("Public Amenities" I should note here, as far as I understand it in a Planning context, has a very broad meaning. Public Amenities are any tangible, or intangible thing about a public space that make life easier; more comfortable; nicer; more beautiful; more organized; more intuitive; more effective - for the people using it. In other words, stuff that Helps as opposed to Hinders the culture that we collectively are - and that we are becoming.)


I noted right away there was no mention of bicycles, bike lanes, bike parking or cycling as a transportation choice, anywhere in the documents or the introduction.

After the facilitated round-table discussions - someone from each table presented their groups' notes to the entire meeting.

All five tables noted cycling issues in the study area. Cycling it seems, is an essential element in a discussion of quality of life in public spaces.

I was shocked - by the time the fifth table began reporting I was waiting for the cycling mention like one anticipates a hit late in a ball game. Then, Wham-o! Table five talked more than any other about cycling issues!

After the reports were done people were encouraged to take the floor and say whatever they wanted. A conversation broke out that went on for some time. About what you may wonder? ...

Bike parking of coarse!


The times they are-a-changing. It appears that there are a lot of people in the neighbourhood who are using their bikes on a very regular basis. The bike - and the amenities one needs to use a bicycle as a primary transportation mode - are apparently integral to this evolving neighbourhoods' life-style choice.

As a ward group representative for Cycle Toronto's "Ward 30 Bikes" at these meetings - I'll represent this point of view as this public consolation process continues, with another Public Consultation meeting scheduled for January.


References:

Toronto.ca TIMMIS | Agenda Item History | Dundas/Carlaw Corridor Study | http://app.toronto.ca/tmmis/viewAgendaItemHistory.do?item=2013.TE22.84

Councillor Paula Fletcher web | Community Planning in Ward 30 - Carlaw Dundas Study | http://paulafletcher.ca/discover-ward-30/community-planning/#carlaw




mh


N.B. The acoustics in that room made it very hard for some people to hear. Two other people mentioned it during the meeting. I, for example have frequency hearing loss in one ear that has the effect of turning reflecting acoustic waves into white noise. I had to step out of the room for most of the five-table facilitation process because the voices of all the people talking all at once bounced around for me, like light does in a house of mirrors.