Tommy Thompson Park Entrance Pavilion - stakeholder meeting 2

[Written in Facebook¹ and posted here with link added]

2nd Tommy Thompson Park, Entrance Pavilion stakeholder meeting Presentation PDF came in email this morning.

So everyone has a better idea of what is proposed at this point, I publish three slides from the presentation.

1. Pedestrian & Bicycle Circulation.
2. Bus / Shuttle circulation.
3. Layout Strategy (noting the 'Tabletop' outline)

Image 1

Pedestrian & Bicycle Circulation

Image 2

Bus / Shuttle circulation

Image 3

Layout Strategy

Public motor vehicle circulation happens only on the entrance driveway (left side of the image south off Unwin) and in the parking lot area ... NOT on the Spur Road's 'Tabletop' (a ~20cm raised platform that defines a relaxed pedestrian dominated zone).

In this cycling advocate's opinion, the numbers of Bicycle Parking spots are way too few - not only as compared with excessive number of parking spots for cars (110) - but also as it relates to the reality of a Park in the midst of a dense urban built form that requires by it's nature, a sustainable, active lifestyle.

Again in this cycling advocate's opinion, the placement of the Bike Parking is sure to make both facilities VERY INSECURE:

• Bicycle Parking south of the Pavilion is hidden behind the structure and is down off the Tabletop - so likely invisible from Unwin/Leslie;
• The other Bike Parking area is at the southern most extent of the precinct - as far from Leslie/Unwin as is possible in this site plan - and is also down off the raised welcome area - so hidden by distance, and topography.

As well, the proposed Bicycle Parking is away from potential Police patrol routes on Unwin and Leslie; they are Unlit, and, Uncovered.

The sense one gets from this document is that the major users of the park - by a vast amount (80% cyclists vs 20% all other visitors) are an after-thought; and embarrassment, an irritation. To put into marketing speak: the Cycling Culture will hurt the Park's 'brand'.

All these small elemental 'Disses' add up to the exact opposite effect that industry best practice and City of Toronto environmental, transportation and planning policy try to achieve towards modern sustainable city-building.

Despite how crappy it makes me feel, I will continue playing the annoying irritant that you can't scratch - at Stakeholder Meeting 3 - coming up shortly.

Michael Holloway,
Tommy Thompson Park User Group,
Cycling Representative
2011-2017


¹  Facebook @ Ward 30 Bikes Page, by Michael Holloway, Feb 9, 2017 | https://www.facebook.com/ward30bikes/posts/1218903768223555

Images are from DTAH's Presentation at the Tommy Thompson Park Entrance Pavilion stakeholder meeting 2, Wednesday, February 8, 2017, Metro Hall, Room 302



mh

Reconfiguration of the Martin Goodman Trail at Unwin & Leslie

Attended the walk-about of the site on the evening of May 21, 2014 - with TRCA, Planning, Transportation, Parks ... ? Many of the Tommy Thompson Park User Group were there; as well as Trail Users who responded to Ward 30 Bikes community outreach. The site visit was lead by Park Manager Karen McDonald.

Three Possible Routes - Martin Goodman Trail Reconfiguration Map TRCA - May 21, 2014

The consensus was to move it just to the right a bit into the swap. Will result is lost trees, lost swamp habitat areas of the wetland ... and Much expense.

Plus - construction staging on Unwin during the construction will restrict traffic to some extent.

The existing road bed, just under a thin sod layer about 100 meters south of Unwin, travels from beside the new Tommy Thompson parking lot, almost in a straight line over to the existing Unwin road alignment at the cooling channel bridge.

Issues with this no-brainer route though - are numerous:

1) Off-leah dogs (illegal) would endanger thew habitat and species living there. They would be free to disrupt and kill wildlife in a large area of the Baselands (which covers ~35 hectares) ... so a fence along the south side of the Trail would have to be installed (on the north side open water would theoretically create a natural boundary that would protect nesting species there from dogs).

2) In nature conservancy the idea of 'mass' is important - large areas support species and a larger network of species better than small ones. The Trail would create a barrier between habitats essentially creating one big zone, and one tiny one. Naturalists repeatedly referred to it as "losing" the habitat area between the existing fence and a set-back Trail.

3) Politically - Some participants laid out the argument that development of the Port Lands might make Park lands more vulnerable to future development along the area - that the Park land might be more liable to be enveloped by development interests if the Trail was placed back 100 metres from Unwin. The argument goes that the trail would become the *perceived* boundary line of the Park - rather than the fence - which is the Actual property line between with the Toronto Port Lands Company lands (who actually own Unwin Avenue along this section) and the City of Toronto Park.

For Trail Users, the route along the edge of the Unwin roadway would be sided on one side by a road with cars and trucks on it - noise and toxic exhaust emissions would ruin the idea of a ride in the Wilderness. Conversely along this route, the Trail would have along it's south side, an intimate proximity to the wetlands - at times swamp water (with bulrushes and Water Lilies for example) would actually touch the edges of the Trail's foundations.

Along the old road bed 100 metres south, the Trail would be in the midst of a wetland habitat, far from the noise of the road and out of visual range of it as well. It would feel like one was on a trail through a wild place - a Wilderness.

There is something to be said for the design juxtaposition that the Unwin route provides - the wild environs proximate to the technology that is a roadway..

The sequestered route through the middle of the wetland it was also noted, could have issues with misuse by individuals after hours.

Hard to call.

What do you think?

Public Consultation on this will continue for the Parks summer season (to November). New media is being produced by TRCA showing the proposed routes and possible impact points on habitat.

Ward 30 Bikes will keep on this and post those new media here when they become available.

mh

Victoria Day Picnic and Ride down the Leslie Spit - Let's do that Again!

Cyclists from Wards 25, 22, 30, 31 and 32 cycled down to the Lake for the W30B Ride.

W30B Rides - Victoria Day Picnic and Ride down the Leslie Spit (photos - S. McNeil)

We had our Picnic at the Bird Blind at 'Cell 1' - and then took the Lake-side road around to where it reconnects with the Main Spur Road; then back towards the entrance to Tommy Thompson Park via the floating bridge.

A casual accounting: I figured the User Mode Split was greater than 80% Bikes, 20% walkers. The Park was FULL of people. Hundreds and hundreds of bikes. The road from the TTP Office to the main entrance at Unwin and Leslie was Congested with bike and walk traffic!

The new demographics in Toronto's country of origin mix was very much apparent. The cultural acceptance of bicycling if you're from India for example, was obvious. It was wonderful to see whole Families cycling in great long 'trains of bicycles' - everywhere!

The Intersection at Leslie and Unwin was BUSY. Thousands of cyclists, and hundreds of cars negotiating the intersection there. Car divers inched around the corner as cyclists arrived to the intersection from 4 different vectors (northbound out of the park, southbound along Leslie Street, out into the intersection from the east side via the Martin Goodman Trail southbound, and westbound out into the intersection from along the Martin Goodman Tail eastbound).

Due to the location of Tommy Thompson Park - coupled with the lack TTC service there, no Bike Share, and limited parking - the only good way to get to the place is by bicycle!


Several people on our ride talked about the lack of cycling infrastructure that could take riders out into the greenfield areas of the park - like to the places where the walking pathways go. Wider Trails - or Cyclist only Trails perhaps?

Best practice says - You gotta separate 'em. :)


We agreed to schedule more of these monthly Rides; on Saturdays or Sundays going forward.

Stay tuned, we'll post the next ride here, on the East Side Captain's List in email, at the Cycle Toronto Meetup page, and on @Ward30Bikes in Twitter.


Links: 

Cycle Toronto Meetup | Ward 30 Bikes Victoria Day Picnic and Ride down the Leslie Spit | http://www.meetup.com/CycleToronto/events/183746402/

@CycleToronto @Meetup #Ward30Bikes Victoria Day Picnic and Ride down the Leslie Spit: http://t.co/6FEBBgJQ3u #biketo @29bikes @Ward32Spokes
— Ward 30 Bikes (@Ward30Bikes) May 18, 2014

mh/jo

Victoria Day Picnic and Ride down the Leslie Spit

Join Ward 30 Bikes for a recreational ride on the Leslie Spit on Victoria Day - Monday, May 19, 2014.

Meet at the Gates of Tommy Thompson Park (the Spit) at the bottom of Leslie Street (Unwin and Leslie) at 12-12:15pm as we group to take a leisurely ride along the Park's main spur road - perhaps all the way to the Light House!

We will stop along the way somewhere beautiful for a BYO-Lunch (bring your own lunch) Picnic.

Image via TRCA - Tommy Thompson Park looking northeast towards the bird blind area at "Cell 1"

We will go as far as the group feels. It's 5km to the Light House from the gates at Unwin. Add to this the trip from your home and we may just pick a stop point at some distance that we all feel comfortable with.

We could walk our bikes along the walking tails to a great spot on one of the "Embayments", or on the walking trails around one of the "Cells" near the Bird Blind; or we could ride to one of the "Lookouts" off the Lake-side road; or check out the raised landing area with a cool meeting-place-circle-of-giant-rocks, places to sit, just past the floating bridge --- whatever people feel like.

I made a map.




Michael Holloway,
For Ride Creator, Ward 30 Bikes member,
Jo Oppenheimer


Image via http://tommythompsonpark.ca/habitat-restoration/cell1.dot