Community Safety Audit Walk - Memory Lane, Sears Street, Maple Leaf Forever Park

By Michael Holloway
Ward 30 Bikes Outreach Coordinator,
New Hope Shelter Community Liaison Committee

COMMUNITY SAFETY AUDIT WALK

Please join Councillor McMahon, Ward 32, and Councillor Fletcher, Ward 30, along with City of Toronto staff and local community members from the Community Liaison Committee to conduct a safety audit around the Eastern Ave. and Leslie St. area.

When: Thursday June 8, 2017 | 8:30 pm – 10:30 pm
Where: Start and End at the Maple Leaf Cottage | 62 Laing Street Toronto, ON

Join us as we walk along the route outlined in the map below and learn about what issues to consider and plan for to help you feel safer in your neighbourhood.

Via City of Toronto | Hope Shelter - http://www1.toronto.ca/wps/portal/contentonly?vgnextoid=e12e16841c91a510VgnVCM10000071d60f89RCRD&vgnextchannel=bad1ab2cedfb0410VgnVCM10000071d60f89RCRD

I'm on the Community Liaison Committee, and I've proposed making Memory Lane and Sears Street more Pedestrian/Bike friendly -  by restricting motor vehicle through-traffic on both laneways - and thus making Maple Leaf Forever Park a better space for the community.

Improving the Park is a key ask by residents proximate to the Hope Shelter (29 Leslie St, Toronto, ON M4L - opening in the fall of this year). Making the park more accessible to the immediate neighbourhood will encourage more people to use the park - and thus create a safer environment by having more 'eyes on the street'.

Once the George Condo development (on Queen between Laing and Knox) opens, Memory Lane will experience a much higher volume of traffic because the condo's parking garage entrance is on Memory Lane near Knox Avenue.

Bollards at Ashbridges Bay Park - Google Street View

During the AM traffic peak car traffic from the George Condo (indicated on the map by the orange lines) will short-cut to Leslie via Memory Lane in order to avoid congested Queen. In the PM (indicated by the yellow lines) car traffic will short-cut on Memory Lane from Leslie to again, avoid congested Queen - and if there are bollards stopping that, they will short cut on Sears Street instead - so Sears Street laneway also needs to get bollards somewhere between Leslie and Laing.

One issue that might be of concern is Policing the park and the local laneway grid. Police Bicycle Corp would be better suited to patrol this area within this configuration, as police officers in cars would have to do three-point turns or back out, after reaching the bollards.

Michael Holloway
Ward 30 Bikes Outreach Coordinator,
New Hope Shelter Community Liaison Committee



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Viaduct Protection is Back

The Toronto Cycling unit announced on twitter this morning that they are re-installing the bollards on the viaduct

You may remember that these were installed (much to our surprise) back in October and then removed after 6 weeks.

No word yet if this is another pilot, but it's a welcome return.   Share with us here on on twitter your feedback.  let us know what you think of the flexi-sticks.

#EastHarbour Public Consultation to begin 2nd Quarter 2017

By Michael Holloway
Ward 30 Bikes,
First Gulf Public Consultation participant,
Port Lands Acceleration Initiative S.A.C.

Ward 30 Bikes has been involved in First Gulf's more than two years long Unilever lands (now branded EastHarbour) stakeholder consultation process. 

Looking west of Booth to the Core - Image: FirstGulf/EastHarbour - http://firstgulf.com/portfolio/east-harbour/

This is the beginning of a development arc that will begin to change the southern environs of Ward 30 markedly - starting perhaps next year and continuing for the next thirty years (and beyond that in the east Port Lands near Leslie Street). 

Ward 30 Bikes has advocated for high quality separated cycling connections north-south and east-west as well as inside the precinct.

First Gulf sees Public Transit as key to the success of the development, as a road network can't possibly support the intensity visioned. Like the downtown core most people will arrive here (and get around here) mainly by public transit, bike or walk.

Toronto City Council approved the recommendations passed in the Feb 23, 2017 video below at their meeting about a month later. (Toronto City Council - March 28, 2017 - PG18.6 | http://app.toronto.ca/tmmis/viewAgendaItemHistory.do?item=2017.PG18.6).

In the video below First Gulf presents it's vision for the 60 acre parcel of land east of the Don River mouth at Lake Shore Boulevard - to the Planning and Growth Management Committee of Toronto City Council.

Toronto City Council Planning and Growth Management Committee,
February 23, 2017 Item PG18.6 - Unilever Precinct Planning Study - Status Update - 21 Don Valley Parkway and 30 Booth Avenue - Zoning Amendment and Subdivision Applications - Preliminary Report.

(Video is coded to start at the item in question)


Residential construction north of East Harbour (StreetCar's massive Queen/Broadview development) and south (in the Port Lands - first at 'Villiers Island') will create a live-work City Centre that is sustainable and will (hopefully) be a model of modern City Building - with separated cycling infrastructure and with state-of-the-art intersection treatments (Complete Intersections¹).

Unfortunately due to City Councils backward decision to rebuild the Gardiner Expressway (with subsequently revealed prodding from FirstGulf) there will likely be Gardiner Expressway to Don Valley Parkway ramps blighting westerly views from the site. Not to mention all the challenges which they will create for east-west people movement as well as the spoiling of the Lower Don Valley lands there for another generation.

The still unsolved flooding issues north of the Rail Berm (and around the back and into the East Harbour precinct via the Eastern Avenue underpass and a new Broadview underpass) is an opportunity to advocate to get the Don River out of the canal walls that it's in from Gerrard south to the rail berm.

Perhaps a naturalized flood plain (along with the planned widened Rail Bridge and a Naturalized Don River Mouth) could handle the 100+ year storm crest there?

Perhaps put the DVP on pontoons - float the highway?! ;)

Or ... narrow it to the width of Bayview?

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¹ Complete Intersection Video:
Protected Intersections For Bicyclists

Protected Intersections For Bicyclists from Nick Falbo on Vimeo.



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