It's viable but we have an easy/safe/cheap alternative so we pick that. They are slightly correct in that their war on cars may actually reduce trips by making it so miserable to drive that you choose to suffer on the TTC instead.
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Special Interest Groups (SIGs)
- Thread starter nobbie48
- Start date
I knew someone who would ride to work 6 km from Roncesvalles to Bay along King St. almost every day even in winter.
I used to ride whenever the snow wasn't falling, usually along the Martin Goodman Trail from South Kingsway to Bay, and my wife along Bloor from South Kingsway to St George. It wasn't difficult or unusual at the time, back in the '80's & 90's. Moving heavy stuff with a bike, would have been unusual at that time. At the same time, the kids walked to school. It wasn't until we moved to Ottawa that they could take the bus for a year or two, and they didn't always do that.
The city seems to be out to please everybody, and ends up pleasing no one.
What we really need is to have some streets for cars & trucks, some for bicycles and some for public transport, that are close enough together that people can choose one of three ways. Maybe have two of the three where there is space. Trying to have all three, like they did on Front St. just creates a nightmare for all.
I used to ride whenever the snow wasn't falling, usually along the Martin Goodman Trail from South Kingsway to Bay, and my wife along Bloor from South Kingsway to St George. It wasn't difficult or unusual at the time, back in the '80's & 90's. Moving heavy stuff with a bike, would have been unusual at that time. At the same time, the kids walked to school. It wasn't until we moved to Ottawa that they could take the bus for a year or two, and they didn't always do that.
The city seems to be out to please everybody, and ends up pleasing no one.
What we really need is to have some streets for cars & trucks, some for bicycles and some for public transport, that are close enough together that people can choose one of three ways. Maybe have two of the three where there is space. Trying to have all three, like they did on Front St. just creates a nightmare for all.
If you work in a foundry showing up at work looking like you crawled out of the alley is OK. In a prestige office environment not so much.
When I was a kid in Manitoba I walked 2 Kms to school in better weather, bused it in winter.
The first two years of Toronto high school were 3.4 Kms each way to school walking in better weather and TTC in winter.
The local school now has a parade of soccer moms dropping off their darlings who live a Km away.
The past prime Prima Donna down the street isn't going to wear her latest designer creation on the TTC, walk or ride a bike.
E bikes may suit some but they are mini motorcycles and not everyone is comfortable on two wheels. Mobility scooters may be better but they are wider and may need charge points.
Bicycle racks on buses just slow down the process.
Bicycles get stolen or abused unless in a safe lock up. Safe lock ups aren't everywhere. Don't expect the police to send out a SWAT team when you report your bike stolen.
Tourism: How many tourists will come back after being stuck in our bicycle gridlocks? I was trying to give a visiting American lady some directions to get her out of a traffic jam, pointing out that the next time she came things would probably be better. Her answer was "THERE WON'T BE A NEXT TIME. I WILL NEVER COME BACK"
My wife can't ride due to a bad knee so I built a sidecar for a bicycle so we could do something besides use ICE. The basic bike was steel framed, had a sub chassis of steel and a light weight car. Adding my toothpick wife and me we were over 400 pounds. We mostly did rail trails because trains don't like steep grades either. The front sprocket was about 6" IIRC. Try going up some of Toronto's hills. Try stopping going down them.
Chow and the councillors need to start out in Scarberia or Rexdale and commute to city hall every morning, rain or shine.
Change your job and lose your seniority. A lady my wife worked with used to spend an hour each way on the TTC to get from her Scarborough home to the office in mid Etobicoke. Then the office moved to south Mississauga and the ride was Go Train and Miss transit for an hour and a half each way. The company just moved again to south Brampton. She's at four hour a day on buses and trains. Fares aren't cheap. She doesn't want t lose her 20 years seniority and benefits.
She could move to Brampton but her hubby works in Scarborough and it would be him on the buses for four hours a day.
If she moved, the distance as the crow flies is under 40 km so the costs would be on her dime.
She may be a unique case but at some time or another we all will be. What about when we need an ambulance, fire truck or police car?
We have to fix public transit before we scrap the inefficient system we now have. It would be a miracle if that happened in 20 years.
I have in the past commuted by bicycle year around in Toronto, it is not that big of a deal. I rode rain or shine but drew the line when there was snow or a very cold snap. Snow here does not tend to stick around so there are maybe 20 days per year tops I would take transit instead of the bicycle. BTW, when my office moved from downtown to Don Mills I rode the motorcycle year around with the same caveats. I went multiple years with no car, living life, shopping etc. it is not as much drama as it is made out to be by people here on GTAM and in other places. The temperature here is not that bad, some people make it sound like we live in Winnipeg, the NWT or some sort of multiple month polar vortex.
It takes proper gear (bicycle or motorcycle). An employer with a decent bike lock-up is a big plus. Showers at work also help for bicycling but can be skipped all but in the dead of summer heat if you slow it down and don't crank the ride. I worked in an office where I had to look professional, not a problem.
It of course cannot be the solution for everyone, due to distance, physical ability, laziness, having to drop off small kids in the morning, availability of bike routes that don't risk your life daily, etc. Distance is my problem now (it would be four hours in each direction), I would love to go back to it.
As for the bike lanes on Bloor. I basically live where the new ones are going in and it will screw up traffic as it is a stupid design. IMO they can be done while keeping the four lanes with some better thinking, removal of some parking and some minor sidewalk modifications.
It takes proper gear (bicycle or motorcycle). An employer with a decent bike lock-up is a big plus. Showers at work also help for bicycling but can be skipped all but in the dead of summer heat if you slow it down and don't crank the ride. I worked in an office where I had to look professional, not a problem.
It of course cannot be the solution for everyone, due to distance, physical ability, laziness, having to drop off small kids in the morning, availability of bike routes that don't risk your life daily, etc. Distance is my problem now (it would be four hours in each direction), I would love to go back to it.
As for the bike lanes on Bloor. I basically live where the new ones are going in and it will screw up traffic as it is a stupid design. IMO they can be done while keeping the four lanes with some better thinking, removal of some parking and some minor sidewalk modifications.
I took the cage through High Park yesterday and it was sad to see the SIGs at work. There have been attempts to make the park exclusive on several fronts. The bicycle set wanted exclusive access for their personal training track. Now the locals want it closed to ALL vehicular traffic so people from more than a few blocks away will be discouraged from using it.
A large number of parking spots have been fenced off as a start to the process with the intention of the complete elimination of parking. This makes it unfeasible for use by seniors as nearby parking is non existent and most of the park attractions are too far from the bordering streets.
Divide and conquer.
A large number of parking spots have been fenced off as a start to the process with the intention of the complete elimination of parking. This makes it unfeasible for use by seniors as nearby parking is non existent and most of the park attractions are too far from the bordering streets.
Divide and conquer.
Try posting that on Reddit and see the vitriol you get. Ludicrous that they’re allowed to do this.
‘But people can take the TTC and walk there’
No. No they can’t. Not everyone can do so, and they’re successfully inadvertently blocking access to the park to anyone beyond a few min walk.
Effing a$$hats. I blame the city for letting these idiots get away with this.
Throw up a giant fence around high Park. Make the only entrance on the south side adjacent to a big parking lot. Only vehicle allowed in is a local shuttle from parking to attractions. Watch the neighbours scream as now they have to walk a few blocks to access "their" park. Tell them to take ttc.
Runnymede, and Keele are listed as accessible stations on Line 2. Both are a ways from the Bloor Street park entrance, Keele being closer but not still near a paved entrance. High Park stations is NOT on the current accessible list but there is a plan to add elevators to all stations....one day.
So how is the park accessible via TTC today is a question of course.... If someone is in a wheelchair?
So how is the park accessible via TTC today is a question of course.... If someone is in a wheelchair?
Well that doesn’t matter to these people. ‘Everyone’ is welcome and can access the park.
Mad Mike
Well-known member
I think this should be setup as Toronto's exclusive permit location for the various cultural and music festivals that are not neighbourhood specific. Rather than tying up streets, host the festivals in High Park. There's lots of room for food trucks, and the existing parking lots could be filled with porta potties.
The park is big enough to host biggies like Pride, Caribean Carnival (Carribana), Salsa, Buskerfest, CHIN, and there's an endless supply of smaller ones to fill the remaining weekends - Cultura, Habari.... the park could host a festival every weekend!
Living near one of the Taste of the XXXXX events they are a real PITA. The biggest problem is usually when they close down and massive mobs of teenagers spread out through the neighbourhood looking for a front lawn to use as a toilet.... The next is all the garbage strewn all over the place. In reality the local BIA events are less and less about promoting the businesses in the area and more and more about the BIA cashing in with food trucks etc. They will not want to give up their cash cow to the park.
The big events are very likely even worse.
Don't worry, driving to High Park won't be an option anymore anyway as Bloor will soon be gridlock from Islington to Dundas West due to the bike lanes.
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