City
Yonge St. might get a lot more pedestrian friendly soon
Two lanes of Yonge Street between Gerrard and Richmond Streets could be closed for almost a month as part of Celebrate Yonge, a street festival co-produced by Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam scheduled for later this summer. Under the plans heading for council, planters and other foliage will be installed in the street a few metres from the sidewalk to keep traffic to just two lanes. The closed portion side will alternate heading north.
"This is a very high-level, high-energy, urban intervention very similar to what you've seen in cities like New York on Broadway," says Councillor Wong-Tam
"It's not like people just disappear when they leave [Yonge-Dundas Square]. Yonge Street has the highest pedestrian counts in not just Toronto but all of Canada. On a really sunny and warm day you can really see how much of a struggle it is for pedestrians to grab foot real estate on Yonge Street"
The partial closure could be seen as a pilot project for further pedestrianization on Yonge, something Wong-Tam and other experts have championed for years. The idea of cutting back vehicle access has been floated numerous times in the past - it even happened for a short time in the 1970s - but if results of recent surveys are anything to go by, a move like this has the potential to become permanent in future (though political opposition could prove a significant hurdle).
For Celebrate Yonge, the new pedestrian zones will be five metres wide, making an eight metre walkable strip when combined with the existing sidewalk. Between August 17, 2012 and Sunday September 16, street vendors, food stands and seasonal patios for restaurants and cafes will all be out on Yonge.
At the end of the month-long celebration, the festival will wrap up with a red carpet event at Elgin Winter Garden and AMC theatres and a free concert in Yonge-Dundas Square to celebrate 30 years of Hard Rock Cafes in North America.
Above is a rough idea of how the pedestrian sections might work. What do you think? Back in the early 1970s, the entire street was closed to vehicular traffic in the summer. Is this compromise approach more prudent?
Photo: by Gadjo Sevilla in the BlogTO Flickr pool.
Discussion
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I don't even drive and I recognize what a horrid idea this is. I hope this doesn't see the light of day.
Too bad it's only for a month.
Trying to be like New York is not what makes Toronto "cool". Neat, unique neighbourhoods and embracing our own culture, is what makes Toronto cool.
Let's go bqqk to drnkin ur facez off on assington and move on.
Dont get in my way, and then im cool.
Who drives Yonge St. south of Bloor anyways? Take Jarvis, Bay or University. That's what they're there for.
I am being tongue in cheek at the twats who are always talking about making toronto a 'world class city' dry your eye
"This item will be considered by Toronto and East York Community Council on May 15, 2012. It will be considered by City Council on June 6, 2012, subject to the actions of the Toronto and East York Community Council."
Want change? Read this:
"This item will be considered by Toronto and East York Community Council on May 15, 2012. It will be considered by City Council on June 6, 2012, subject to the actions of the Toronto and East York Community Council."
Everyone else, carry on, nothing has changed.
... and I am stoked. Having to deal with the amount of pedestrians on the sidewalks every day gets frustrating and I'm really excited to see how this affects the traffic. Also, the more green the better.
Nah... that's crazy talk, must be cyclists causing all the problems, right?
Don't Ontarians ever travel to cities where you aren't always at the mercy of cars? Europe, NY, even Montreal.
With planters everywhere, how will emergency vehicles flow through in a hurry?
This isn't Europe or Budapest, it's Canada, Toronto. Quit emulating other countries, cities and leave Yonge Street, Toronto alone.
Wake up Eaton Centre, you'll lose $$$ on your parking because of a dimwit idea.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/torontohistory/6011354119/in/set-72157627238186043
Plus Kristyn Wong-Tam is gay and she will never win over the burbs, the burbs are pretty anti-gay just ask smithistealtaxpayermoney.
This isn't about being a world class city - this is about going to the hottest spot downtown and actually being able to enjoy yourself without getting body-checked into traffic.
I was just in London, where they did miracles at Leicester Square by removing much of the traffic and greatly improving the pedestrian space. Toronto has linear strips rather than squares but the idea is sound.
The only problem I have is that the actual design sketch looks awful. Bits of bulging sidewalk here and there will do nothing. Why not handle this correctly by, say, closing the northbound lanes entirely (NB traffic can use parallel streets) and having a proper area to expand the pedestrian realm into. The current plan just doesn't do enough.
A lot of things is wrong with this idea:
-Putting people in the middle of a busy street is just dangerous and wrong. What will Councillor Wong-Tam do when a bus smashes into one of those "patios" killing people and children?
-People sit right in the middle of the traffic inhaling all the dangerous exhausts going straight into their lungs. Why would anyone want it?
-Also, all the dirt and dust from passing cars goes straight into their food. What a treat!
-All those "patios" just look totally wrong and uncomfortable. People who sit there will just be constantly worrying about being smashed by a bus or a car - and rightly so.
-It strains traffic on a major city arteria, which creates problems for everybody - pedestrians, motorists and public transport passengers. Instead of a mood of "celebration" it only creates annoyance, frustration, confusion and inconvenience.
What's next? "Celebrate 401"? And put people in the middle of a highway?
In 1970s, parts of Yonge Street were completely car-free for weeks. That would be the right thing to do.
The only thing the current implementation achieves is making our great city look weird - and unsafe.