Since the Eglinton LRT is back from the dead, it looks like the bike lanes planned in the EA may also be back!
There is a public meeting Monday, March 19th at 6:30PM in the Northern District Public Library, 2nd floor meeting room, 40 Orchard View Blvd. (Just north of Yonge & Eglinton)
Goals: Identify opportunities for cycling advocacy created by the LRT, learn about planning initiatives under way, and set cyclist strategy.
The Eglinton Crosstown LRT is currently in the planning stages. Stretching for 25 kilometres from Black Creek Drive to McCowan station, the project cuts through 13 City wards and will transform the heart of Toronto. Multiple organizations are working on the project, including Metrolinx, TTC, and the City's planning and transportation departments. This is a once-in-a- lifetime opportunity for cyclists to advocate for complete streets across the entire city.
The changes along Eglinton will have numerous impacts on cycling, including:
removal of hundreds of buses and dedicated bus lanes from the street
changes to the crossings on Eglinton
changes to traffic patterns, car parking, bike parking, road surfaces
changed connections with off-road trails, ravines, and on-street bike routes
new bike lanes on the above-ground sections (Laird Dr. to Kennedy Station)
Eglinton is important to cyclists! Not only is it a major east-west corridor, with significant residential, employment and retail concentrations, but many bike routes cross it north-south.This is our chance to identify potential issues and advocate for improvements to the cycling infrastructure along/across Eglinton. On St. Clair, cyclists were not part of the conversation, and the resulting streetcar line has become a barrier and a hazard to cyclists.
As well, this is a huge opportunity to support our local businesses affected by the LRT construction with a "Buy Local" campaign encouraging shoppers to bike or walk to Eglinton.
Planners and other representatives from the City of Toronto's Eglinton Crosstown team, the TTC, and other involved agencies will be joining us to provide background and answer questions on the project.
Comments
Random cyclist (not verified)
This will be a really tough
Thu, 03/15/2012 - 20:11This will be a really tough sell because the Scarborough councillors are mostly opposed to bike lanes, many of them being Rob Ford supporters..
It must also be said that Eglinton Ave between Victoria Park and Kennedy may be the ugliest streetscape in all of Toronto (and that is really saying something!). Big box discount stores, many of which are vacant, and hundreds of acres of parking lots.
These mistakes were made years ago in an attempt to rejuvenate the derelict 'Golden Mile' shopping district and the results have been even worse than old decaying commercial and industrial district it replaced. An example of poor urban planning run amok.
cyclo (not verified)
Yes that stretch along
Sun, 03/18/2012 - 11:45Yes that stretch along Eglington between Vic Park and Birchmount is ugly and scary indeed. I could save a couple of minutes by taking O'Connor instead of Birchmount on my North South bike commute to downtown and back but I would not risk it in that area... very poor road planning especially that intersection between Eglington/O'Connor/Vic Park with not much consideration given to pedestrians and cyclists.
The Birchmount bike lanes south of St.Clair were an excellent idea that could have been extended further North to Eglington as there isn't a lot of traffic in that stretch. It would have made for a bike commute heaven for those in the North of the city... Note that Birchmount is the only North-South street in the East End that has no ramps to the 401. It now crosses the 407 via a tunnel so it is a viable bicycle route as there are no ramps to the 407 too.