Feedback: Martin Goodman Trail

I'd like to see some kind of coordinated traffic lights for cyclists, so that we don't have to stop at every intersection with cars. Waiting for a red at the first light should set you up to cruise through greens for the rest (at most speeds).

Good luck with this.

Paint the roadway where the trail crosses to provide a visual reminder, to all parties (drivers, cyclists, pedestrians) that this part is "different", ie an intersection.

Put speed bumps on the road on either side of where the trail interesects the road. Too often drivers go right up to where the driveways interect with the road and then brake and look. But at that point they are sitting square in the crossing area for cyclists and pedestrians. A speed bump will force them to brake and look at the point where pedestrian/cyclists are in danger.

I agree with the suggestion that there should be vegetative planting between the trail and the path. Its no fun having to listen to and breath exhaust fumes from the traffic on Lakeshore Road.

No bollards, or at least not how they were designed at the Boulevard Club driveway/path interesection.

That trail alignment won't work. After the first half dozen cyclists are mown down by autoholics blowing through any stop/yield signs someone will conclude the solution is to punish the victims and force cyclists to dismount to cross the driveways. This will be done with signage and undoutedly double sets of bollards as at the Boulevard Club.
The solution is to use what is presently USED, ie the roadway linking up to the trail into Coronation Park as few driveways cross it. Autoholics are too ignorant to concede cyclists are capable of having a right of way. The one thing we have learned in creating usable working trails is the less vehicle traffic crossing them the better.
When will they get trail designers who actually cycle to design cycling infrastructure? Cyclists don't cycle to push their bikes!

First, minimize intersections of the trail with the road. Where intersections can't be avoided, in the area near an intersection with the trail, set the trail back far enough from Lakeshore Blvd that turning cars will have a bit of room to turn off Lakeshore and slow down. Have stop signs for the cars, with the stop line set back a bit from the trail to improve sightlines. Give trail users the right of way at these stop signs. Slope the road up to trail level (I have seen this called a "speed table") to further slow down drivers and emphasize that they must yield to through traffic (i.e., the trail).

Remember that these trails are going to be used by children, inline skaters, elderly people, people pulling trailers or propelling wheelchairs...The diversity of use demands thoughtful and accommodating design. The ideas I have come mostly from my experience as a trail user, but I have also seen some of the design handbooks available (published in Canada, US, and Europe) and there are some interesting ideas and useful resources there. I'm going to be an optimist and say that I expect the waterfront trail design team is familiar with the pros and cons of the various design options and is thinking outside the bollards, so to speak.

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=1463530

This alignment reduces the number of roadway crossings. Keeping the trail on the south side of Remembrance Drive will substantially reduce conflict and provide space for motorvehicles intending to cross the trail space to stop before doing so. This also increases the buffer to Lakeshore Blvd.

I was very impressed with the improvements made to date, and look forward to improvements around Ontario Place. I REALLY look forward to the changes planned for Queen's Quay!

I spent a lot of time on the MG trail this past summer, both running an cycling. I would say that most cyclists and roller bladers use Remembrance Drive, for the section between the west end of Ontario Place and the main gate area, rather than following the twisty, narrow path along the water's edge and up and over the hump by the main gate.

Most runners seem to stick to the water's edge. They would continue to do so, even if this was not the designated MG route. I guress most runners are more interested in getting away from noise and traffic, rather than taking a direct route.

My suggestions would be:
1) Simplify the traffic flow through Ontario Place, and reduce the numbers of entrances and exits for parking, if possible. Especially consider removing the East-bound exit near the main gate pedestrian bridge.
2) Reduce the width of Remembrance Drive on the section by the Ontario Place western parking lot - essentially have Remembrance Drive simply a local access lane, instead of a through road. If it is possible given the parking needs, make it a one way lane, allowing for even further reduction in width.
3) Place a dedicated path in the space created by narrowing Remembrance Drive. Plant trees betwwen the path and the Lakeshore
4) Put a trail bridge over Ontario Place Blvd, and move the trail away away from the water.

Essentially, I like the route in the diagram, but would want to see a bridge over Ontario Place Blvd, and removal of a path/road intersection by the main gate.

I'm not down in this area too much to use it. But I do wish to improve it all by focussing on trimming the car use, as it's the biggest problem to our waterfront usage. This means we should take a harder line on providing transit instead of costly projects like the FSE, and even the WWLRT isn't a good enough deal. But if we did push the Harbourfront line through the Ex to loop down to Ontario Place, finally finally bringing transit to near its front door on the north side of hte Lakeshore at its pedestrian bridge, couldn't we also start using the vast areas of Ex parking for commuters who would then take transit?
And then push the tranist line out further along the Lakeshore to Etobicoke.
This isn't denying access to drivers to the core of the City, but we have to stop just allowing every single occupant vehicle easy access eh?

Thanks for asking for input. It would be great if you could raise the numerous problems that exist at the Strachan/Lakeshore intersection. City staff and councillors have been telling me for over 10 years now that they know about the problems and that the intersection will soon be improved. Yet there is still no indication that a solution is anywhere on the horizon. Strachan is an extremely important access point to/from the Martin Goodman trail yet it's clearly a substandard design for both pedestrians and cyclists. I've taken photos available at: http://picasaweb.google.com/nsmithlea/Strachan

While there are several problems at this intersection, the most significant one is that there is no legal way for cyclists to cross northbound exiting the MGT northbound on Strachan. A bicycle traffic light is needed for northbound cyclists. The only legal choice cyclists have is to cross with the pedestrians on the west side of the street after waiting for an insufferably long light, crossing multiple lanes of traffic, then negotiating with the traffic heading southbound on Strachan and turning right onto Lakeshore. Once across, it is then necessary to cross Strachan --again as a pedestrian -- in order to proceed northbound on Strachan. While preparing to leave the Martin Goodman trail it is possible to see the bike lane from there, and align yourself with it but there is no light that allows cyclists to cross legally in the proper position.