This
email has been posted with the permission of the author.
From:
Howard.Katz
To: StClairWestEA@Toronto.ca
Cc: Joe A. Mihevc ; Jon Soules, CLARA VP ; Gordon Ciglen, CLARA
Secretary ; Stewart Miller, CLARA Director ; Sean Hill ; streetcar@mystclair.com
; Katherine Harding ; Katherine Harding
Sent: Sunday, April 18, 2004 7:06 PM
Subject: Comments on Phase 2 Public Meetings - Alternatives Assessment
I attended your meeting this past Tuesday at Holy Rosary Parish
centre. I have the following comments:
I do not agree with the recommendation that Alternatives 2, 3,
6 and 9 should be the only alternatives studied in detail. Specifically:
- Alternative 2 (minor enhancements) is viable and low-cost, therefore
VERY worthy of further study. I am especially interested in limiting
parking in certain specific high-volume, high congestion areas.
Worst of these is the block between Bathurst and Vaughan Road
(both sides of the street). It is my understanding that the city
plans on implementing two parking lots in this area. Elimination
of on-street parking on this block would go a long way towards
reducing traffic congestion (and therefore pollution) on this
block. The half-block immediately west of Vaughan should be cleared
of parking on the south side of the street, since this is also
severe bottleneck.
- Alternative 3 is already in place (from my understanding), so
I don't understand why further study would be of value.
- Alternative 6 would be disastrously disruptive to the community
- both to businesses and residents.
Businesses would suffer significant financial hardship from the
inevitable loss of on-street parking.
Most importantly, this proposed change would create enormous traffic
congestion/gridlock, which would create, INEVITABLY, IMMEDIATELY
AND FOR THE FORESEEABLE FUTURE, DRAMATIC INCREASES IN AIR POLLUTION
from cars idling in the gridlock.
The difference between St. Clair and Spadina is abut 20' in width:
Spadina has room for 2 through lanes PLUS parking PLUS the Streetcar
right-of-way in each direction, or 2 through lanes plus a dedicated
left turn lane plus the Streetcar ROW. St. Clair is narrower;
if a Streetcar right-of-way were implemented, there would be room
for only two lanes of traffic, or one lane plus parking, or one
lane plus a turn lane. THERE IS QUITE SIMPLY NOT ENOUGH WIDTH
ON ST.CLAIR FOR A DEDICATED STREETCAR LANE.
- Alternative 8 (street widening) has been rejected, yet holds
the greatest promise for eliminating the gridlock at the three
worst intersections along St. Clair:
* Addition of a right-turn lane from St. Clair westbound to Bathurst
northbound is viable, and would go a long way towards reducing
the terrible traffic tie-ups at that intersection.
* Widening of St. Clair between Old Weston Road and Keele Street
to three lanes in each direction would provide the much of the
desired reduction in Street car travel times, and would reduce
congestion and pollution at both Old Weston Road and Keele intersections.
I strongly believe that this enhancement should a key element
to any strategy for Streetcar track reconstruction on St. Clair
Avenue West.
- Option 9 - combining other options - is an obvious choice.
The key is WHICH other choices.
As a final note, I found the presentation given at Tuesday night's
meeting to be obviously (and unfairly) biased towards the Right-of-Way
solution. Every alternative was downplayed except the ROW alternative.
Whereas other alternatives were presented blandly, with few pictures,
the ROW alternative was liberally sprinkled with beautiful pictures
of dedicated rights-of-way in other big cities (none of which,
by the way, bore any resemblance to the St. Clair Avenue West
streetscape). Over and over again, one excuse is given in the
presentation for not giving other alternatives serious consideration:
"Over time: improvements offset by increasing traffic congestion".
This is laughable; implementation of a dedicated Right-of-Way
would result in an IMMEDIATE AND DRAMATIC increase in traffic
congestion!
The streetcar Right-of-Way on St. Clair is a bad idea, because
the street is not wide enough to take it without disrupting the
entire community. There are a lot of better ideas which would
go a long way towards achieving the desired (and admirable) objective
of reducing streetcar travel times. Please, please, please don't
do this.
Yours truly,
Howard Katz
President
Connaught-Lonsmount Area Ratepayers Association
Editor's
note : The facts and opinions expressed in the above email are
those of the author and do not represent the views of MyStClair.com.
Our interest remains to act as a conduit for information regarding
matters relating to neighbourhoods along St Clair Ave W and the
Ridge. Anyone wishing to comment is encouraged to do so.
editor@mystclair.com
