[CityPainter]

As if to underscore the pointlessness of these stickers, on Friday just after 5pm we saw a first: a car intentionally drove through the cycling/pedestrian path in Parliament Square Park. It entered off Parliament Street, drove through the entire width of the park and exited on to the Esplanade. People using the bike path, including a father with his small child on a scooter, had to move aside. People waved at the driver to stop him, but he ignored them and drove through at a steady though not high speed.

I have opened a police report with the exact details. Other people in the area also took some photos, if you have them (including a clear photo that confirms the license plate) please let me know.

This was a dangerous maneuver and not a mistake. People inside parks do not look for or expect cars to suddenly approach, and the driver needed cross several crosswalks and sidewalks at awkward angles as he entered and exited.

 

[DSCToronto]

As if to underscore the pointlessness of these stickers, on Friday just after 5pm we saw a first: a car intentionally drove through the cycling/pedestrian path in Parliament Square Park. It entered off Parliament Street, drove through the entire width of the park and exited on to the Esplanade. People using the bike path, including a father with his small child on a scooter, had to move aside. People waved at the driver to stop him, but he ignored them and drove through at a steady though not high speed.

I have opened a police report with the exact details. Other people in the area also took some photos, if you have them (including a clear photo that confirms the license plate) please let me know.

This was a dangerous maneuver and not a mistake. People inside parks do not look for or expect cars to suddenly approach, and the driver needed cross several crosswalks and sidewalks at awkward angles as he entered and exited.

View attachment 685892

wow!

 

[Natika33]

I see that the City now has an 'unbranded' version of this decal. Frankly, I think they are just another example of well meaning lip service but happy to see that they are not branded by the Councillor themselves!

View attachment 685884

Though it shouldn't stop with just stickers, peppering these everywhere is a fine tool to have in a complete toolbox. The stickers can act as a good reminder, promote public awareness, provide education, link to more resources, and hey, allow me to express my frustration through emphatic pointing and interpretative dance when someone zooms by me on the sidewalk.

 

[DSCToronto]

Though it shouldn't stop with just stickers, peppering these everywhere is a fine tool to have in a complete toolbox. The stickers can act as a good reminder, promote public awareness, provide education, link to more resources, and hey, allow me to express my frustration through emphatic pointing and interpretative dance when someone zooms by me on the sidewalk.

In my opinion, the stickers are just more 'mess' and probably illegal as they do not have a "Sign Permit" - they may give Moise (and us) the impression that something is being done about a real problem but.....

 

[toonderly]

As if to underscore the pointlessness of these stickers

The stickers are not directed at drivers of cars since they would not be able to read them while driving. I don't know what was in the driver's mind and whether they thought they were following GPS guidance or would have driven through any wide enough gap in order to get where they were going. Once they had made the mistake they might have figured continuing forward was less dangerous than trying to reverse out onto Parliament. But blaming the sidewalk stickers for not having prevented this bad behaviour is a stretch.

 

[CityPainter]

The stickers are not directed at drivers of cars since they would not be able to read them while driving. I don't know what was in the driver's mind and whether they thought they were following GPS guidance or would have driven through any wide enough gap in order to get where they were going. Once they had made the mistake they might have figured continuing forward was less dangerous than trying to reverse out onto Parliament. But blaming the sidewalk stickers for not having prevented this bad behaviour is a stretch.

This is a very literal interpretation of my words. Of course I do not 'blame' these silly stickers for this driver's behaviour. My point is that pedestrian and cyclist safety in Toronto is a big problem that requires solutions that go way beyond slapping down a few stickers that will be be ignored by most people until they peel off and become litter. We need people's attitudes to change, and we need proper enforcement of existing laws.

Your sympathy for this driver is extremely generous, in my opinion. No road-based GPS system would guide a driver into a park, and even if it did, drivers are still responsible for their own actions behind the wheel. The park infrastructure here is very clearly marked and signed and this was no innocent mistake. It was a selfish and deliberate act.

 

[tripwire]

Dumb question, couldn't bollard(s) be placed in key places to stop cars from entering the path entirely?

 

[CityPainter]

Dumb question, couldn't bollard(s) be placed in key places to stop cars from entering the path entirely?

They could and should, though I imagine the added cost/logistics of making them removable for snow plows is the reason there aren't any.

 

[tripwire]

Ah yes, snow plows - that makes sense to not have bollards. In an ideal world we'd have retractable bollards for city vehicles, but that's definitely too $$ for us.

 

[Northern Light]

They could and should, though I imagine the added cost/logistics of making them removable for snow plows is the reason there aren't any.

Good answer.

Of course, that might be the question why we don't use hydronic snow melt systems under the pavement for such areas instead. Its not new tech, its already in use in Toronto and under sidewalks in many places as well.

Alternatively we could consider the Japanese tech of pop up 'sprinklers' (spray is ground level) of warm water that melts anything on the sidewalk). In our climate I would tend to favour the former. Enwave are experts at this sort of tech inside buildings, and its exact same principle. Use stored or waste heat to melt cold stuff.

 

[DSCToronto]

Dumb question, couldn't bollard(s) be placed in key places to stop cars from entering the path entirely?

Cars on this path are VERY rare, if we put up bollards there might be even fewer but …… There are real problems!

 

[DSCToronto]

The work on fixin' up the Colbourne St / Leader Lane area is moving ahead again. (Most of the cost is being met by the developers of the Google Building.)

Here is the outline of the work on Colbourne St

 

[DSCToronto]

Coming to Council today, yet another 'emergency motion' to deal with this project - shows a certain amount of sloppiness in the planning / consultation.

 

[christiesplits]

Update on the new St. Lawrence library discussions.

Via X

 

[slicecom]

Coming to Council today, yet another 'emergency motion' to deal with this project - shows a certain amount of sloppiness in the planning / consultation.

View attachment 686989

Is that why they removed the bump outs to give drivers better sight lines exiting the Novotel/Parking garage? Prioritizing Novotel over cyclist safety?