Tags: traffic
09/04/08
Toronto gives green light for 'pedestrian scramble'
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Mister-Wong
MixxNew configuration at Yonge and Dundas will allow pedestrians to cross in all directions, but will likely leave drivers seeing red .
JEFF GRAY
From Thursday's Globe and Mail
August 28, 2008 at 3:27 AM EDT
Starting today, one of Toronto's busiest downtown intersections - Yonge and Dundas streets, where 10-story flashing billboards, Eaton Center shoppers and Ryerson University students converge - will undergo a small but radical change meant to symbolize the city's plans to put pedestrians ahead of drivers.
Before the morning rush hour, city workers will remove coverings from new pedestrian crossing signals and unveil Toronto's first experimental "pedestrian scramble" intersection, a traffic-light configuration that stops cars in all directions with a red light to allow pedestrians to cross in all directions, even diagonally.
From behind a windshield, however, the change may not be so popular. It will mean much longer red lights for drivers to make way for this new 28-second, pedestrian-only phase in the traffic-light cycle. Currently, the longest wait at this intersection for drivers (those on Yonge Street) is 31 seconds. As of today, the longest wait for a green light will stretch to 57 seconds, and green lights for drivers will also be five to eight seconds shorter.
The scramble concept, long ago implemented in several other cities around the world, is also known as a "Barnes dance," after Henry Barnes, a traffic commissioner in Denver credited with coming up with the idea there in the 1950s and reportedly making pedestrians so happy they were "dancing in the streets."
08/11/08
Explosion shuts Highway 401, snarls traffic
Link: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/toronto/story/2008/08/10/closures-explosion.html
An early morning explosion in north Toronto shut down roads and services in the city, including a 16-kilometre strip of Highway 401, Canada's busiest road.
A large neighbourhood — bounded by Keele Street, Dufferin Street, Sheppard Avenue and Wilson Avenue — was evacuated. Drivers and pedestrians were not allowed to enter the area, and city buses were taking alternate routes to avoid it.
Yorkdale Shopping Centre, a busy mall along Highway 401, appeared to have been evacuated Sunday afternoon, although the city said no official evacuation order had been issued.
Sgt. Cam Woolley of the Ontario Provincial Police said Highway 401 was closed from Highway 400 east to Highway 404/Don Valley Parkway. Some cars were spotted on the roadway, but these vehicles had permission because they are taking evacuees out of the area, Woolley said.
He said traffic was extremely heavy along the 401 leading up to the closed areas, with the eastbound express lanes of the 401 near the 400 looking like "a big parking lot."
The southbound lanes of Highway 404, heading into Toronto, were also jammed.
Alternate routes drivers can take include:
Highway 407, a toll highway, runs parallel to Highway 401 across the city. Highway 7 and Steeles Avenue are smaller alternate routes.
Highway 400 southbound, bringing drivers into Toronto from cottage country was moving well, but drivers cannot enter the eastbound 401, so they will be forced to go either westbound on the 401, or south on Black Creek Drive.
Highway 427, bringing drivers to and from the airport, was moving well.
The Don Valley Parkway was moving smoothly, but drivers cannot enter the westbound 401, so they are forced to go either north on the 404 or east on the 401.
Toronto Transit Commission initially closed subway service in the area of the evacuation, but service has since resumed.
Bus routes being diverted from the affected areas included:
107 Keele North.
108 Downsview.
165 Weston Road North.
29 Dufferin.
84 Sheppard West.
96 Wilson.
Go buses were also diverted:
No buses were stopping at the Yorkdale bus terminal, which was closed due to its proximity to the site of the explosions.
Brampton, Oshawa and Canada's Wonderland buses were operating to York Mills only, with riders experiencing delays of 20 to 30 minutes.
07/21/08
Biking rules
Link: http://blog.rogersradiointernet.com/halinabalka/2008/07/21/biking-rules/
July 21st, 2008 by halinabalka
Since many of you are considering dragging the old bicycle out of the garage for the first time in years, I thought I’d take a look at some of the rules of the road you need to follow. There are a lot of traffic laws you should be aware of in order to ride responsibly and safely.
First of all a bicycle is considered a vehicle under the Ontario Highway Traffic Act (HTA). So, as a cyclist, you are required to obey traffic laws just like motorists are. If you don’t it can cost you both a minimum set fine, as well as a Victim Surcharge for most offences.
Some of the rules for cyclists are the same as the ones for motorists. There are the obvious ones like signalling your turns. But there are others that you may not think apply to you. For example you can be charged with speeding. It may seem funny to think of a bike being able to exceed speed limits set for motorized vehicles but a bike going down a hill in a 40 km/hr zone can surpass the limit. You are also required to stop at stop signs.As a cyclist I admit I have been guilty of breaking this rule. When you are going down a hill with a stop sign at the bottom and you are facing an uphill ride it is very tempting to keep the momentum going. But it is a dangerous thing to do and you are facing an $85.00 fine plus a surcharge.Other traffic laws that could cost you the same amount are riding the wrong way on a one way street, not stopping behind streetcar doors to let people on and off and not yielding or stopping for pedestrians at crosswalks.If you do not stop behind a school bus when the red lights are flashing and the arm is out you could be fined $400.00.
There are also specific rules for cyclists regarding reflectors and lights. You also need to have a working bell – again an $85.00 fine plus a surcharge. You must have at least one brake system on the rear wheel. You are not allowed to carry passengers on a bicycle for one and you must wear a helmet if you are under the age of 18. Breaking this law carries a $60.00 fine.
You need to be aware of bike riding bylaws as well. For example in some jurisdictions you are not allowed to ride on sidewalks, you must have both hands on the handlebars and you must ride single-file.
Yes, there are a lot of laws that cyclists must follow. But if you are also a driver, just follow the same rules of the road for both and you should be okay. As far as the specific bylaws, keep your eyes open for signs that pertain to cyclists. In Etobicoke where I live you are not allowed to ride on sidewalks and that bylaw is very well posted.
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