The TTC has just published “Getting it Right: Lessons from the St. Clair Streetcar for the Implementation of Transit City,” written by Les Kelman and Richard Soberman. The report details the missteps that led to delays and cost overruns with the St. Clair transit project. The Globe and Mail sums up the report’s conclusions nicely: “The price tag of the … Read More
Stay awesome, Roncesvalles!
More than a month after heavy machinery rolled onto Roncesvalles, our community seems to be taking the disruption in stride. While plenty of grumbles are heard in local coffee shops, the fact that these grumblings are actually taking place in the coffee shops suggests that the noise and rubble (and the occasional mental image of a giant fireball of death) are not … Read More
Public Realm to lead Roncesvalles redesign, hosting public meeting Sept. 21
Councillor Gord Perks has announced that the City’s Public Realm Section is leading the detailed design phase of the Roncesvalles Streetscape Improvement Project. The project leader will be Elyse Parker, the heavy-hitting director of the Public Realm Section, within the City’s Transportation Division. Ms. Parker’s appointment is fantastic news for Roncesvalles. Before becoming director of Public Realm, she was Project … Read More
National Post: TTC to begin Downtown Relief Line study this fall
Roncesvalles TTC riders may have a new subway option within the next decade. The National Post reports that the TTC will “seriously study” the long-proposed Downtown Relief Line (DRL) this fall. Under the proposal, the new subway line would likely begin at Dundas West station, travel underneath Roncesvalles/Dundas West towards Liberty Village. From there, it would travel east alongside Queen … Read More
Flushing Out the Truth: Roncesvalles needs a Living Sidewalk!
Wastewater is the very definition of an unsexy subject, but the issue seems to be attracting more and more attention from environmental activists and regulators. The attention explains the urgent need for Roncesvalles Renewed’s proposed Living Sidewalk, which would transform Roncesvalles from a concrete funnel flushing stormwater down our combined sewers into a massive absorption pad, with healthy trees sucking … Read More
Public Meeting: Roncesvalles Construction Design – June 27 – CANCELLED
Update: Gord Perks has confirmed that this meeting will be cancelled due to the strike. More info to come. The latest preliminary streetscape concepts are available for viewing. The BIA urges all businesses and community members to examine the PDFs of the sidewalk plan (part one is the southern half, and part two is the north), and please let … Read More
Toronto Sun op-ed: Roncesvalles redo a victory for neighbourhoods
On Friday, the Toronto Sun published an op-ed by John Bowker, chair of the BIA’s Beautification Committee and the BIA’s representative in Roncesvalles Renewed. The article celebrates the unity of our neighborhood, as we prepare for the 2009-10 reconstruction of Roncesvalles. It also criticizes efforts by suburban councillors to turn Roncesvalles into a busy highway for commuters from North York … Read More
City Council votes 34-5 to approve Roncesvalles streetscape proposal
Today, Toronto City Council voted 34-5 to approve a staff report proposing numerous Roncesvalles streetscape improvements, including new public spaces and accessible transit stops. This report borrows many ideas from the BIA’s 2003 streetscape strategy, and was unanimously approved by the Public Works and Infrastructure Committee a few weeks earlier, following an extensive Environmental Assessment process. From here, the approved … Read More
Bombardier gets streetcar contract – “sweet ride” promised
The TTC’s new fleet of streetcars will be longer and air-conditioned, with room for 260 people, bikes and two wheelchairs. Low floors will make the streetcars accessible for strollers, grocery carts and the disabled. And the 204 mini-trains will be assembled in Ontario, at the Bombardier plant in Thunder Bay, reports the Toronto Star today. Now the TTC just needs … Read More
Spacing Magazine examines “Grey Spaces”
The latest issue of Spacing deals with issues of direct relevance to our soon-to-be-reconstructed street, and the BIA encourages everyone to pick up a copy. The topic is “Grey Spaces,” those areas that occupy a middle ground between completely private and completely public spaces, where different rules apply. Roncesvalles is such a space, where members of the public interact with … Read More