Highways in Canada

[ssiguy]

Thanks for the great video Franks.

When you look at the downtown section of Yonge you realize what a dump it is. It's probably the most pedestrian unfriendly street in the whole damn city. It a real embarrasment to the city.

[FrAnKs]

Originally Posted by TorontoDrew

Good video excpet your Leaf facts are out dated. I'ts no longer the 3rd most valuable team, Montreal now holds that title. I't moved back into second and is moving in on top spot again.

My apologies, I didn't know that! Thanks for correcting me

[Dengler Avenue]

Originally Posted by The Chemist

Was the plate blue?

It was.

[Doady]

Originally Posted by ssiguy

Thanks for the great video Franks.

When you look at the downtown section of Yonge you realize what a dump it is. It's probably the most pedestrian unfriendly street in the whole damn city. It a real embarrasment to the city.

The Yonge corridor truly is a shithole without any redeeming qualities, from an urbanist perspective. It's only the Toronto-centric media hype that blinds people to the truth.

[yaletown_fella]

Originally Posted by Doady

The Yonge corridor truly is a shithole without any redeeming qualities, from an urbanist perspective. It's only the Toronto-centric media hype that blinds people to the truth.

Yonge from Ramsden Park to Lawrence has a totally different feel than Yonge south of Bloor.

[ssiguy]

It's pathetic how the busiest pedestrian street in Toronto is the most pedestrian unfriendly street in the whole damn city. I don't think there is even one place south of Bloor where one can sit on a patio and have dinner or even a coffee.

[Innsertnamehere]

Yonge north of Bloor is a wonderful street. And the character of the street is changing extremely quickly - it looks very different than 10 years ago and will look entirely different 10 years from now than it does today. It is cleaning up very quickly.

The city has just initiated an EA to redesign Yonge to better serve pedestrians - the first phase between Queen and College is supposed to start construction in a few years.

[FrAnKs]

Originally Posted by ssiguy

Thanks for the great video Franks.

When you look at the downtown section of Yonge you realize what a dump it is. It's probably the most pedestrian unfriendly street in the whole damn city. It a real embarrasment to the city.

Thank you ! I am sorry, I didn't made the experience of walking along Yonge St. What is so bad about it ?

[vid]

Originally Posted by FrAnKs

Thank you ! I am sorry, I didn't made the experience of walking along Yonge St. What is so bad about it ?

There's no real buffer between pedestrians and traffic. It's not pleasant to walk down, people just go there because things are on it. It essentially has the same design as this street, the only difference is what's fronting onto it and how many people are using it.

[FrAnKs]

Originally Posted by vid

There's no real buffer between pedestrians and traffic. It's not pleasant to walk down, people just go there because things are on it. It essentially has the same design as this street, the only difference is what's fronting onto it and how many people are using it.

That's true! But at least, it is wider.

[softee]

Originally Posted by ssiguy

It's pathetic how the busiest pedestrian street in Toronto is the most pedestrian unfriendly street in the whole damn city. I don't think there is even one place south of Bloor where one can sit on a patio and have dinner or even a coffee.

You've said this at least three times this year and continue to ignore the links I've posted proving you wrong over and over again. I'm not going to bother proving you wrong again, it's clear that you'd rather cling to your outdated and wrongheaded opinions of a street in a city that you seem to know little about and probably haven't been to in decades.

[softee]

Originally Posted by FrAnKs

Thank you ! I am sorry, I didn't made the experience of walking along Yonge St. What is so bad about it ?

Nothing, it's an eclectic big city street that is always vibrant and always changing. I enjoy walking up and down the downtown stretch of Yonge street, it has a little bit of everything and it's never boring.

[Loco101]

Originally Posted by vid

There's no real buffer between pedestrians and traffic. It's not pleasant to walk down, people just go there because things are on it. It essentially has the same design as this street, the only difference is what's fronting onto it and how many people are using it.

Yonge Street would have to changed to a one-way street in order to have sidewalk patios and a nicer sidewalk but I doubt that would happen. The street was originally part of Highway 11 and is a main route in and out of downtown Toronto. I like it the way it is because it has a big urban feeling and there are other streets in Toronto that have sidewalk cafes, nicer sidewalks, etc.. People know you've really been to Toronto when you say you walked up and down Yonge Street where it's loud and dense.

[north 42]

I don't mind how Yonge St. looks now, I actually like it. It's always busy and interesting with a kind of ramshackle look, but at least it's not all cleaned up and sterile, like many areas are now that used to be interesting!

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by softee

Nothing, it's an eclectic big city street that is always vibrant and always changing. I enjoy walking up and down the downtown stretch of Yonge street, it has a little bit of everything and it's never boring.

Non-boring is not the same as ''aesthetically pleasing''. No one on here said Yonge St. was boring.

It's not that bad I agree but OTOH it's not what most people would expect as a ''showcase street'' in a city like Toronto.

And as others have alluded to it can be a delicate balancing act in order to not fall into the trap so many showcase streets in the world's big cities have fallen into - and where everything kind of looks and feels the same no matter where you are.

[MonctonRad]

Yonge never was meant to be a "showcase" street. It was always meant to be a commercial street. University Avenue is much more of a showcase street.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

Yonge never was meant to be a "showcase" street. It was always meant to be a commercial street. University Avenue is much more of a showcase street.

True but in most large cities in the world commercial streets like Yonge have morphed into showcase streets.

[lio45]

Originally Posted by Acajack

Non-boring is not the same as ''aesthetically pleasing''. No one on here said Yonge St. was boring.

It's not that bad I agree but OTOH it's not what most people would expect as a ''showcase street'' in a city like Toronto.

And as others have alluded to it can be a delicate balancing act in order to not fall into the trap so many showcase streets in the world's big cities have fallen into - and where everything kind of looks and feels the same no matter where you are.

It's impossible to fully combine "organic liveliness" and "controlled environment" in a given neighborhood. They're opposites. All you can do is try to strike a balance. (Tourist areas usually lean a lot more towards the latter, sacrificing authenticity and variety to high costs due to strict preservation and integration.)

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by lio45

It's impossible to fully combine "organic liveliness" and "controlled environment" in a given neighborhood. They're opposites. All you can do is try to strike a balance. (Tourist areas usually lean a lot more towards the latter, sacrificing authenticity and variety to high costs due to strict preservation and integration.)

IMHO that stretch of Yonge we are talking about does none of the three (the two extremes or the hard-to-achieve happy medium) very well at all.

Anyway, it's not alone as the majority of main streets in the country's cities are in the same boat.

Toronto is more fortunate than most in that it has a number of other streets that perform each of these functions well.

As I said earlier... it's just odd that the main street in the city hasn't evolved in the way they usually do.

[Loco101]

There is the former Hwy 11A which is Avenue Road and University Avenue when it's South of Queen's Park. It has a totally different feeling than Young Street.