Dundas Place SOS!!!

[ssiguy]

It seems the city 3 days ago has decided to get rid of the bike lanes on King and bring back bikes to Dundas. This is such a stupid idea one hardly knows where to start.

They spent millions creating a very nice flex street and now it's all gone to waste as they will have a real problem shutting down the street for various events because the bikers will always have to use it as they have essentially been given no choice. It is much more dangerous as the cyclists now will have no protected bike lanes, the road is much thinner due to wider sidewalks and due to now having no natural barrier for the bikes due to the street being completely level, they will begin riding on some of the sidewalks meant for pedestrians.

The person at Dundas Place who I complained with also seemed dumbfounded by it and couldn't understand why they would do such a thing regardless of the BRT. They have taken the "flex" out of flex street and by once again making it a transportation corridor, have taken the "place" out of Dundas Place.

She encouraged me to send her an email so she has a written record of how people are opposed to this and recommended other people I talk to do the same so they can hopefully get the decision reversed. Th bike association is understandably livid.

Please send her a note to convey your displeasure of this idiotic idea. Even just a one line note will be one more she can present. Her name is Savanah Sewell
and you can reach her at ...................... [email protected]

Thanks.

[Djeffery]

I'm surprised they are dumbfounded as this was the plan when the downtown BRT loop was approved. I'm pretty sure that in that long list of projects the city got approved for higher level government funding included a link between the TVP and the west end of Dundas Place. Work is already underway on the protected bike lanes that continue on Dundas east of Wellington. The King St bike lane was always going to be temporary, and was billed as such when they were built.

[That_Chris]

There's such an easy solution to this. Just close Dundas Street to cars (open it for business deliveries for an hour or two each morning). Safe for bikes, safe for pedestrians, and since King street is still going to be a two line highway PLUS a rapid bus lane, It'll barely effect car traffic at all.

[haljackey]

Is this really a SOS? This has been the plan for a long time now ever since BRT on King and Queens was approved and we knew it would consume the bike lanes.

I scratched my head about this however- as you said it's kind of odd to use Dundas for bikes now. I guess with the 30km/h speed limit you are going roughly the same speed as car traffic.

But with it closed to festivals, I would assume it would still be open for bike traffic but I agree- rather annoying if you want to commute those 4 blocks downtown.

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The real SOS right now is the continued store closures on Dundas. Example- the Starbucks is now permanently closed (was supposed to be temporary due to Covid)

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/london/st...re-drive-thru-locations-coming-1.5786511

Circle K closed at Dundas/Wellington as well plus some others recently as well.

[jammer139]

Might be more accurate to say downtown SOS as the problems are across all of the downtown not just Dundas St. The whole downtown has been steadily in decline for well over 10 years now with countless businesses closing or moving out. The years of road closures has driven away customers. Covid is just the most recent body blow uppercut combination.



What it needs is stability now more then anything. Let the residential growth fertilize a rejuvenation of the businesses and fill the empty retail store fronts. Sadly I think it is going to get worst before bottoming out in the next few years.