Collectively, the streets in our area comprise the largest percentage of our public space. We think that getting around our neighbourhood should not be just about going from one place to the next, but enjoying the journey.
ABCRA advocates for streets and sidewalks that are safe and accessible, with animated and green streetscapes that add to the vibrancy of the neighbourhood, and that offer a choice of travel modes that contribute to economic vitality in commercial areas.
Transportation News
Distracted drivers at Avenue Rd. & Davenport
Toronto police officer stops 3 distracted drivers — all on their cellphones — at the same time.On Monday afternoon, Toronto police officer Kirk Papadopoulos was parked on a curbside near Avenue Road and Davenport Road in his unmarked car when he stopped three distracted drivers within the span of about 30 seconds.
ABCRA responds to City on Noise Bylaw Review
ABCRA has participated in many iterations of the Noise By-Law review, and was a member of the Noise Working Group (“NWG”) process and has attended all meetings in the lead up to the 2019 Noise By-Law review. The livability of the City is being eroded by excessive unrestricted noise and a lack of enforcement for the rules that we do have.
Cities need to make space for transportation alternatives
The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically altered how people work, move and interact with each other. Patterns of employment, shopping, food consumption and leisure have shifted markedly.
One of the most visible changes, particularly in big cities, is the embrace of e-bikes and other micro-mobility devices (scooters, hoverboards, e-skateboards, e-trikes, Segways and more).
Yonge St. and St. Clair Ave. construction hub
We are writing to you in response to the TEYCC Motion 2023.TE4.52 relating to the establishment of a construction hub in the Yonge and St. Clair area, and to request for your consideration the feasibility of a new construction hub on Yonge Street from Scrivener Square to Aylmer/Belmont Road.
E-scooter pilot program
We are writing to encourage the committee to reject Councillor Ainslie’s request to re-open the debate to report back on a framework for an E-Scooter Pilot Project. This subject was thoroughly studied by city staff over three years, with 5 staff reports being brought to City Council for discussion in 2019, 2020 and 2021.
Historical designation of 148 and 156-158 Avenue Road
In review of the development application, the applicant is proposing to remove existing buildings along Avenue Road to increase the width of pedestrian sidewalks, provide for a signature plaza at the intersection, increase on-site public space and widen an existing laneway for both vehicular and pedestrian use. These public realm enhancements are desirable for both pedestrian and vehicular safety and support the creation of a community node at a key intersection in the City of Toronto.
5 little-known facts you might not know about the Bloor Viaduct
The Bloor Viaduct is one of Toronto’s most iconic structures. Built between 1914 and 1918, it was officially named the Prince Edward Viaduct after the Prince of Wales, a fact which Torontonians tend to gloss over by stubbornly referring to it by its street-related colloquial name.
Despite its significant status, there’s plenty of mostly unknown information about the bridge, not the least of which is that it’s actually not one bridge at all!
Wider Sidewalks Now Video
The history of Toronto in photos
The history of Toronto in photos is not an authoritative history of this city (far from from it), but the 90 some odd posts linked to below provide a thematically organized visual overview of Toronto that I hope will be worth a return visit or two for those interested in the city of yesteryear.
The vast majority of the photographs featured below derive from the Toronto Archives, which means that should you see something that you really like, it’s probably available for purchase from the source.