Dirt, danger may plague Martin Goodman Trail during TTC construction

By Kimberly Spice –

Starting in April, pedestrians on the Martin Goodman Waterfront Trail along Leslie St. south of Lake Shore will see an increase in vehicular traffic as the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) starts to move out soil from their new Ashbridges Bay storage facility.

Once development begins, debris—such as mud and stones falling off trucks onto the waterfront trail—will be a significant hazard to cyclists and rollerbladers.

The TTC’s community liaison Lito Romano is aware of the concern and notes, “There is wording in the contract for the contractor to keep it (surrounding area) clean. We would keep the contractor to that.”

The mess is not the only concern: pedestrian safety may also be impacted. A no-right-on-red signal is being considered for Commissioners Rd. at Leslie St. and will remain after the facility is fully operational.

“It is a signalized intersection so the vehicles will have to come to a complete stop before proceeding,” Romano commented, noting that the traffic impact study that identified this need is posted on the TTC website “although,” he added, “Leslie St. is still in the detail design stage.”

The TTC tactfully chose the east end for the storage facility—once the Don Lands residential redevelopment is complete, it will play an integral role in providing service to that area.

“Both Leslie and Commissioners streets are both high-order transit corridors so at some point—it’s probably decades away—you’ll see transit running along Commissioners St. and serving the Don Lands,” stated Romano. “It is strategically located.”

The community favoured the Ashbridges Bay option over the Eastern Ave. and TEDCO Unwin Ave. locations that had also been pitched by the TTC.

It is estimated that once the facility is completed in December 2013 the innovative and improved streetcars leaving and returning to the facility will have little impact on the pedestrians using the waterfront trail.

Streetcars leaving the facility for peak operating hours will leave between 5 and 7 a.m., with some returning at 10 a.m. and going back out on the line between 2 and 3 p.m. Half of the streetcars will return at 7 p.m. and the remainder will return at 1 a.m.

While the site development continues, the TTC will keep the public updated and will schedule community meetings upon request.

For more information, or with questions, concerns or comments, contact Romano at (416) 397-8699 or lito.romano@ttc.ca.