Alternate forms of transport

Someone is commuting to work by bicycle.

Pottery Road update

Torontonians will recognize Pottery Road as the space warp that gets them from the Bayview Extension to Broadview Avenue north of Danforth. As such, it takes a lot of pressure off other arteries to and from downtown, such as the  big bridge (the Princes’ Viaduct) over the Don Valley Parkway. It’s an old road that winds down a steep hill, ducks under the Don Valley Parkway, and  crosses the Don River via an old cement bridge. This summer the city undertook to improve the road and sidewalk and install street lights. It was supposed to open September 7th.

Pottery Road in the Don Valley

I hope you haven’t been holding your breath.

It didn’t open on time. It was going to open September 30.

I hope you weren’t holding your breath.

The latest is that the hillside above the road is safe but not up to safety standards. I’m not sure which retaining wall  they’re talking about since most of the north side of the road is natural slope. Did I mention that someone just built an apartment building looming over the road? Regardless, the engineers aren’t satisfied and they’re taking measurements and considering what to do.

“The wall is safe…but, it’s not within acceptable engineering limits,” said Gord MacMillan, director of design and construction for the City of Toronto.

Here’s the update. I think they’ll be finished about February. What do you think?

 The City’s design consultants have been working on an engineering solution to increase the stability of the embankment above the newly constructed retaining wall on the north side of Pottery Rd, east of the Don Valley Parkway which remains the sole reason for the continued road closure.   

 On the basis of engineering designs prepared by the consultant, Technical Services is in the process of obtaining price quotations and realistic construction timelines. The General Contractor’s sub-contractors are expected to submit quotations and construction schedules by October 7th 2011.

Unfortunately, we still do not have a date for the re-opening of Pottery Road

A ship named after a politician

The other day we saw the Rt. Hon. Paul J. Martin passing under the lift bridge out of Hamilton Harbour.  It was built at Port Weller for  Canada Steamship Lines about 2002.

Finch Avenue sinks again

Why doesn’t the city just admit that there’s a stream running under the street and put in a culvert? Or a bigger culvert? Or an actual bridge? There is a culvert, but flooding can overload it. It’s a remnant of the time when Toronto’s treatment of creeks within the city was to bury them.

“Son of the hole that ate Finch Avenue“

This is the second time in four years that the soil under the road has washed away. Some people called it the Finch Flood.

Eco-friendly canvassing

Here’s one man in Missouri who volunteered to visit his neighbours to canvass for Barack Obama–by horseback.

Old bikes

I had an old bike once. It was a heavy, old delivery bike with balloon tires, very stable.

It looked sort of like this, only mine was red: