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TTC raises concerns as film festival forces streetcar detour
Wednesday August 31st 2016Despite TTC concerns that closing King St. during the Toronto International Film Festival will seriously disrupt the transit agency’s busiest streetcar route, the city has decided to shut down five blocks of the road next month for a four-day street party.
Each fall since 2014, the city has closed King to allow TIFF to create “Festival Street,” a temporary pedestrian promenade that features concerts, film screenings, extended restaurant patios, and food trucks. This year the street will be closed from Peter St. to University Ave. from Thursday, Sept. 8 to Sunday, Sept. 11.
In a 2015 report to the transit agency’s board, TTC staff wrote that during previous closures, regardless of the agency’s efforts to work around the shutdown, “the reliability, speed, and overall quality of service on the 504 King route were seriously affected.”
The 504 carries 65,000 people on an average weekday and already suffers from chronic overcrowding.
TTC spokesman Brad Ross said the agency shared the same concerns with the city again this year, but “events like TIFF are bigger than us.”
“While the TTC’s focus is always on ensuring the best service possible for of its 1.8 million daily riders, the TTC recognizes the importance of TIFF and Festival Street to Toronto. The TTC will do all it can to ensure transit service runs as smoothly as possible during this fun-filled event,” Ross said in an email.
Mayor John Tory and the local councillor, Joe Cressy (Ward 20, Trinity-Spadina), support the closure. In an emailed statement, Tory spokeswoman Keerthana Kamalavasan said the festival is “an integral arts and cultural event” for the city that boosts local businesses.
She said that the city, TTC, and TIFF had developed an “extensive communication and mitigation plan” to minimize the street festival’s impact on transit riders and other road users.
The plan includes assigning police officers to intersections to help with traffic flow, and deploying TTC ambassadors to assist customers.
In an email, a TIFF spokesperson said Festival Street brings great value to the city, adding that last year it attracted 100,000 visitors over four days. The spokesperson said that it wouldn’t be suitable to close another, less-trafficked street because King St. is at the heart of the festival.
According to the city, the festival, now in its 41st year, reaches an audience of 450,000 annually. A 2013 study found the economic impact of the festival and the TIFF Bell Lightbox was $189 million a year for Toronto and Ontario.
During the closure, the TTC will split the 504 King route in two. In the east, 504 cars out of Broadview station will travel west on King, south on Church St., west on Wellington St., north on York St., and return east on King.
In the west, 504 cars from Dundas West station will head east on King, north on Spadina Ave., east on Adelaide St., south on Charlotte St., and return west along King.
The 514 Cherry streetcar and supplemental buses for the 504 will be diverted.
After the street festival is over, the TTC is warning customers to brace for additional service disruptions during the rest of TIFF, which runs until Sept. 18. Large crowds attracted by red carpet events at the Princess of Wales Theatre will present safety concerns, the commission said in an online statement.
Since May the 501 Queen streetcar, which carries more than 52,000 people a day, has been diverting via King between Shaw St. and Spadina because of water main work on Queen. The diversion is scheduled to continue until October.
Ross said that during the TIFF closure the TTC is predicting a “crunch” at the intersection of Spadina and Queen because both the 504 and 501 will be turning there.
Source: Toronto Star
Front Page, Headline, Industry News
TTC raises concerns as film festival forces streetcar detour
Wednesday August 31st 2016Despite TTC concerns that closing King St. during the Toronto International Film Festival will seriously disrupt the transit agency’s busiest streetcar route, the city has decided to shut down five blocks of the road next month for a four-day street party.
Each fall since 2014, the city has closed King to allow TIFF to create “Festival Street,” a temporary pedestrian promenade that features concerts, film screenings, extended restaurant patios, and food trucks. This year the street will be closed from Peter St. to University Ave. from Thursday, Sept. 8 to Sunday, Sept. 11.
In a 2015 report to the transit agency’s board, TTC staff wrote that during previous closures, regardless of the agency’s efforts to work around the shutdown, “the reliability, speed, and overall quality of service on the 504 King route were seriously affected.”
The 504 carries 65,000 people on an average weekday and already suffers from chronic overcrowding.
TTC spokesman Brad Ross said the agency shared the same concerns with the city again this year, but “events like TIFF are bigger than us.”
“While the TTC’s focus is always on ensuring the best service possible for of its 1.8 million daily riders, the TTC recognizes the importance of TIFF and Festival Street to Toronto. The TTC will do all it can to ensure transit service runs as smoothly as possible during this fun-filled event,” Ross said in an email.
Mayor John Tory and the local councillor, Joe Cressy (Ward 20, Trinity-Spadina), support the closure. In an emailed statement, Tory spokeswoman Keerthana Kamalavasan said the festival is “an integral arts and cultural event” for the city that boosts local businesses.
She said that the city, TTC, and TIFF had developed an “extensive communication and mitigation plan” to minimize the street festival’s impact on transit riders and other road users.
The plan includes assigning police officers to intersections to help with traffic flow, and deploying TTC ambassadors to assist customers.
In an email, a TIFF spokesperson said Festival Street brings great value to the city, adding that last year it attracted 100,000 visitors over four days. The spokesperson said that it wouldn’t be suitable to close another, less-trafficked street because King St. is at the heart of the festival.
According to the city, the festival, now in its 41st year, reaches an audience of 450,000 annually. A 2013 study found the economic impact of the festival and the TIFF Bell Lightbox was $189 million a year for Toronto and Ontario.
During the closure, the TTC will split the 504 King route in two. In the east, 504 cars out of Broadview station will travel west on King, south on Church St., west on Wellington St., north on York St., and return east on King.
In the west, 504 cars from Dundas West station will head east on King, north on Spadina Ave., east on Adelaide St., south on Charlotte St., and return west along King.
The 514 Cherry streetcar and supplemental buses for the 504 will be diverted.
After the street festival is over, the TTC is warning customers to brace for additional service disruptions during the rest of TIFF, which runs until Sept. 18. Large crowds attracted by red carpet events at the Princess of Wales Theatre will present safety concerns, the commission said in an online statement.
Since May the 501 Queen streetcar, which carries more than 52,000 people a day, has been diverting via King between Shaw St. and Spadina because of water main work on Queen. The diversion is scheduled to continue until October.
Ross said that during the TIFF closure the TTC is predicting a “crunch” at the intersection of Spadina and Queen because both the 504 and 501 will be turning there.
Source: Toronto Star
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Front Page, Headline, Industry News
TTC raises concerns as film festival forces streetcar detour
Wednesday August 31st 2016Despite TTC concerns that closing King St. during the Toronto International Film Festival will seriously disrupt the transit agency’s busiest streetcar route, the city has decided to shut down five blocks of the road next month for a four-day street party.
Each fall since 2014, the city has closed King to allow TIFF to create “Festival Street,” a temporary pedestrian promenade that features concerts, film screenings, extended restaurant patios, and food trucks. This year the street will be closed from Peter St. to University Ave. from Thursday, Sept. 8 to Sunday, Sept. 11.
In a 2015 report to the transit agency’s board, TTC staff wrote that during previous closures, regardless of the agency’s efforts to work around the shutdown, “the reliability, speed, and overall quality of service on the 504 King route were seriously affected.”
The 504 carries 65,000 people on an average weekday and already suffers from chronic overcrowding.
TTC spokesman Brad Ross said the agency shared the same concerns with the city again this year, but “events like TIFF are bigger than us.”
“While the TTC’s focus is always on ensuring the best service possible for of its 1.8 million daily riders, the TTC recognizes the importance of TIFF and Festival Street to Toronto. The TTC will do all it can to ensure transit service runs as smoothly as possible during this fun-filled event,” Ross said in an email.
Mayor John Tory and the local councillor, Joe Cressy (Ward 20, Trinity-Spadina), support the closure. In an emailed statement, Tory spokeswoman Keerthana Kamalavasan said the festival is “an integral arts and cultural event” for the city that boosts local businesses.
She said that the city, TTC, and TIFF had developed an “extensive communication and mitigation plan” to minimize the street festival’s impact on transit riders and other road users.
The plan includes assigning police officers to intersections to help with traffic flow, and deploying TTC ambassadors to assist customers.
In an email, a TIFF spokesperson said Festival Street brings great value to the city, adding that last year it attracted 100,000 visitors over four days. The spokesperson said that it wouldn’t be suitable to close another, less-trafficked street because King St. is at the heart of the festival.
According to the city, the festival, now in its 41st year, reaches an audience of 450,000 annually. A 2013 study found the economic impact of the festival and the TIFF Bell Lightbox was $189 million a year for Toronto and Ontario.
During the closure, the TTC will split the 504 King route in two. In the east, 504 cars out of Broadview station will travel west on King, south on Church St., west on Wellington St., north on York St., and return east on King.
In the west, 504 cars from Dundas West station will head east on King, north on Spadina Ave., east on Adelaide St., south on Charlotte St., and return west along King.
The 514 Cherry streetcar and supplemental buses for the 504 will be diverted.
After the street festival is over, the TTC is warning customers to brace for additional service disruptions during the rest of TIFF, which runs until Sept. 18. Large crowds attracted by red carpet events at the Princess of Wales Theatre will present safety concerns, the commission said in an online statement.
Since May the 501 Queen streetcar, which carries more than 52,000 people a day, has been diverting via King between Shaw St. and Spadina because of water main work on Queen. The diversion is scheduled to continue until October.
Ross said that during the TIFF closure the TTC is predicting a “crunch” at the intersection of Spadina and Queen because both the 504 and 501 will be turning there.
Source: Toronto Star
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