Queens Quay traffic improvements are just around the corner
Waterfront Toronto promises more signs to make roads safer
As blunders plague drivers, cyclists and pedestrians alike along the newly revitalized Queens Quay, clarity is coming, according to Waterfront Toronto.
The agency behind the redesign, in consultation with the TTC and the city of Toronto, has announced changes to signs and street markings after studies on traffic behaviour — and recent Star reports — identified a host of driver mistakes along the mixed-use boulevard.
“Obviously there have been some peo- ple expressing some concern about what the traffic is doing, and we’re working on it,” said Andrew Hilton, director of communications and public engagement at Waterfront Toronto.
In a website post Tuesday, the organization confirmed plans for changes such as do-not-enter signs at the streetcar rightof-way, bike stencils as warnings for pedestrians to stay off the Martin Goodman Trail and more illegal-turn signs at intersections — all to be in place next week.
Since the revamped Queens Quay officially opened June 19, drivers have been making illegal left-hand turns, frantic three-point-turns and swerving in and out of the streetcar path before settling into their proper lanes.
“There’s some motorists that are having difficulty following the signs and signals, so we want to make sure that everybody can use the street safely,” Hilton said.
That’s where some of the changes, such as removing confusing dotted white lines to the Harbour Square laneway at York St., come in. They’re needed to make navigating Queens Quay easier for drivers unfamiliar with the street’s design, which Hilton described as “pretty distinct in Toronto.” But adjusting to infrastructure changes is a shared responsibility, he added. “Motorists just need to pay attention to the signage. They just need to drive very prudently.” Other changes:
Cues to cyclists: 20 km/h speed limit signs; “Stop here on red” markings, “slow, watch for turning vehicles” signs
Cues to cars: “watch for cyclists and pedestrians” signs; signage identifying Harbour Square laneway
Fine-tuning cameras that control traffic signals to improve traffic flow