Wire on Queens Quay poses sidewalk hazard
A place for everything and everything in its place. Except for a misguided guy (or tension) wire along Toronto’s lakeside wonderland.
Now that the reconstruction of Queens Quay is done, most would agree that the $128.9-million project to turn a 1.7-kilometre stretch of the street into a peoplefriendly waterfront boulevard was a success.
Akey objective was to balance the needs of pedestrians, cyclists, vehicles and public transit. After some early glitches while people adjusted to changes in traffic flow, it seems to be working as intended.
But flaws are apparent to those who live on the street or spend a lot of time there, like an awkwardly placed guy wire.
Dan Bordun sent us an email and photo of it, describing it as a “metal wire that comes shooting out of the middle of the sidewalk,” at the southwest corner of Queens Quay W. and Rees St.
“This wire is strategically located right where you are walking and has been there forever to hold up a wooden pole,” he said. “You would think that when the city went 40 per cent over budget to redo Queens Quay (four-plus years to do one mile of road) that they could have removed this eyesore and dangerous placement.
“Surely they could find a few thousand to do that. It’s been a few years since Queens Quay was renovated, so it doesn’t look like they are rushing to solve this.”
We went there and found the guy wire smack dab in the middle of a broad sidewalk area with an attractive, inlaid brick surface, which has no other impediments to pedestrians.
The wire has a blue plastic cover on it, making it easier for people to see and avoid. But with so much thought given to esthetics and safety, it seems totally out of place.
A Google Street View image from 2009, shows the same wire anchored in a grassy patch next to a building, long before the sidewalk was expanded. Status: We passed along Bordun’s note to Toronto Hydro, which is responsible for most utility poles. Tori Gass, who deals with media for Hydro, emailed to say the wire “can’t be moved as it’s helping to support the pole at that location. However, we’re moving all electrical assets underground in the area, including this intersection. As part of that work, that pole will be removed, but I don’t have a timeline as it’s part of a much larger project.” What’s broken in your neighbourhood? Wherever you are in Greater Toronto, we want to know. Send an email to jlakey@thestar.ca. Report problems and follow us on Twitter @TOStarFixer.