‘Advance green’ light at Jarvis a mirage?

On Monday, shortly after 5 in the afternoon, I started north on Jarvis St. from Queen’s Quay and approached (with trepidation) what I consider to be the worst intersection in all of Toronto: Jarvis and Lake Shore Blvd. E.

This is where there are ramps off the Gardiner and ramps onto the Gardiner and traffic going every which way at once and pedestrians crossing and cheaters going southbound on Jarvis jumping the queue and turning right onto Lake Shore and butting into line to head up to the Gardiner and the reality is just the way I’m writing it: chaos!

So imagine my surprise, shortly after 5 on Monday, when there appeared to be an advance green on Jarvis for both north and southbound traffic. Southbound went first: about 30 cars made a left onto the Gardiner ramp unimpeded.

Then came those of us going northbound, who were able to either zip through the intersection or turn left and up onto the westbound Gardiner ramp without another car or truck moving anywhere.

I thought I’d died and gone to Heaven. Hallelujah!

I don’t leave for home at the same time every day. I often don’t exit the Star’s parking lot at 1 Yonge till after 7, when things are usually starting to loosen up, at which time I’ll take another route to the Gardiner.

So the first discouraging word I heard came Wednesday morning when a friend I’d told about the “advance green” said I must have been dreaming.

“I was there at noon Tuesday and it was same old, same old,” he said.

So I had to check it out. I walked over at 5 p.m. on Wednesday to observe, and my friend was right: no advance green; still chaos.

I don’t know if there was some kind of electronic glitch on Monday that created the advance green. Or whether the city had conducted a one-day experiment. Or whether I didn’t see a police officer operating the lights manually.

But whatever happened was wonderful and, if instituted, would go a long way toward solving what is a very hazardous situation at that intersection every rush hour.

If it was done on purpose, congratulations to those responsible and may you follow through and make it permanent, now that you know how well it works. If it was a fluke, may there be many more. Notes: The Niagara Falls Review is reporting that work has started on the $150-million Fort Erie Speedway project. The paper reports that bulldozers were busy this week clearing space for heavy equipment. Track spokesman, Erik Tomas, was quoted as saying everything will be in place for winter so work can start in early spring. The track — an oval and a road course with seating for 65,000 — could be ready by 2016, Tomas told the Review. Luxury Wheels: Watch for our special section on Luxury Wheels in the Star next Thursday, Oct. 10. We list our picks for the top five luxury rides, test the new Mercedes-Benz diesel E-Class and take an Acura MDX on a junior hockey road trip from London to Kingston.