Safety barriers at Union up until at least January

The concrete barriers lining Union Station, which the city installed after a driver in a van rampaged down Yonge St. in April killing 10 people, will remain up until at least January the Star has learned.

The barriers, described as “intimidating” by Ward 28 councillor Lucy Troisi, were installed by Toronto police and the city’s corporate security im- mediately following the attack in North York on April 23.

Councillor Troisi, whose ward encompasses Union Station, said the barriers were supposed to be there on a short-term basis while the city worked on finding a more esthetically pleasing alternatives like planters and benchers.

The concrete Jersey barriers received a barrage of criticism after they were installed.

Toronto mayoral candidate and former chief planner Jennifer Keesmaat says it would be ideal if the barriers combined an artistic design with safety measures.

“Many cities around the world have used well-designed public art to act as barriers from potential dangers,” says Keesmaat. “For example, strategically placed barriers that integrate public art and public seating have been used in Oslo and elsewhere which double as safety features.”

Barbara Robinson, a civil engineering expert and president of Norton Engineering Inc., told the Star that the barriers around Union Station

are not a long-term solution, and instead proposed bringing together landscape architects and structural engineers to design attractive features such as large planters.