Message from David Switzer regarding City Planning “Outreach” at Sherway Gardens, September 6, 2013 – 11:00 am to 3:00 pm

The Lakeshore Planning Council has shared the following message from David Switzer of Long Branch:

I will be going to the City Planning Department “Outreach” at Sherway on Friday, September 6, 11am to 3pm. I feel that the most important overall and long term change City Planning can do is adapt Paul Ainslie’s proposal for Community Boards as referred to them by the Planning and Growth Management Committee (PG24.10). It is essential that these local boards have authority and be part of originating ideas as well as planning.

On a local level the following is my personal wish list:

  • The Etobicoke Creek Path (this may be Parks Department or TRCA’s area) – Clean up the debris from last month’s storm that a resident of the area has dragged to the path between Lake Shore and Horner. There is also a very hazardous situation where erosion has undercut the path. If the path collapses when people are on it they would fall 8 feet onto rocks or into the river.
  • Path extension to Sherway (This may be TRCA’s project but it also is a responsibility of City Planning) – This extension would not only provide me a bike path to get to the plaza and the Hospital but honour the commitment (through Section 37 funding) to give the tenants of the condos on Sherway Drive access to green recreation space which I believe is an obligation of City Planning to provide and is currently being recognised as a shortcoming specifically to our growing condo “vertical communities”.
  • Marie Curtis Park renovations have successfully increased park usage. As a result we now have parking all along Forty-Second Street and on Lake Prom. Forty-second Street was made no-parking because of the danger to children running out of the park. Parks should reconsidering putting a parking lot at the south west corner of Lake Shore and 42nd Street. This would provide: park parking on weekends, visitor parking for the condos and apartments in evenings, and overflow parking for the Go train station. A multi-use that Jane Jacobs was in favour of. This corner of the park is not very suitable for park usage.
  • There is another Marie Curtis Park change I have unsuccessfully proposed. There is a small sleigh riding hill at the south end of the park. There use to be a second more adventuresome hill next to it but Parks does not keep it open. I was informed that a hill would be built on the far side of the west end of the park. This is impractical as it is too far for the mothers and children to walk in the snow and the days you can sleigh ride are of course very cold. With the “Connect Project” this hill may not be built very soon. I would like Parks to reconsider and open this little part of the hill on Forty Second Street.
  • I propose north bound speed bumps at the top of the hill on Forty-second Street because drivers see a wide open “ski slop” of a road and tend to accelerate. The apartment residents down in the hollow are concerned for their children and elderly crossing into the park and playground.
  • I would like a permanent traffic light to allow pedestrian crossing and vehicle exiting from the GO Train Station by either moving the temporary light between Forty-second and Forty-first Street or coordinating this light and the light at the bus exit to sense exiting or entering traffic.

David Switzer

Comment

I was very pleased to learn of David Switzer’s comments. I have in previous posts shared many of his comments; you can find them through a Google search for “David Switzer Preserved Stories.” One of his other recent overviews can be found at the following post:

On August 21, 2013, I attended a small-group Lakeview Waterfront Connection Environmental Assessment meeting

Update: 

On September 5, 2013, Councillor Grimes’ Office has shared the following email:

Good Afternoon Mr. Switzer,

We’ve just sent out a request to have Transportation Services staff investigate the intersection and look for possible improvements. One possibility would be the installation of painted white stop bars on the roadway to highlight the stop sign.

We will also be in touch with Toronto Police Traffic Services so that they are aware of the issue as part of their enforcement efforts.

Best Regards,

Colin Johnston

Councillor Mark Grimes’ Office
Ward 6, Etobicoke Lakeshore
City Hall
100 Queen Street West, Suite C48
Toronto, ON M5H 2N2

Tel: 416-397-9273 Fax: 416-397-9279
www.markgrimes.ca

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