Posts Tagged ‘sidewalks’

around Oriole station

Posted: October 17, 2025 in construction, transportation
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Oriole GO station is on the Richmond Hill line.  It is located at Leslie and the 401 highway and for many years the parking lot for the station was under the 401.  With the recent changes to the Leslie/401 interchange, and all the construction that that entails, this parking lot is gone.   Also, the old station building is no longer in use and the platform has been moved slightly north.  A new metal pedestrian bridge has been built over the tracks south of the station to replce an older wood structure – this provides access to the residential area to the south.

sign pointing to GO station, in park,

graffiti on concrete on the side of elevated portion of 401 highway. green space between concrete and chainlink fence and gate

below:  Under the 401 highway

behind chainlink fence, graffiti on concrete pillars holding up the 401 highway

below:  Access to Woodsworth park involves getting over the tracks via a new pedestrian bridge.

looking across tracks at oriole GO station, near new pedestrian bridge over the tracks

below:  Caged!

cage enclosing top level of metal pedestrian bridge

below:  The bridge is high! The top of it is level with the traffic on the ramp between the eastbound 401 and Leslie Street.  This is the view north and slightly west from the bridge.

cars on ramp between eastbound 401 and Leslie Street, highrise glass and steel condos behind, GO train tracks under the ramp, view from pedestrian bridge over the tracks

below:  Another view from the bridge, this time looking northeast

looking northeast from pedestrian bridge over GO tracks at oriole station, looking over the 401 to highrises in the distance

below:  Looking east over all the lanes of the 401, including the new Leslie Street on-ramp on the south side.

highway 401, east from Leslie Street

below:  At track level

track level, platform for oriole GO station, under the 401,

It was very quiet here.  Oriole station is the first stop north of Union but trains only run during rush hours.  There are four trains that run southbound in the morning and five trains for northbound trips in the afternoon.  No trains stop here between 8:35 a.m. and 4:14 p.m.  There don’t seem to be any stats online re the number of people who use this station.

sign for Oriole go station

below:  Old station building in the background that is no longer is use (i.e. there are no washroom facilities here at the moment).

construction of new off-ramp from the 401 eastbound at Leslie Street, with old GO station building in the background

construction of new off-ramp from the 401 eastbound at Leslie Street

below: You may have seen this giant billboard if you have driven past on the 401.  It stands beside the Oriole station platform.  Recently, the platform was under under the 401 and therefore, protected from the rain.  It has been moved slightly north to bring it closer to Leslie subway station (TTC)

massive billboard on large metal support, at the side of GO station tracks, highrise condos in the background, Oriole,

Oriole Go station platform under the 401 highway, with construction

below: All pedestrian access to the old station as well as the parking lot has been closed.

danger do not enter signs, no pedestrians sign, blocking sidewalk passage under bridge at oriole GO station

workmen, construction of new off-ramp from the 401 eastbound at Leslie Street

below: There is another entrance to the station at the north end where the tracks cross Esther Shiner Blvd. [extra note: Esther Shiner was a North York municipal politician who was first elected in 1972.  She served as councilor, as well as a short stint as Deputy Mayor until her death in 1987.]

north end of Oriole GO station platform, with sign pointing to exit at Esther Shiner Blvd

Not everybody walks to IKEA!

IKEA store and flags, on Esther Shiner Blvd, beside GO railway tracks,

looking northwest across railway tracks just north of oriole go station

below: The tracks cross Esther Shiner Blvd, but the sidewalk doesn’t and all pedestrian traffic is routed to the south side.   If you want to transfer to the TTC (Leslie station), there is a walk involved.   It takes about 10 minutes I think.

pigeon sitting on railing overlooking esther shiner blvd, TTC bus in the background, looking east towards Leslie street

esther shiner street, looking west towards ikea, under train tracks,

two signs with arrows, TTC Leslie to the left and GO Oriole to the right

below: Turn left at Old Leslie if you are looking for the TTC subway.  Straight through gets you to Leslie Street (at North York General Hospital, north of the 401 highway and south of Shepard).

Old Leslie Street sign on post along with other signs for TTC and GO,

below: The signs still direct you to the GO station via under the 401….

leslie looking south at 401, construction and Oriole GO station

below: …. but the road is actually closed to traffic.

workman under the 401, by sidewalk, a couple are walking towards him

4 different tall lights,

below: Looking northwest across Leslie, south of the 401 (towards Yonge & Shepard).

leslie street, south of the 401

below: Making sidewalks.

workmen pouring cement for new kerbs and sidewalk, along Leslie street at 401

below: Old and faded, rules and regulations for prevention of the spread of COVID-19

old COVID 19 rules and regulations poster, weathered, on fence at construction site
red lines spray painted onto sidewalk, beside a crack in the cement

concrete support, and part of rusty metal train bridge over Leslie street

light and shadows between portions of highway being constructed and renovated

construction site light and shadows, and small orange cone

construction of new ramp, 401 and Leslie

no entry sign on pole, overgrown with shrub,

brown pigeon sitting on a grey metal round hand rail overlooking city street

It’s a mess!

Posted: January 27, 2024 in construction, intersections
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Queen Street is now closed to all traffic from just east of Bay Street to Yonge Street and again between Yonge and Victoria Streets…. for about four and a half years (any bets on 5 years? or more?).  The new Ontario Line subway is being built here.  There will be 4 stops along Queen –  Moss Park which is between Sherbourne and Parliament, then Yonge, Osgoode, and finally a stop at Spadina & Queen before the line heads south to King Street and then the Exhibition.

Because of the existing infrastructure in the area there wasn’t much room for construction, hence the takeover of the street. 501 Queen streetcars and buses are diverting along Richmond and Adelaide streets.

It all makes for a complicated mess for pedestrians.

below: The first warning sign of changes ahead, a little orange sign that says that the sidewalk on the north side of Queen Street is closed between Victoria and Yonge.

street scene, Queen St. East in front of Metropolitan United Church,looking west towards Victoria Street.

below: Queen and Victoria, looking west towards the construction

Queen Street East at Victoria. Street to the west towards Yonge street is closed, green and metal fence blocking traffic and pedestrians, construction site for new Ontario Line subway

below: Looking south on Victoria from Queen

looking south on Victoria Street, west side,from Queen, winter, some snow on ground, green fence blocking off Queen street for construction of ontario line subway

below: Ontario Line hoardings.

two people walking on sidewalk on Queen Street between Victoria and Yonge, fabric hoardings advertising construction of the Ontario line subway on their right

looking through metal construction fence, workmen on a construction site talking to each other

below: Northeast corner of Yonge & Queen

below: Looking east from Yonge

below: Westward view past concrete barriers and wobbly green and metal fencing

below: Crossing Queen Street

below: From the Eaton Centre looking east past Yonge Street.

below: Entrance to the Queen subway station

hoardings create a path across Queen street to provide access to Queen street subway station

below: A break in the construction zone for pedestrians.

hoardings create a path across Queen street to provide access to Eaton Centre

below: Barricade across the sidewalk on the south side, by the Eaton Centre

below: Queen Street is closed in front of Old City Hall

tower of old city hall with road construction in front of it

a quick check on Osgoode

Posted: August 6, 2023 in construction, locations
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At the end of last year there was some controversy about removal of some of the trees from the park in front of Osgoode Hall to make way for Metrolinx and the new Ontario Line subway. (see post here – tree removal ).

Well, the trees did come down and subway construction has begun.  The northbound lanes on University Ave north of Queen are closed and of course traffic chaos has ensued.

below: One entrance to Osgoode station on the southwest corner of Queen and University (looking north).  On the Metrolinx website, the old building that now houses Rexall will become a new entrance to the subway.   Or at least the facade of the building from 1929 is being retained.   Before it was a Rexall drug store it was a CIBC branch.

entrance to Osgoode subway station on the southwest corner of Queen and University

below: Pedestrians crossing Queen Street, east side of University Ave (looking south)

university avenue

below: The other entrance to Osgoode station is on the northeast corner of University and Queen. (Looking south in this photo.)  A new entrance is planned for this location too except that it will be within the black wrought iron fence that surrounds Osgoode Hall.   This frees up space on the busy sidewalk.

entrance to Osgoode subway station on the northeast corner of Queen and University

construction sign, danger, sidewalk closed

below: The bike lane on westbound Queen Street comes to an abrupt end and the corner is quite dangerous.

orange fence around part of University Ave., a cyclist approaches the intersection
Walking north on University Avenue

a woman in black robes walks up the sidewalk on University ave

Canada Life building on University Ave

a police man in yellow vest watches over a construction site on University ave

a digger, construction site, digging up street, University Ave

red and white danger due to open excavation sign on a wire fence

two newspaper boxes on sidewalk beside orange construction fence

below: Looking south on University from Armoury Street.  This is the section of University that is closed to traffic.

looking south on University Ave from Armoury street where one side of the boulevard is closed to traffic because of subway construction

below: University Club of Toronto, a Georgian building, with just one edge of the US Consulate General visible on the left side of the photo.

armoury building on University Ave

below: Weaving of traffic at Armoury Street (in front of the US Consulate General).

intersection of Armoury and University

downtown in the time of Covid-19

Posted: April 29, 2020 in construction, locations, old buildings, stores
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below: A lonely ladybug and bumblebee await the return of the kids.   Playgrounds still closed because of Covid-19.

playground with a large ladybird to sit on and a webshaped climbing ropes also with a closed for covid-19 sign

below: Barriers around the pool in front of the Toronto 3D sign at Nathan Phillips Square.  A perfect spot for a quiet picnic.

3 D toronto sign in front of city hall

A couple stands behind the o in 3 D toronto sign, barriers in front of sign, most of the water has been removed from pool in front, so have puddles with reflections of sign and city hall

below: New mural on Charles Street – painted September 2019, by Justus Becker (from Frankfurt Germany) as part of the 2019 StART mural exchange program.  One lens of the glasses is reflecting Toronto while the other lens mirrors Frankfurt.

tall mural onthe side of an apartment building, about 10 storeys high

below: Behind College Park (777 Bay Street)

behind 777 college street at college and bay streets, large tall condo buildings with a park in between

street scene

reflections in a large window on Yonge Street, a woman walks towards the window, the reflections of a man walking the other way are in the window

two men sitting on the sidewalk feeding pigeons, many pigeons, a security guard stands by a door behind them and a woman with a face mask walks past

a slightly arched window in an old brick building. Some panes of glass are gone and holes boarded up with plywood. Other panes are cracked. A pigeon rests on the window ledge by a gap in the window

s couple standing on a corner on Yonge street waiting for a light to change, and talking

below: If plants die on city property and no one is there to notice, does it really matter?

pale lime green planters in front of a concrete building, with dead plants in them.

below: Two big rats anthropomorphized into a cute little Chinese couple on a Canada Post box.  They appear on some of the stamps issued by the post office in honour of the Year of the Rat.  The rat is the first of the 12 animals in the  12 year cycle of the old Chinese calendar.  The rat also represents the hours of 11 p.m. to 1 a.m., in other words, both midnight and the beginning of a new day.   Perhaps we are approaching midnight and our new day is just around the corner?

Canada Post mailbox decorated with a picture of a mouse couple dressed in Chinese traditional outfits, cartoon-like, to celebrate lunar new year and year of the rat

below: Is this seat taken?

two mattresses discard in a lane beside a blue railing

below: Who can resist Unicorn Beauty?

two store fronts on Yonge Street, Unicorn Beauty and a Japanese restaurant

Social distancing can be challenge even when most people are staying home.  The way that the city and construction sites manage the sidewalks downtown barely worked before.  Now, the confinement of the sidewalk space makes it impossible for two people to pass and still comply with safety guidelines.   With some awareness, along with the ability to walk on the streets, it is possible to give everyone ample room.  There is a debate going on about whether or not to close some streets, or at least close some lanes to traffic, to provide more space for walkers.   Those on the “no” side such as the Toronto Public Health,  claim that it just encourages more people to be out when they should be at home; it undermines “directives against people congregating in groups”.

More recently, a program called CurbTO has begun whereby some curb lanes are opened to either pedestrians or to parking for curbside pickup from stores.  But even here, it’s not necessarily for walkers, but for people lining up to get into stores.   It’s going to be a very different situation once pedestrian and  traffic levels start to return to what they were in the old days and there are going to have been some infrastructure adaptations.

below: Navigating the sidewalks while still complying with what governments and health officials are suggesting.   Note the poster on the wall “We are all in this together”.

a woman walks down Yonge Street under a covered walkway (for construction) and towards a man half sitting and half lying on the sidewalk, with one leg stuck out into the sidewalk

below: It’s not often that traffic stops on Yonge Street for pedestrians and their pets.

a car stops on Yonge street to let a man and his white dog cross the street

below: On the southeast corner of Yonge and Gerrard, the facade of an old building is being preserved.

building on south east corner of Yonge and Gerrard is being demolished except for the facade which is being preserved

facade of a building on a corner being saved while rest of building is demolished

below: Brick and roofline details.

corner of a facade being saved during construction, old brick and detail work, window with no glass, showing metal supports keeping the wall up

below: I was impressed by the engineering that is involved in keeping these old facades intact while the interior is gutted.

metal framework and concrete weights that are used to shore up the walls of a facade being saved during redevelopment

a man sits on the stairs in front of the Ryerson Student Union building while another man walks past

ambulance with paramedics talking to a man who is sitting in the ambulance, at Yonge and Dundas in front of the Easton Centre

In front of the zanzibar club, sign, with flags and words, that say no corona here we only sell Molsons,

below: Talking to the polaroid guy.

a woman in a yellow and black striped scarf stops to look at a picture on a wall decorated with many black and white stripes going in many different directions, on the stripes is an enlargement of a polaroid picture of a man standing in a field with an airplane flying over him

a woman walks towards the side of a TTC streetcar as it crosses over Yonge Street

below: No standing takes on a new meaning

street signs now partially obscured by covering over sidewalk at construction site

below: Looking south on Bay Street from Queen.

Bay street, looking south from Queen

below: Richmond Street construction, west of University Avenue.

Richmond street, construction, looking west from University Ave

This was my first time on the subway since mid-March.  There were very few people there so it was easy avoiding them but once again, safely re-opening a city is not going to be easy.    The packed buses and subways are going to be problematic.

below: Only some subway seats can be occupied.

empty seats on TTC subway car, signs on seats saying do not sit here, social distancing measure re covid-19

 

Portugal Day Parade

Posted: June 13, 2016 in events, people
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Yesterday the Portuguese community in Toronto held their 29th annual Portugal Day parade.   It was a lively, happy occasion.  Hundreds of people lined Dundas Street West between Lansdowne and Trinity Bellwoods Park to watch the parade.  They showed their Portuguese colours with flags, banners, hats, soccer shirts, and lots of red clothes!  Young soccer players demonstrated their skills.  People of all ages wore traditional dress from different parts of Portugal as they walked and danced along the parade route.  There was music too – bagpipes, marching bands, and music to dance to.

A man pushes a cart from which he is selling popcorn, candy apples and cotton candy to people watching a parade. A black truck is behind him with a boy in the passenger side who is hold a banner out the window that says Portugal on it.

Two boys holding a red banner for a marching band in a parade. Lots of flag holders behind them, a Canadian flag, an Ontario flag, a Toronto flag and a Portuguese flag.

A young girl swirls her long skirt as she dances in a parade. Portugal Day parade on Dundas West, Little Portugal, in Toronto

A boy is wearing a Rinaldo soccer shirt, and sitting beside a Portuguese flag. His father is with him

men, members of a Labour Union, walk in a parade. They are wearing orange shirts with short blue sleeves that say Portugal Day on them.

Women dancers in traditional Portuguese dress, dancing in a parade. One of them pauses to look at the man selling cotton candy and popcorn froma cart.

On a street, Dundas West in Toronto, there is a parade, people on the sidewalk watching, and dancers performing in the parade. Portugal Day parade.

People in a parade, three people holding two flags, Portugal and Benfica. A man behind them is holding his arms up in the air.

Two girls in traditional Portuguese dresses are dancing in a parade, onlookers sitting on the sidewalk behind them.

A young woman is wearing a large tall hat in squares of the colours of the Portuguese flag. Beside her is a person draped in the Portuguese flag. They are watching a parade

Four kids sitting crossed legged at the side of a street watching a parade. They are holding Portuguese flags. The older boy has a red whistle in his mouth.

Two Toronto policemen in yellow safety vests watch a parade, women dancing past them.

members of the Cobourg Legion pipe and drum band, four bagpipers in their blue and red kilts marching in a parade

A float in a parade featuring the Portuguese Radio and TV stations, Camoes,

Close up shot of the hands of three men dancing in a parade. The faces of only 2 of them are visible. They are wearing white shirts, black vests, and black hats. Portugal Day parade

Spectators in a parade hold small Portuguese flags as they watch traditional dancers perform.

A woman holds a colourful banner in a parade

A woman from the crowd watching a parade, goes over to a float that has a live sheep and goat on it, she is hesitating to pat the sheep.

people watching kids kicking around a soccer ball as part of a parade. The kids are all in red uniforms.

A woman is giving out small portuguese flags to people watching a parade. She is wearing a t-shirt in support of local politician Anna Bailao,

Spectators at a parade, sitting on chairs, one of which has a Canadian flag on the back. Passing by is a marching band in dark pants and white shirts. Portugal Day parade on Dundas West.