Junction Triangle

Hey Guys, I took this pic of the old rail underpass by Paton Road.

https://flic.kr/p/FifTaQ

Thought i would share.

Cheers
Jamie

Metrolinx is planning to grade-separate the railway tracks that run along the east side of our neighbourhood (between Campbell Ave. and Lansdowne) and the CN Tracks on the north side of our neighbourhood (between Dupont and Davenport). Here's the Google Map link.

Currently, these tracks cross each other at-grade, meaning that they intersect at ground level. Trains travelling along the north-south tracks must wait for east-west trains to finish passing through before they can proceed, and vice-versa. The grade separation plan proposes to elevate the north-south GO Transit Barrie Line tracks over the Davenport Diamond, eliminating the intersection and train traffic conflicts.

Though no details have been provided yet about exactly how this grade separation will occur, the summary basically goes like this:

• A bridge will be built to carry GO trains on the Barrie line over the east-west freight line
• The bridge would start ramping up from just north of Bloor St., proceed over the Davenport Diamond, and return to ground level north of the Diamond (probably between Davenport Rd. and St. Clair Ave.
• Wallace Ave. would not be closed (as was possible in one of the previous grade separation proposals)
• Some additional track crossings may be opened up, e.g. Paton Rd. or Antler St. / Lappin Ave.
• Space under the bridge could potentially be re-purposed by the community (Park? Trail? Other?)

Timelines, construction methods, costs/funding, and other details have not been provided yet, though I expect some of that will be made available soon.

This thread will be updated as we continue to find out more. All comments and discussions related to this project will be consolidated here too.

Note: Grade separation was previously discussed in 2009 with a few options proposed, but this ended up getting rolled into a larger Barrie corridor expansion EA and shelved until recently.

New stop signs were recently installed at the intersection of Paton Road and Campbell Avenue for east-west traffic. This is a good thing, and it has been a long time coming: this route is frequently used by speeders as a short cut. The intersection is heavily used by children and families, often walking north to Perth Public School.

The problem is, for the most part, cars are not stopping. I have made multiple observances of cars speeding through the new stop signs since their installation. Perhaps it is because the signs are inset from the road and difficult to see?

So a "heads up" to those using this intersection and assuming cars will stop for you, your car, or your kids. I've submitted a complaint, we'll see what happens. The more the better.

Cheers,
CN

Today's Toronto Star has an article about controversial expansion of Erwin Krickhahn Park, at the corner of Rankin Cres. and Paton Rd.: Battle brewing: Garden or park space?

This issue has been posted and discussed several times before on this site, so please read those threads for background information before commenting here again.

A quick recap: In September 2009, City Council approved the expansion of Erwin Krickhahn Park into the dead and of Paton Rd. on the north side of the park. In the Fall, City work crews removed the asphalt and installed a new sidewalk adjacent to the new park land. Soil has been tested at the new park space and has been found to contain some "contaminants consistent with a roadway". Environmental remediation of these contaminants is expected to happen.

There are several options for using this new park space: It could be grassed over to expand the field area of the park, it could be planted with trees and other plants, a community garden can be installed there, or other options. The community garden proposal is the most controversial of these ideas. Councillor Adam Giambrone has promised to hold a community meeting this Spring so that residents and city staff can discuss these ideas and come up with the most suitable plan.

Sketch from the City of Toronto: Click for a larger version

At the next Toronto and East York Community Council meeting, councillors will be voting on agenda item TE27.55: the permanent closure of the short section of Paton Rd. just north of Erwin Krickhahn Park, and transferring the land to Parks and Recreation for the purpose of extending the park north.

A PDF copy of the Staff Report can be found here, as well as a PDF version of the sketch here.

Sketch of the proposed conversion of part of Paton Rd. to be an addition to the north end of Erwin Krickhahn Park.

Source - City of Toronto:
http://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2009/te/bgrd/backgroundfile-22009.pdf

To be voted on at Toronto and East YOrk Community Council, 2009-09-15.

Despite the rain, a few brave souls attended a meeting to discuss the future of the wall near Rankin Park, at Paton Ave. Dave Banerjee (me) gave an overview of the project and the process of recruiting and engaging youth, and Joel (the artist) gave the artistic vision. This was followed with a discussion about the wall itself, issues with reaching youth, and further meetings.

If you know a young person interested in being part of this project, please contact Dave at dbanerjee@rogers.com.

Please join members of the South Junction Triangle Residents' Association to discuss plans for a mural at Rankin and Paton, beside Erwin Krichhan park.

Tuesday August 5, 7pm at the wall, or at 55 Rankin in case of rain.

Thanks to everyone who came out on Saturday to help clean up Campbell Park, Erwin Krickhahn Park, and several nearby streets. Approximately twelve of us came out, including local residents, several children, and even City Councillor Adam Giambrone.

Area residents gathered at Campbell Park on April 19, 2008 for the annual community cleanup. After cleaning up Campbell Park, several of us walked down Campbell Ave. and Rankin Cres. picking up litter. We cleanup up Erwin Krickhahn Park, and also collected this big pile of rubbish at the end of Paton Rd.

Photo by Michael Monastyrskyj.