Junction Triangle

The annual "Ride-In Movie Night" takes place in our neighbourhood again this year, as part of the City of Toronto's Bike Month. Details below are from the official Bike Month Listing:

Presented by:
Yasi's Place

Starts: June 26, 2010 08:30 PM
Ends: June 26, 2010 11:00 PM
Cost: Free

Join us for bike themed movie shorts under the stars. Bring an extra pillow/blanket/chair if you can. Assorted treats will be available. Hosted by Yasi's Place and Martin de la Rue.

For more information contact:
Phone: 416-536-9888
Address:
Yasi's Place
299 Wallace Avenue
Bloor & Symington
Map to this event

www.yasisplace.ca

The following notice comes from the City of Toronto, regarding the installation of bicycle lanes on Lansdowne Ave. between Bloor St. and Davenport Rd.

New Railpath Maps: Cariboo Ave. Entrance

Note: This item was also posted on I Bike T.O.

Out for a walk a few nights ago, we noticed that new maps have been installed at each end of the West Toronto Railpath. Now we know what those metal frames were for.

The maps are a nice addition to the path. They include various bits of useful information:

• A complete map of the entire path and immediate surrounding area
• All cross-streets are labeled, and a note whether there is an access point or not
• Cumulative distance markers, starting from Cariboo Ave.
• Estimated travel times for walking and cycling
• A few major landmarks and other features

It's great to see the path/park continue to evolve and improve. It has been very well-used, even over the winter, so I hope the expansion plans come to fruition soon!

Railpath: Photo from the "unofficial" opening parade in June 2009.
Not that this is really "news" to anyone in our neighbourhood, but as of October 30 2009, the West Toronto Railpath is now "officially" open.

I wasn't there to attend the official opening ceremony, but I heard it was well attended by the media, local residents, Friends of the West Toronto Railpath, as well as Councillor Adam Giambrone and various members of the City's staff who were involved in the project.

Here are some links to media coverage from the event:

• Hume: Trail breathes life into 'dead zone', Toronto Star, October 30 2009.
• Old rail corridor opens to new recreational use, The Villager / Inside Toronto, November 2 2009.
• Toronto railpath park, NOW Magazine, November 5 2009.
• Well worth the wait for Railpath, Metro, November 6 2009.
• Full steam ahead for Railpath, Town Crier, November 23 2009.

There's also a video of the opening ceremony posted on Facebook, but unfortunately you need a Facebook account to be able to watch it.

I have been enjoying this new path all year long, and on average I'm on it at least once a day. So exciting to see it open and getting all the recognition it deserves. It's truly one of our neighbourhood's best features now.

Two worthwhile local organizations are looking for funding from the Aviva Community Fund. The Art Starts bike rack project was recently mentioned on this site, but the Boys and Girls Club is also on the list. Here are the details provided by Kevin Putnam:

NOW magazine has awarded the Art Starts Strength in Numbers mural at Dupont and Dundas with their "Best Mural" award.

From the NOW magazine website:

The underpass graced by this bike mural is a gateway for those heading to the Junction, but it’s a destination now, too. The 400-foot creation painted by seven artists over four weeks this summer turned a mundane slab of concrete into a giant uniting message: strength in numbers – a critical mass reminder for the city’s wide spectrum of cyclists.

Art Starts managing director (and local resident) Liz Forsberg writes:

"We were pleasantly surprised to find ourselves in print on the newstands this week. Now Magazine has just released its annual Best of the City issue and our 'Strength in Numbers' bike-themed mural at Dupont and Dundas won best mural! See it for yourself here. Huge congrats go to Joshua Barndt and Jamie Bradbury who were our lead artists and Quentin Vercetty, Gifty Singh, Curtia Wright, Hayley Fromstein and Keinon Grant who were our youth artists on the project. The mural has received unprecedented media attention, including a spot on CBC's News at 6 back in August when it was launched. We can't wait for next year's mural. And of course, we are ever so grateful to the City of Toronto's Graffitti Transformation Program for funding this initiative!"

Congratulations and thank you once again to Art Starts and all of the artists involved in putting this mural together. It's a wonderful addition to our neighbourhood!

Toronto Star columnist Christopher Hume writes about the West Toronto Railpath in today's paper:

However unintended, the transportation and manufacturing networks built in the late 19th and early 20th centuries form the backbone of much 21st-century urbanism.

The most recent example is the West Toronto Railpath Park, a 2.1-kilometre linear green space that picks up from what were once train tracks. As designed by landscape architect Scott Torrance and architects Kim Storey and James Brown, the $4 million trail/park brings new life to this part of the city and its 250,000 residents.

At a time when people feel increasingly cynical and alienated, the path reminds us that cities are also communities, not just places where people live and work, but places they inhabit. Any project that enables and encourages residents to take possession of the city should be enabled and encouraged.

As the Railpath makes clear, handled intelligently, one era's ruins can be another's monuments.

Go to the Star's website to see the complete article.

And don't forget, today is the "official" opening ceremony for the Railpath, 2:00pm at the Wallace Bridge. Try to drop by if you're around!

The official opening of the new West Toronto Railpath linear park on the west side of our neighbourhood will take place on Friday October 30th at 2:00pm, at the Wallace Ave. bridge.

A previous unofficial opening ceremony and parade was a success, even with all of the rain that day.

Here is the official announcement from councillor Giambrone's office, also attached as a PDF file.

West Toronto Railpath Park Official Opening Ceremonies

Councillor Adam Giambrone invites you to the official opening of the West Toronto Railpath Park on Friday, October 30, 2009. Councillor Giambrone, the City of Toronto, and Friends of the West Toronto Railpath are pleased to open the first 2.1 km of this exciting recreational trail.

• Date: Friday, October 30, 2009
• Location: West Toronto Railpath entrance at Wallace Avenue (south of Dupont, west of Perth, north of Bloor). See attached map.
• Time:
  • 2:00 p.m. – Opening Remarks
  • 2:15 p.m. – Official Ribbon Cutting Ceremony
  • 2:20 p.m. – cyclists gathered ride the trail and enjoy the sculptures
  • 2:25 p.m. – interested participants invited walk 2.1 km and explore the trail and sculptures
• RSVP: Toronto Protocol RSVP Line 416-392-7667

Here's a selection of photos from the Dupont bike mural launch party on August 25 2009. This fantastic new mural was installed by a group of artists from Art Starts in July. More information and photos of the mural itself are in this previous article.

And now, for the photos:

Dupont Bike Mural Launch: Artists from the Art Starts organization at the launch party for their new cycling-themed mural on Dupont St. at Dundas.

A crowd gathers around the Art Starts artists on the West Toronto Railpath during the opening celebration for the new cycling-themed mural on Dupont St. at Dundas St.

Photo by Vic Gedris, 2009-08-25.