Happy June Cabbagetowners!
It was another very successful Forsythia Festival in May. Thank you to organize Katie Tozer and the dozens of volunteers who make this event run smoothly. A big thank you to all of our sponsors as well!
Cabbagetown Cycling Connections
The public consultation report for the cycling project is now available online at toronto.ca/CabbagetownCycling.
If approved, the bike lanes would be installed in 2023/2024. The proposed bikeways are:
- Sumach Street: Wellesley Avenue to Gerrard Street (contra-flow bike lane)
- Sackville Street: Wellesley Avenue to Gerrard Street (contra-flow bike lane)
- Winchester Street: Parliament Street to Ontario Street (contra-flow bike lane)
- Ontario Street: Carlton Street to Aberdeen Avenue (contra-flow bike lane)
Highlights of the proposed designs include the following:
On Sumach Street, the Option 1A design is recommended
o A southbound contra-flow bike lane on the west side, along with a bicycle signal at Gerrard Street East;
o No changes to direction flow for vehicles; and
o No changes to parking.
On Sackville Street, the Option 2A design is recommended
o A northbound contra-flow bike lane on the east side, along with a bicycle signal at Gerrard Street East;
o No changes to direction flow for vehicles; and
o No changes to parking.
On Winchester Street between Parliament Street and Ontario Street, a modified version of the Option 3A design is recommended:
o Westbound contra-flow bike lane north side (Parliament Street to Ontario Street);
o Shared lane markings/sharrows (Parliament St to Riverdale Park);
o Westbound bike signal at Parliament Street;
o People on bikes allowed to travel both directions;
o No changes to direction flow for vehicles;
o A stop sign and new crossing at Ontario Street and Winchester Street;
o Parking moved from south side on Winchester Street between Ontario Street and Rose Avenue (6:00pm to 10:00am) to north side between 6:00pm and 7:30am to reduce conflicts with school pick-up and drop-off. No parking reduction; and
o School pick-up and drop-off: No loading reduction on Winchester Street and addition of 4 spaces on Rose Avenue, west side.
- On Ontario Street between Winchester Street and Carlton Street, the recommended design includes:
o Northbound contra-flow bike lane on the east side (Carlton Street to Aberdeen Avenue);
o No changes to direction flow for vehicles;
o Parking changes permanently to west side (Aberdeen Avenue to Carlton Street); and
o No parking reduction.
In coordination with the Cabbagetown Cycling Connections, Gerrard Street East between Parliament Street and Sumach Street is recommended to have a bi-directional cycle track installed on the south side in the existing curb lane. This work would be timed with the installation of the Gerrard Street Complete Street project between Sherbourne Street and Parliament Street in 2024-2025.
As part of the approval process, staff will report to the Infrastructure and Environment Committee of City Council on June 5, 2023. A copy of the staff report is available at https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2023/ie/bgrd/backgroundfile-236725.pdf
You can submit comments by emailing the Committee at iec@toronto.ca.
Advance Polls Open Soon
With the mayoral election coming up in a few weeks, the advance polls open June 8 until the 13. Wellesley Community Centre is our local polling station.
Keeping Cool in the Summer Heat
We’ve had a few days of hot summer weather – if you need a space to keep cool, check out the city’s map showing local cooling spaces available to the public.
Gerrard Complete Street Phase 2
When the project was introduced to the public, it was noted that the City was also exploring changes to Gerrard Street East between Parliament Street and Blackburn Street, as part on the on-going redevelopment of Regent Park. Gerrard Street between Parliament Street and River Street was identified as a TOcore Great Street, with a recommendation that a bi-directional cycle be added to further expand the cycling network.
Transportation Services is seeking City Council authority to install a proposed bi-directional cycle track on the south side of Gerrard Street East between Parliament Street and Sumach Street.If approved, this cycling facility would be timed with the installation of the Gerrard Street Complete Street project between Sherbourne Street and Parliament Street in 2024-2025.
The staff report is available here.
You can also submit comments by emailing the Committee at iec@toronto.ca.
Anniversary Park
Some of you may have provided feedback during Phase 1 of the Anniversary Park Improvements project. To view that feedback, as well as a vision statement and design principles to help guide the park design process moving forward, please visit the project webpage.
Interested in joining the CRA Board?
We are looking for Board Members!
Do you want to get more involved in our community and make a difference in Cabbagetown? The Cabbagetown Residents Association is looking for new directors to sit on the board. We need people who have a passion for the neighbourhood and who wish to contribute to the community.
We have particular need for people who like to help co-ordinate community events, book keeping or who have interest liaising with the City of Toronto on issues both local and broad, but there’s always room to pursue other passions that are in residents’ best interests (social, economic or environmental).
Please visit our site for more information. If you are interested, please email info@cabbagetowner.com.