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| Posted to Bikeway Network by: Martin Koob on Saturday, April 30, 2005 @ 7:58 am | ||||
|
Last week work started on upgrading the section of the Martin Goodman Trail that runs from Coxwell Avenue along the Eastern Beaches past Woodbine Beach, Kew Gardens and up to the Balmy Beach club. This busy section of trail had seen a lot of deterioration in its surface and was overdue for an upgrade. This construction project will address these and some other problems.
Work seems to be going quickly for this project. I took these photos on Wednesday April 27, 2005 and they were already halfway done laying down the base for the wider path. I asked one of the workers when he thought it would be done and he said it would be about a week. In addition to widening the existing path other improvements are being done. Work is being done to make better connections to Lake Shore East Bicycle path and a short path that runs along Northern Dancer Blvd. up to Queen Street. It also appears that access points to the trail from the parking lot are being improved, so perhaps cyclists will not have to ride through sand to get to the trail. Speaking of riding through sand, one short stretch of the trail is being realigned away from an area that was prone to sand blowing over from the beach. Deep sand would accumulate here making it dangerous for skaters and cyclists.
This project is actually from the Parks Department 2004 $400,000 path upgrades budget but the work had been delayed till 2005. The other project being funded out of this budget is upgrades to the Martin Goodman Trail near the western beaches from the edge of Marilyn Bell Park to the Legion hall on Lake Shore Blvd. near the Argonauts Rowing club. This is another stretch of trail that needed widening and upgrading. Work is supposed to have started on that now. I haven't been out in that area to check it yet. If anyone has news or photos please send it to me and I can post it. Martin Koobtcc-rep@tbn.ca |
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| Article Comments: | ||||
| It's great to see the widening and resurfacing happening. Thanks to everyone invloved in making it happen, including the contractors who appear to be trying to work as quickly as possible to minimise disruption. One thing that I think could be improved is the signage on this part of the trail. There are only a couple of old Martin Goodman Trail signs that just have the symbol on them. In my experience, a lot of people on this trail have no idea that they are on the Martin Goodman Trail, which (in my mind anyway) is designed to function as multi-use recreation trail. I cycle this trail through the Beaches, and run on it with or without my daughter in a jogging stoller and often encounter two types of people on the trail. 1. people strolling in groups across the entire width of the trail, seemingly ignorant of other trail users, and despite there being a wide boardwalk 10 feet away and perfect for casual strolling. 2. some rude cyclists seemingly unaware that it is a multi-use trail who tell people pushing stollers or even jogging with strollers to "get off the bike path". Is there anything in this upgrade project that would help to address the confusion/ignorance that I see on this path on a regular basis. (I won't begin to rant about off-leash dogs running across the trail and causing cyclist crashes... saw another one on Sunday- but perhaps if the trail had a stronger presence dog owners might be more careful...) Posted by: Beachcommuter on 04-May-2005 at 9:24 am | ||||
| Thanks for the comment beachcommuter. Yes the lack of signage is a problem along the Martin Goodman Trail and along Trails along Toronto's Parks and off street paths. As part of the Toronto Cycling Committee's budget proposal we asked that the Parks Department include $48,000 for putting route signs along 4 of Toronto's paths. These would be coordinated with the onstreet route signs that have gone up along streets in the former City of Toronto. If you want to see a preview of the Bike Route signs in Parks ride along the lower Don Trail where a pilot project was done last year. The Parks signage proposal was not accepted by the Parks Department nor Councillors so the earliest we can hope to see improved signage is in 2006, again depending on the budget and the willingness of the parks department. The Parks signage is supposed to include kiosks with route maps and and explanation of Path etiquette. The Martin Goodman Trail was not included in the TCC request because we were told that there was another project in the works to have new signage along the Martin Goodman Trail put in this year. The details were sketchy but I think it was in co-operation with the Waterfront Trail organization and at least one other level of government. Stay tuned for details on this. There may yet be some good news. Martin Koob Posted by: Martin Koob on 08-May-2005 at 11:14 am | ||||
