High Park – High Park Engineer

Accessibility, Inclusion, Parkdale - High Park, Public infrastructure, Toronto

High Park must be inclusive for all

November 18, 2021 highparkengr

The agreement where the Howard family deeded the land that would become High Park states that it would be a:

“Public Park for the free use benefit and enjoyment of the citizens of the City of Toronto forever.”

Yet, not everyone can benefit or enjoy High Park. Since even today the nearest subway station to High Park (the largest park in T.O.) is not accessible. Nor is its skating rink. People using walkers, wheelchairs, and strollers must use a separate entrance to enter the chess club, swimming pool, stage, and the tennis courts, which is contrary to the principles of universal design, where everyone should be able to use the main entrance.

To play wheelchair tennis at High Park one can only use the back entrance

None of the crosswalks near or in High Park are raised. So, when it rains or snows it becomes slippery and unsafe to cross the street due to ponding. Raised crosswalks prevent ponding of water and snow, and as an added benefit act as speed bumps that encourage drivers to follow the speed limit.

One would think having an Accessible Parking Pass might help seniors, for example, visit the park by car and go for a swim until one realizes there are no accessible parking spots near the pool.

There are no accessible parking spots near the High Park swimming pool

The original deed also required the park to be kept in a natural state. So, why is there a road and a large parking lot in the middle of High Park? For some people, the only practical way to visit the park is by car. So, accessibility and inclusion are good arguments in favour of parking spaces inside the park. However, in that case, to be fair the percentage of accessible parking spots must substantially increase for High Park to be truly inclusive.

On a positive note, the Wading Pool, Splashpad and Playground at High Park do follow principles of universal design. For example, its main entrance is accessible and the four parking spots near the entrance are accessible. Nonetheless, High Park as a whole needs major improvements in this area. And every park in T.O. should be inclusive for all.

The Wading Pool, Splashpad and Playground at High Park follow universal design principles

Further reading

Universal Design 101 by Sonia Woodward

https://www.rickhansen.com/news-stories/blog/universal-design-101

bike lanes, Public infrastructure, Public safety, Safe streets, Toronto, Vision zero, Ward 4

Parkside Drive needs more (raised) crosswalks with traffic signals

October 14, 2021October 21, 2021 highparkengr

Without traffic it only takes 4 minutes to drive along Parkside, from Bloor to Lakeshore.

A prediction from residents that one day there would be a fatal car collision on Parkside Drive became a tragic reality a few days ago. Joanna Lavoie’s excellent article documents many of the facts regarding this crash, and recommendations to make Parkside safer. So, rather than repeating this information kindly refer to this very informative article:

https://www.toronto.com/news-story/10496599-parkside-drive-residents-predicted-a-fatal-crash-on-their-speed-prone-street-now-two-people-are-dead/

It’s been said on social media that some drivers treat Parkside as an on-ramp to Lakeshore Blvd as if Lakeshore was a speedway. As someone who drives along Parkside once a week to visit my parents in Scarborough I must sadly agree. Furthermore, many pedestrians and cyclists have stated how unsafe it is to cross Parkside to get to High Park.

Consequently, a recommendation that should be strongly considered is the implementation of more crosswalks (preferably raised) with traffic signals along Parkside. Since more red lights mean less jaywalking, and less chance for vehicles to accelerate beyond the speed limit.

Parkside stretches almost 2 kilometers and only has four pedestrian crosswalks with traffic signals at Indian Valley Cres, Howard Park Ave, High Park Blvd, and Spring Rd. Without traffic, it takes only 4 minutes to drive along Parkside from Bloor to Lakeshore. No wonder many drivers treat it as a main artery. It’s time we put safety first and demand more crosswalks with traffic signals along Parkside, and other safety measures. Two lives were lost, and we have a moral obligation to try our best to prevent further injuries and deaths.

Of course, there are also many other good suggestions to improve safety in Lavoie’s article. More crosswalks with traffic signals are one idea. Finally, please consider contacting Councillor Gord Perks about this very critical local issue that has affected our community: https://gordperks.ca/contact-us/

Update: you may have heard the argument that Parkside is already classified by the City of T.O. as a major artery, as a pretext to justify the status quo. This argument fails to note that classifications can change, and having Parkside which is next to High Park (one of the largest public parks in the city) classified as a major artery was an incredibly bad decision in the first place. So, perhaps, it is time to reclassify Parkside as a minor artery. Finally, many in social media have recommended raised crosswalks which protect pedestrians by acting as speed bumps. This is an excellent idea.

bike lanes, Parkdale - High Park, Public health, Public safety

Bloor West Bike Lane Safety

April 7, 2021May 26, 2021 highparkengr

Hope everyone is doing well. Edgardo the owner of Aztec’s Mine brought to my attention that he has witnessed car bicycle collisions at the corner of Bloor St. West and Parkview Gardens. Where the vehicle driver turning right on Parkview likely doesn’t see the cyclist riding West on the Bloor bike lane. Fortunately, he hasn’t seen any injuries yet, but said he sees close calls everyday. His theory is that since cyclists are traveling downhill, in this stretch of the bike lane, in some cases they might be traveling at a higher velocity than usual thus catching the driver turning right by surprise. At any rate the cyclists on the bike lane have the right of way in this intersection. So perhaps it might be helpful to have a sign reminding drivers that cyclists and pedestrians have the right of way in this corner.

Update: signs have been installed on the intersections of Bloor West – Parkview Gardens and Bloor West – Ellis Park. However, I am concerned that the signs may not be visible enough to drivers. If you agree and would like more visible signs please contact 311@toronto.ca I already did, and more pressure helps. For example, the signs might be more effective if they were on the traffic island, thus closer and more visible to the drivers turning right. Also, it might be helpful for the signs to clearly state, “Yield to bikes.”

New sign at Bloor West St. and Parkview Gardens

Covid-19, Mental health, Parkdale - High Park, Public health

Falling in love again

November 12, 2020November 12, 2020 highparkengr

The High Park Tennis Courts located at 11 Colborne Lodge Drive are still open for anyone wanting to enjoy this unseasonably warm November. The best part is that these are public courts, meaning anyone can just show up and play. If the courts are busy you can simply hang your racquet on a board to reserve a court and play at the switch over time which occurs every 30 minutes on the hour or the ½ hour.

Tennis is important to me since I come from a tennis-playing family. My parents’ home in Scarborough has several tennis trophies stored in the basement. Also, I still can vividly remember my childhood spending hours with my brothers watching the Grand Slam tournaments on television and cheering for Borg, Connors, or Vilas. You could say that tennis is my family’s passion, as far as sports are concerned.

I must admit that despite of this passion the past few years I have been playing more recreational soccer to the neglect of my first sports love, tennis. Until Covid hit us and team sports were canceled out of necessity. So, I stored my soccer ball and dusted off my tennis racquet and started to play tennis again with family and friends in High Park.

Years ago back when I was a young and moody teenager a child psychologist recommended that I play more sports to lift myself up. My parents and brothers were already playing tennis, so, it was an easy decision for me to follow their lead and take up tennis. Unlike my brothers, I was never a top A player in high school and often was in the B or C doubles team, but nonetheless, tennis did help transform my outlook on life. Tennis showed me that in difficult times there are still things we can do to raise our spirits.

Today, tennis has once again raised my spirits as it did during those trying adolescent years, by giving me a break from these troubled times. It was inspiring to see Thiem and Osaka win the US Open earlier this year in the middle of a pandemic. Sports teach us that even when there are challenges ahead, we must never give up. Because if your opponent misses a lob or you hit a winning shot, suddenly you could be up 40-love. Speaking of never giving up there is an amazing documentary on Netflix about Guillermo Vilas’ quest to be recognized as the number 1 player back in the mid ’70s which I highly recommend to anyone. Vilas was my childhood idol. His focus, determination, and tireless dedication were impressive.

In difficult times, we are often frustrated because there is so much, we cannot control. So, let’s focus on what we can control and try to enjoy those activities that inspire us and give us hope. For me it’s tennis maybe for you it’s chess or making ceviche. It does not matter. Take care, stay safe, and remember the pandemic will pass.