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| My proposal to re-route traffic onto Coxwell Avenue, described below. Current traffic follows the blue arrows; under my proposal, it would follow the red arrows. (Map adapted from Google Maps) |
An opinion piece submitted to (but not published by) my local newspaper, The Beach Metro News, in May 2021.
In the ancient pre-pandemic days of 2019, construction at Queen and Kingston Road wreaked havoc on many Beachers’ daily commutes. Though relieved when the streets finally reopened, I couldn’t help but grieve a missed opportunity. Instead of leaving the current traffic pattern as-is, the city could have diverted traffic off Woodbine Avenue and onto Coxwell. This realignment could have allowed the conversion of Woodbine Avenue and the eastern part of Lakeshore Boulevard into pedestrian-friendly streets, while keeping the cars on Coxwell.
Woodbine Avenue is plagued with too much traffic: installing bike lanes north of Queen Street led to controversy, while speeding south of Queen Street regularly leads to accidents. Crossing Woodbine to get to the Summerville Pool or Ashbridge’s Bay can be a nerve-wracking experience. Those who live along Woodbine and eastern Lakeshore Boulevard endure the constant sounds of traffic and its associated emissions.
Meanwhile, streets like Waverly Road and Northern Dancer Boulevard enjoy far less traffic, and Kew Beach Avenue is an oasis of calm compared to Lakeshore Boulevard. No one disputes the fact that thousands of drivers need to get from the Gardiner Expressway to Kingston Road and to Queen Street. But why has the city decided to send them along Woodbine, which could otherwise be a normal, traffic-calmed, Beaches street?
This becomes even more mystifying when one looks directly west. Coxwell Avenue connects to Kingston Road and Queen Street via Eastern Avenue, alongside a parking lot and the back of a movie theatre. It runs to Lakeshore Boulevard via the sewage treatment facility and the west edge of Woodbine Park—far from any houses or children trying to get to the area’s only public pool.
This geography suggests—even demands—a new traffic pattern: drivers headed to downtown from Queen Street should turn south on Eastern Avenue instead of Woodbine and continue along Coxwell to Lakeshore Boulevard. Drivers heading downtown from Kingston Road should head straight to Eastern Avenue along Queen Street (instead of turning south at Woodbine) and also take Coxwell to Lakeshore Boulevard.
With this change, Woodbine Avenue could be traffic calmed, and a four-way intersection could be established at Kew Beach Avenue. The intersection of Coxwell and Lakeshore Boulevard would need to be reconfigured (given the heavier traffic), while Lakeshore Boulevard east of Coxwell could be traffic-calmed (with speed bumps, stop signs, a ban on thru traffic during rush hour, etc.). Vehicle access to Ashbridges Bay as well as the #92 Bus route would remain unchanged.
Admittedly, this plan will not please everyone: Queen Street between Woodbine and Eastern Avenue would see more traffic, as would the stretch of Kingston Road between Woodbine and Eastern Avenue. The Beach Skateboard Park might also be affected. And while these Beachers could understandably complain, such a move would benefit all those who live on Woodbine south of Kingston Road and everybody trying to access the lake.
It boggles the mind that thousands of cars are currently directed from Queen Street and Kingston Road along residential Woodbine Avenue, instead of industrialized Eastern Avenue and deserted south Coxwell. This odd traffic pattern inconveniences the thousands of people who flock to Woodbine Beach and the Summerville Pool each summer. As they dart across Woodbine to avoid the speeding cars, they are unwittingly copying the horses that once tore around the Woodbine racetrack. By diverting the traffic to the west, these pedestrian sprints could end.