Description

I have several gripes with St Clair Ave West ever since the streetcar right-of-way came into service. Starting from the west end of the right-of-way, you have the section between Keele/Weston and Old Weston Road. That section is a gridlock nightmare with both directions down to one lane each way, with cars frequently backed up and getting stuck in the middle of the intersections during peak times. With the new Stockyards plaza opening in 2014 at Weston/St Clair, it is only going to get much worse.
As I drive further east, I would run into a series of traffic lights that do not synchronize, resulting in constant stop and go all the way to Yonge. Traffic flow is absolutely terrible if I catch all the reds, and much to mine, and I’m sure everyone else’s frustration, as soon as the light turns green, the next set of lights less than a block away would turn yellow.
Another daily battle is driving around cars and delivery trucks illegally parked/pulled over during rush hour, causing bottleneck and frustration from the lack of consideration from these idlers and enforcement from police. It is mind boggling that businesses schedule deliveries for 8am on a weekday during the heart of the morning rush. The worst culprit was the Subway Sandwich shop on the south side of St Clair at Bathurst, where a tractor trailer would idle right before the intersection blocking the right lane, though that has stopped recently.
All this talk about easing gridlock is all it is: talk. I do not believe the people in power are taking these issues seriously. Every once in a while, a study would be released, claiming commute times are the longest in the world, and that gridlock will render roads undriveable, yet no one is doing anything about it. Something small scale like synchronizing traffic lights and proper enforcement of parking laws can go a long way to ease some of the congestion and save drivers’ sanity.