The above two images taken seconds apart and within the time range of a west/east red light show the characteristic traffic congestion at Keele St and Dundas St West.
While the pass though traffic is simply a fact of inner city life, this author is wondering about the effects of this intersection on the Junction community. Do many people find it troublesome to cross? Does the traffic volume and way drivers turn and pass thought the intersection cause you to pause to cross to frequent the store on either side of Keele St. at Dundas?
13 Comments
I think the police have done a good job at stopping drivers from turning left (going south), which makes north-south crossings easier. But I wonder how much more volume this intersection will see when the condo goes in.
With the Village by High Park opening up in the future, just north of this intersection, adding to the traffic madness, my recommendation would be to eliminate left hand turns.
Forget the condo…the real traffic will kick-in when the colossal shopping centre development at St. Clair & Keele is built. Nightmare!
If any intersection is dangerous to cross on foot, it's Keele and St Clair. I almost get run over by reckless drivers turning left or right on a daily basis.
Yeah, the condo is definitely going to add to the chaos. Preventing left turns is an interesting idea.
I don't think the traffic will be a crazy as it was when the Canadian Tire store was there. Traffic then was continous during stores hours. With the Condo building, maybe most owners are TTC types since it is so close to the subway. About probably will be most busy during the morning and evening hrs. Let's all hope they will venture along Dundas to do their shopping. That will be great for all the local businesses.
It's also strange that this busy intersection for pedestrians as well as cars has no pedestrian countdown signals. They can be found at the quietest intersections in the city but not here.
If you eliminate left hand turns people will start using the alley way just before the street. I already see that happening more and more. Advanced green is fine enough by me. Its a busy street which isnt surprising…. its always been that way.
I'd like to just add, since we're talking about traffic…
The lights at High Park have created HUGE backups along Dundas (mostly east-wards), most times through the lights @ Pacific, on the weekend / some week nights. To anyone who said those lights wouldn't impede traffic in the Junction? You were dead wrong!
I said it from the beginning, stoooopid idea, and and even stoooopider location.
I think traffic in general has been a nightmare in the Junction. I can't wait for contruction on St. Clair to be done and all the east-west drivers can go back to their regularly scheduled routes! Annette/Dupont is a nightmare now that it is down to one lane and is the closest alternate to St. Clair.
I try to cross at Annette & Keele as often as possible to avoid Keele and Dundas.
Annette/Dupont is a mess from Keele all the way to Lansdowne, coincidently that's where the bike lane ends. Enough said.
The intersection now has pedestrian countdown signals.
In terms of traffic, Keele is the most troubling, with such huge volumes that are only going to increase in the future with development in the stockyards area and in the northern suburbs of Toronto in general.