walkability in toronto’s apartment neighbourhoodsfaculty.geog.utoronto.ca/hess/downloads/slam...
TRANSCRIPT
PreliminaryReport:Steeles‐L’AmoreauxWalkabilityWorkshop 1
Walkability in Toronto’s Apartment Neighbourhoods
PRELIMINARYREPORTONWALKABILITYWORKSHOPFORSTEELESL’AMOREAUXWALKABILITYWORKSHOP
February,2009
PaulHessAssociateProfessor,DepartmentofGeographyandProgrammeinPlanningUniversityofTorontoPh.416‐978‐4955Email:[email protected]:faculty.geog.utoronto.ca/Hess/hess_home.html
JaneFarrowExecutiveDirector,CentreforCityEcologyandJane’sWalkPh.416‐642‐5779Email:[email protected]:Janeswalk.net
PreliminaryReport:Steeles‐L’AmoreauxWalkabilityWorkshop 2
INTRODUCTION
Thisdocumentreportsona“WalkabilityWorkshop”facilitatedbyActionforNeighbourhoodChange,Steeles‐L’AmoreauxandheldattheHighlandHeightsJuniorPublicSchoolinTorontoinOctober2008.TheworkshopispartofalargerstudycalledWalkabilityinToronto’sApartmentNeighbourhoodswhichwillincorporateinformationgatheredfromapproximately10Torontoneighbourhoods.Thegoalofthestudyistoexplorethewaysresidentslivinginhigh‐riseareasgetaroundtheirneighbourhoodsand,especially,tohighlighttheimportanceofwalkingforresidentsincarryingouttheirdailylives.Itisintendedtoidentifywhatworksforpedestrians,barrierstowalking,andpossibleimprovementstothelocalwalkingenvironment.
InPartOne,thisreportfirstgivessomebackgroundontheoverallproject.InPartTwowedescribewhatweactuallydoaspartofawalkabilityworkshop,andinPartThreewesummarizesomeoftheinformationgatheredattheSteeles‐L’Amoreauxworkshop.Thereportisintendedtogivepreliminaryfeedbacktoparticipantsandothersinterestedinthewalkingenvironmentofthearea.Itislargelyastraightforwardreportingoftheinformationwegatheredanddoesnotofferanalysisorofferanysubstantialinterpretationsofwhatweheard.Furtheranalysisiscomingaswegathermoreinformationandworkwiththedata.Asanalysisproceeds,supplementreportswillbeproducethatexploreandinterprettherichinformationgatheredinthisandtheotherworkshopsinthestudy.
PARTONE:STUDYBACKGROUND
ThestudyisbeingconductedbyProfessorPaulHessoftheDepartmentofGeographyattheUniversityofTorontoinassociationwithJaneFarrow,ExecutiveDirectoroftheCentreforCityEcology,Toronto.Ourcontactinformationcanbefoundatthetopofthisdocument.Wewelcomeanyquestionsaboutthisreportortheoverallstudy.
TheauthorsrecognizetheSocialResearchCouncilofCanadaforhelpingtofundtheresearch.Wealsoareverygratefultothelocalcommunityorganizationsthathavehelpedusorganizeourworkshops.InSteeles‐L’Amoreaux,ActionforNeighbourhoodChange(ANC)helpedustoarrangespacefortheworkshop,organizedvolunteersandprovidedenormousoverallsupport.WeareespeciallygratefultoPramilaJavaheriofANCandthelocalresidentswhoparticipatedin
PreliminaryReport:Steeles‐L’AmoreauxWalkabilityWorkshop 3
theworkshopandshowedsuchcommitmenttoanddeepknowledgeabouttheirneighbourhood.
TheoverallgoaloftheresearchprojectistohelpbetterunderstandthewayspeoplegetaroundToronto’shigh‐riseapartmentneighbourhoods,especiallybywalking.BuildingontheargumentsJaneJacobsespousedmorethan40yearsago,theimportanceofcreatinggoodplacesforpeopletowalkisnowincreasinglybeingrecognizedbytransportationexpertsandpublicofficials.Plannersandarchitectshavepushedtheideaof“NewUrbanism,”arguingthatnewneighbourhoodsshouldbebuiltmoreliketheAnnexorCabbagetownneighbourhoodsofdowntownToronto,withconnectedstreetsandhousesthatdirectlyfrontsidewalks.Publichealthresearchersandofficialsevensuggestthatthewayswearedesigningourcitieshascontributedtotherecentriseinphysicalinactivityandobesitybecausepeoplenolongerwalkaspartoftheirregular,dailyactivities.
Thesediscussions,however,areusuallyfocusedondowntownareasornewdevelopmentsintheoutersuburbs.ThisstudyisintendedtoputmorefocusonthemanypeoplelivinginTorontoinnersuburbs.Aspeopleinterestedinmakingbetterwalkingenvironments,webelievethatToronto’shigh‐riseneighbourhoodsareenormouslyimportant.
Theseplaceswereplannedanddevelopedinthe1960’sand1970’s.Atthattime,itwasthenassumedthatmostofthepeoplelivinginthenewapartmentswouldnothavechildren,wouldmovetohousesassoonastheycould,andwouldbeabletodrivetotheplacestheyneededtogo.Thesingle‐familysubdivisionsintheseareaswere,atleast,designedsothatchildrencouldwalktoschool,buttheapartmentsonthebigarterialstreetswerenotplacesdesignedforwalking.
Today,however,adifferentpopulationislivinginthem,oftenpeoplewithlimitedincomes,peoplewithchildrenandcomplicatedtravelneeds,andpeoplewhodonotownacarorwhoonlyhaveaccesstoacarpartofthetime.Inotherwords,neighbourhoodsthatweredesignedforcarsnowhousepeoplethatmustrelyonwalkinganttransittocarryouttheirlives.Thisstudyisintendedtobetterunderstandhowtheseresidentsgetaroundtheirneighbourhoods,especiallybywalking.Ourgoalistosharethisinformationwiththepeoplewholiveinthemsotheycanbetteradvocateforimprovements.
PreliminaryReport:Steeles‐L’AmoreauxWalkabilityWorkshop 4
ThisisagoodtimeforresidentstomakeclearwhattheywantandneedbecauseofpoliciesandprogrambeingdevelopedbytheCityofToronto.TheCityisworkingwithlocalcommunityorganizationsanddevelopingpoliciesandprogramsfor13PriorityAreasthatincludemanyofthehigh‐riseapartmentareas.Itisdevelopinga“WalkingStrategy”to“makeTorontoagreatwalkingcity”thatshouldincludetheseareas.Itiscurrentlydevelopinga“TowerRenewal”programthatalsopromisestobringimprovementstoapartmentareas.Finally,theCityhasanambitioustransitplan,“TransitCity,”thatcouldbringlight‐railandothertransportationimprovementstosomeoftheseneighbourhoods.Alltheseinitiativesoffersomepotentialforchangingapartmentneighbourhoodsintobetterplacestolive.
Theauthorsdonotrepresentthecityandwedonotknowwhatwillbecomeofthesevariousinitiatives,butwestronglybelievethatbetterinformationabouthowresidentsusetheirneighbourhoodsiscruciallyimportanttomakingpositivechange.FortheseeffortstobesuccessfulandmakeTorontoabetterplaceforitsresidents,webelievethattheresidentsthemselvesmusthaveastrongvoiceandplayacentralroleindecision‐making.WearedoingthisworktoprovidebothresidentsandtheCitywithinformationtohelpfosterthisobjective.
PARTTWO:WHATHAPPENSINTHEWORKSHOPSANDHOWITSUSED
Theworkshopstakeplacewiththeassistanceoflocalneighbourhoodorcommunityorganizations.Theorganizationsrecruitlocalresidentstoparticipate,providealocationtomeet,andprovideothersupportsuchasvolunteerassistanceforsettingupandcleaningup.Westrivetoincludeawiderangeoftypesofresidentsintermsofageandbackgroundandwemakesurethatchildcareandsometranslationsupportisavailableifneeded.Allinformationgatheredintheworkshopistreatedasconfidentialandidentifyinginformationofanyparticipantisnotcollected.
WORKSHOPACTIVITIESTOGATHERINFORMATION
Afteranintroductiontotheproject,threeactivitiestakeplaceintheworkshoptoexplorehowresidentstravel:
(1)Survey
Eachparticipantfillsoutasurveyconsistingofroughly40questions.Thesurveycontainsbackgroundinformationontherespondentsuchasage,householdincome,whetherornottherearechildreninthehousehold,howlongtheresidenthaslivedinthearea,howmanycarsanddriversareintheirhouseholdifany,etc.Thisinformationisusefulinunderstandingthetransportationneedsofresidentsandinexploringdifferenttravelpatternsbydifferenttypesofpeople.Thesurveyalsoasksmoredirectlyabouttheactivitiespeopletraveltoonaregularbasisandhowtheygettothem.Forexample,peopleareaskedwheretheydotheirfoodshopping,how
PreliminaryReport:Steeles‐L’AmoreauxWalkabilityWorkshop 5
manytimesaweektheyshopforfood,andiftheyusuallygoshopbywalking,transit,driving,taxi,etc.Finally,theysurveyasksaseriesofquestionsabouthowpeoplefindthewalkingenvironmentinarea,whethertheyfeelsafewalking,whethertrafficisaproblem,etc.
Asummaryofmuchofthisinformationispresentedbelow.Itwillbefurtheranalyzedandpresentedwithtablesandgraphsinsubsequentreports.
(2)Individualmaps
Participantsareaskedtocreatemapsthatshowhowandwheretheytravel.Eachparticipantisgivenasetofmapsonwhichtodrawwithcolouredpens.Usingthepenstorepresentdifferentmodes(walking,bus,auto,bicycling),theyareinstructedtotraceallthetripstheyregularlytakeduringatypicalweekwhentheweatheriswarm.Participantsareaskedtoshowtheiractualroutesandtolabeltheirdestinations.Whentheytraveloutsideoftheareaonthemap,theyareaskedtonotetheireventualdestination.ThisinformationisbeingenteredintoaGeographicalInformationSystem(GIS)thatcanbeusedtoanalyzethedistancespeopletravelbyvariousmodesfordifferentactivities,thetypesofstreetstheytendtouseandthedirectnessoftheirwalkingroutes.Thismapinformationcanalsobeconnectedtosurveysforfurtherstatisticalanalysis.
Thisanalysisisveryintensive.Itwillbeincludedinthefinalreportbutisnotreadyforthispreliminarydocument.
HypotheticalExampleofIndividualMapforWalkingandBusTrips
PreliminaryReport:Steeles‐L’AmoreauxWalkabilityWorkshop 6
(3)Smallgroupexercise
Participantsareaskedtodiscusstheirneighbourhoodanditswalkingenvironmentandpublicspacesaspartofasmallgroupof5–8people.Eachgroupisseatedaroundalargedisplaymapofthearea.Amemberoftheresearchteamactsadiscussionfacilitatoraswellasusesapentorecordparticipantscommentsdirectlyonthemap.Forexample,ifaparticipantpointedoutaspecificplacethatthatitwasparticularlydangeroustocrossastreet,wantedacrosswalk,likedaparticularpark,oravoidedwalkingatnight,thiswasrecordedonthemap.Anothermemberoftheresearchstaffalsoactedasanotetakertorecordthediscussion.
Exampleofportionofannotatedmapfromgroupexercise.
Asummaryofmuchofthisinformationispresentedbelowintextform.Themapnotationsmadeintheworkshoparestillbeingcompiledintoonemapandarenotpresentedhere.Thenextsupplementtothisreportwillcontainthisanalysis.
HOWWILLTHEINFORMATIONBEUSED?
Theinformationgatheredfromtheworkshopsinthisprojectwillbeusedtoproduceseveralreportsandpapers.Theauthorshopethattheinformationwillbeusefulforneighbourhoodresidentstoadvocateforimprovementstotheirneighbourhood.
PreliminaryReport:Steeles‐L’AmoreauxWalkabilityWorkshop 7
(1)Preliminaryreport
Thiscurrentdocumentisapreliminaryreport.ItisintendedtogivefeedbackfromtheSteeles‐L’Amoreauxworkshop.Similarreportswillbeproducedforeachneighbourhoodthatparticipates.Thereportsdescribetheproject,describewhoparticipatedintheworkshopandgiveafirstcutatwhattheresearchersheardfromparticipants.ThereportwillbemadeavailabletotheSteeles‐L’AmoreauxActionforNeighbourhoodChangeandacopyfordownloadcanalsobefoundattheauthor’swebsites.Seethecontactinformationatthebeginningofthisdocumentfortheaddresses.Wewillgiveupdatestothisreportaswecontinuetoanalyzethedata.Wealsowelcomeadditionsorcorrectionsbyresidents.
(2)Finalreport
Afinalreportwillbemadethatincludestheinformationgatheredfromalloftheneighbourhood’sstudies.Thisreportwillincludeafullanalysisofallthedataandmakegeneralconclusionsaboutwhatwelearned.Wewilldiscussthewalkingandtransportationissuesintheneighbourhoodsasawholeaswellascomparethemtoeachother.Likethepreliminaryreport,wewillmakethisreportavailabletothelocalorganizationsthatworkedwithusandpostitonourwebsites.WewillalsoprovidecopiestotherelevantpeopleandcommitteesattheCityofTorontoincludingtheMayor,CityCouncillors,PublicRealmOffice,TowerRenewalOffice,andPedestrianCommittee.
(3)Academicpapersandpresentations
Wealsohopetoaddtothegrowingliteratureonwalkingandwewillpublishacademicpapersinplanningjournalsandpresentatconferencesbasedonthestudy.Thegoalistohelpotherplannersandacademicsbetterunderstandpedestrianissuesinthesetypesofenvironments.
PARTTHREE:THESTEELESL’AMOREAUXWALKABILITYWORKSHOP
TheworkshopwasheldonasunnySaturdayinOctoberwithadiversegroupofenthusiasticparticipants.Thefollowingsummarizesmuchoftheinformationwegathered.Approximately30participantscompletedthemapsandsurveyandtheirwerefivegroupsthatcompletedthesmallgroupexercise.ThisincludedalargegroupofMandarinspeakersthatatranslatorguidedthroughtheexercises.
First,wepresentinformationgatheredfromthesurveytodescribewhoparticipatedandtheirgeneraltravelpatterns.Thisinformationisgiveninpercentagestohelpbetterconveytherangeofresponsesbutitshouldberememberedthatnumbersarelow.Forexample,10percentofrespondentsrepresentlessthanfourpeople.
Thefollowingsectionsthenpresentsthemorequalitativeinformationonwhatpeoplesaidabouttheirwalkingenvironment.
PreliminaryReport:Steeles‐L’AmoreauxWalkabilityWorkshop 8
WHOPARTICIPATED?
Participantsintheworkshopwereadiversegroupofpeople,butshouldnotbeseenasrepresentativeoftheneighbourhoodasawhole.Thissectiondescribessocio‐demographiccharacteristicsoftheparticipantsaccordingtothesurvey.
Sexandage
Abouttwo‐thirds(65%)werefemaleandone‐third(35%)male.Theagerangewasbroadbutabouthalftheparticipants(48%)wereover65.Aboutanotherquarterofparticipants(26%)wereintheirlateteensorearly20’s.Veryfewpeopleintheirlatetwentiesorthirtiesparticipated.
Housingandhouseholdtypes
Themostcommonhousingtypeinwhichparticipantsliveisapartments(44%)closelyfollowedbytownhousesorsemi‐detachedhouses(41%).Theremainder(16%)liveinsingle‐family,detachedhousing.Aboutathird(35%)ofparticipantsreportedthattheyowntheirhousing.
Almosthalf(48%)ofparticipantsreporttheycomefromhouseholdswithchildrenand34percentfromhouseholdswheretherearechildren6yearsoldoryoungerpresent.Thirteenpercentofparticipantsreporttheycomefromsingle‐parenthouseholdsMostoftheremainder(42%)reporttheycomefrom“other”typesofhouseholds.Thisincludesmostoftheelderly,Mandarinspeakerswhoparticipatedintheworkshop.Someofthesecomefrommulti‐generationalhouseholds.Theaveragehouseholdsizereportedwas5.2,abouttwiceashighastheaveragesizeforthecityasawhole.
Incomeandeducation
Mostparticipantsdidnotprovideincomedataorreportedthattheydidn’tknowtheirhouseholdincome.Ofthosethatdidreport,mostcamefromhouseholdswithincomesof$24,000ayearorless.Educationlevelswerefairlyhighwith45%ofparticipantsreportingtheyattendedatleastsomecollegeoruniversity.
TimeinCanadaandlanguageathome
Participantswerelargelyforeignborn,withonly7percentreportingtheyhavelivedinCanadatheirentirelife.Manyarerecentimmigrantswith17percentreportingtheyhavelivedinCanadalessthanayearandanother28percentreportingtheyhavelivedinCanadaforbetween1‐5years.Together,abouthalfofparticipantshavelivedinCanadaforlonger,eitherbetween5‐10years(14%)ormorethan10years(34%).
PreliminaryReport:Steeles‐L’AmoreauxWalkabilityWorkshop 9
About70%ofrespondentsreportedtheyspokealanguageotherthanEnglishathome,mostlymandarinor“Chinese.”About30percentlistedtheyonlyspokeEnglishathome.SomeparticipantsalsolistedTamilasahomelanguage.
Lengthoftimeinneighbourhoodandreasonsforresidence
Participantswereaboutevenlysplitbetweenthosethathavelivedintheneighbourhoodarelativelyshorttime,3yearsorless,andthosethatlivedintheneighbourhoodlonger.Aboutaquarter(23%)listedlivingintheareaforlessthanayear.Attheotherendofthescale,16%listedlivingintheareafor10yearsormore.
Whenaskedtheimportantreasonstheychoosetoliveintheneighbourhood“livingclosetofamilyorfriends”listedby65percentofparticipantsreceived,byfar,thestrongestresponse.Becausetheareais“affordable”alsoreceivedastrongresponseandwaslistedby35percentofparticipants.Therewaslittleresponseforreasonssuchas“neighbourhoodamenities(parks,stores),”“social/culturalfeelofthearea,”or“desirablehousingsizeand/orfeatures.”
Employment
Theemploymentstatusofparticipantswasnotclear,withonly18percentmarkingtheyhadapartorfulltimejobandanother21percentmarkingthattheywerestudents.Afull43percentmarked“other”butdidnotspecifywhatthismeant.Ontheotherhandafull70percentofrespondentsreportthatthereisatleastonewage‐earningworkerintheirhousehold.
Driver’slicenceandautoownership
Thelargemajorityofparticipants(78%)reportedthattheydonothaveadriverslicencewithabouthalf(53%)alsohavingnoplantoobtainalicense.Mostparticipants,however,doliveinhouseholdswherethereisanotherlicenseddriverandatleastonevehicle.Only13percentreportthattherearenolicenseddriversintheirhouseholdandonly20percentreportthatnooneintheirhouseholdhasamotorvehicle.However,another40percentofparticipantsreportthattheirhouseholdhasonlyonevehicle.Withlargehouseholds,thissuggeststhatmanyoftheparticipantshavelimitedaccesstoavehicle.
TRAVELBEHAVIOUR
Thesocio‐demographiccharacteristicsoftheparticipantssuggestapopulationthatisoftendependentonwalkingandtransitformeetingtheneedsoftheirhouseholds.Thiswasconfirmedinthesurveywhere13percentagreedstronglyand57percentagreedtothestatementthattheywalkbecausetheydon’thaveaccesstoacar.Thissectionplaceswalkingintoalargercontextbydescribingthegeneraltravelpatternsoftheparticipantsintermsofhowoftenthedocommonactivitieslikeshopping,
PreliminaryReport:Steeles‐L’AmoreauxWalkabilityWorkshop 10
wheresomeoftheseactivitiesoccur–whetherlocallyoroutsidethearea–andthemodeoftravel–walking,bus,driving,bikingorothermodes.
Goingtoworkandschool
Oftheparticipantswhoworkoutsidethehomeorgotoschool,almosttwo‐thirds(67%)dosowithintheneighbourhood,furtheremphasizingthatlocaltravelisveryimportantformostparticipants.Mostparticipantsgettoworkorschoolbybus(55%),followedequallybyafewpeoplethattravelledbywalking(18%),asapassengerinacar(18%)andbicycling(18%).
Othermembersofparticipants’households(whowerenotattheworkshop)weremorelikelytobeemployedandmorelikelytohaveaccesstoamotorvehicle.Participantsreportedthattwo‐thirds(65%)ofthesedrivetoworkwithmostoftheremainderusingthebus(25%).
Shopping
Mostparticipants(60%)shopforfoodonceortwiceaweek.Walkingisthemostcommonwaypeopledotheirshoppingasreportedby38percentofparticipantsfollowedbydrivingasreportedby25percent.Thevastmajority(81%)reportedthattheyshopnearhome.BridletownMallandMillikenSquarewithitsChinesegrocerywerementionedastheplacesweremostpeopleshop.Seventy‐onepercentofparticipantslistedthetypeoftransportationtheyhaveavailableasthemostimportantreasonindecidingwheretheyshop.Thiswasfollowedbylengthoftimetogetthere(listedby35%),price(listedby26%),andtheavailabilityofculturallyspecificfoodorgoods(listedby23%).
Weeklyfrequenciesforgeneralshopping(otherthanfood)varied.Thelargestcategorieswererarelyornever(listedby26%ofparticipants),1‐2timesaweek(listedby30%),andmorethan4timesaweek(listedby30%).Thetransportationmodeusedforgeneralshoppingwassplitbetweendriving(27%asdrivers,13%aspassengers),andwalking(33%).
Travelforchildren
Morethanhalf(55%)ofparticipantsreportedtakingchildrentoschool,althoughonly10%reporteddoingsoeveryday.Afull95percentofpeoplewhosaidtheybroughtchildrentoschoolreportedusuallywalkingtodoso.Fortakingchildrentootherregularactivities,70percentreportedwalkingtodoso.
HOWPARTICIPANTSSEETHEIRTRAVELENVIRONMENT
Thissectionpullsinformationfromboththesurveyandthesmallgroupexercise.Participant’sevaluationsoftheirpedestrianenvironmentarefollowedbyadiscussionofpublicspace,and,finally,anevaluationofthebussystem.
PreliminaryReport:Steeles‐L’AmoreauxWalkabilityWorkshop 11
Generalevaluationofpedestrianenvironment
Thesurveyhadaseriesofquestionthataskedpeopletoratetheneighbourhoodtravelenvironment.Formostofthese,participantswerepresentedwithastatementandwereaskedtomarkaresponseonafivepointscalerangingfrom“stronglyagree”to“stronglydisagree.”Thebroadeststatementgivenwas“Myneighbourhoodisagoodplaceforwalking.”Thevastmajorityofpeopleeitheragreed(32%)oragreedstrongly(44%)withthisstatement.Noonestronglydisagreedwithit.Ontheotherhand,almostthree‐quarters(74%)ofrespondentswithchildrendisagreedordisagreedstronglywiththestatement“Ifeelcomfortablelettingmychildrenwalktoplacesontheirown”althoughhowstronglyissuesofage,personalsecurity,orsafetyfromtrafficgoesintothisevaluationisnotclear(oneparticipantreportedsendingherchildrenoutwithwalkie‐talkies).Still,onlyafewpeople(16%)agreedwiththisstatementandnooneagreedstrongly.Thesegeneralassessmentsmustalsobetemperedwithmorespecificevaluations.
Sidewalkconditions
Incontrasttopeople’spositiveglobalassessmentofthewalkingenvironment,whenaskedtocheckoffalistof“majorbarriers”participantsfaceintheir“dailytravelin[the]neighbourhood,”veryfew(7%)markedthattheydonotfacemajorbarriersand44percentmarked“poorsidewalkandwalkingconditions.”
Theonlycategorythatreceivedastrongerresponsewas“nobikelanes”whichwasmarkedby54percentofparticipants.Oneparticipantwasanavidcyclist,butthesurveyshowedfewotherparticipantsusebikesasaregularmodeoftravel.Instead,anumberofpeopleinthesmallgroupdiscussionsmentionedbicyclesonsidewalksasa“bigproblem”forpedestrians.Bicyclistsonsidewalkswereidentifiedasmostlyadults.Oneparticipantsaid“Igrabmychildrenbecausethydon’tslowdown.”Thus,thedesireforbicyclelanescanprobablybebestinterpretedasadesiretoimprovewalkingconditions.
Thiswasmirroredinanotherquestionwhere30percentofparticipantsreportedthattheydonotfeelsafeinsomeareasoftheneighbourhoodbecauseofthe“pathway[is]notmaintainedor[is]unkempt(e.g.sidewalkbroken,littered,etc).”SeniorsandyouthidentifiedthelackofasidewalkononesideofBirchmountalongtheparkandbytheScarboroughGraceHospitalasaproblem.
Inthegroupdiscussionsmanypeoplemadeothercommentsonsidewalkconditions,mostlyaboutthesidewalksonFinchthatalmosteveryoneuse.Snowandiceinthewintertimewasidentifiedasaparticularproblem.Oneparticipantnotedthesidewalkshave“toomuchice…Ihavetowalkonthestreet.”Evenwithploughing,participantsnotedthesnowbanksatcornersandbusstops.Oneparticipantnotedthat“theydon’tcleanthesnow.Theyonlycareaboutthetraffic,theydon’tcareaboutus…whentheyploughtheroadstheypileitupatthecorner…wehavetoclimboverthreefeetoficeandsnow.”AnotheralsoequatedthelackofsnowremovalalongFinchwithcityneglectoftheareasaying,““theyjustdon’tplow
PreliminaryReport:Steeles‐L’AmoreauxWalkabilityWorkshop 12
it,theyjustdon’tcare…Buteveniftheydo,theydon’tsaltit.”Onepersonsaidseniorssimplydon’tgooutsideinwinterbecauseitistoodangeroustowalk.
SeveralparticipantsalsoidentifiedthegeneralconditionofFinchsidewalksandfloodingasaproblem.Commentssuchasthe“sidewalkisveryunlevel,”“theyneedtofixholes,““drainageisbad”and“bothsidesarefloodedafterstorms”weretypical.
Crossingstreetsandsafetyfromtraffic
Inresponsetothestatement“Thereareenoughplacestosafelycrossthelargestreets”manyparticipantsagreed(41%)andafewstronglyagreed(15%).Manywereneutralonthisquestion(26%),andafewdisagreedorstronglydisagreed(19%).Theamountofagreementwassomewhatsurprising.AlongFinchbetweenBirchmontandWarden,averyheavilyusedpedestrianroute,thereareonlyfourprotectedcrossings,threeatlightsandoneatacrosswalk.Thisiscertainlyfarfewerthanisgenerallyconsidereddesirableinthepedestrianliterature.Peoplemaynotneedmorecrossingsbecauseactivitiesareconcentratedinonlyafewlocations,sothereislittleneedtocrossbackandforthacrossthestreet.Howeverinthesurvey,40percentofparticipantsagreedoragreedstronglythattheycrosslargestreetsevenwherethereisnolightorcrosswalkinordertomaketheirwalkshorter.Thissuggeststhat,atleastforsomepeople,theyarewillingtotaketheriskofcrossingwide,fastroadways.
Ontheotherhand,someparticipantsclearlywon’t.Inthesmallgroupexerciseseveralparticipantsmentionedtheywouldn’tcrossFinchwithoutalightbecauseofthefast,dangeroustraffic.Thiswasreflectedinthesurveywithresponsestoastatementabouttraffic.Asubstantialportionofrespondents,27percent,disagreedordisagreedstronglywiththestatement“Ifeelsafefromtrafficwhenwalkinginmyneighbourhood.”
Someintersectionswereidentifiedasparticularlydangeroustocrossinthegroupexercise.GlendowerandSilverSpringswasmentionedwithlotsoftrafficandvehiclesoftengoingthroughthelight.Aparticipantnoted,“childrencan’tgetacross.”TheintersectionofWaysideandFinchwasalsomentionedasdangerous
PreliminaryReport:Steeles‐L’AmoreauxWalkabilityWorkshop 13
becausechildrencrosstherebutthereisnolight.Finally,KennedyRoadandFinchwasmentionedasdangeroustocrossbymorethanonegroup.
Lightswithcrossingtimesthataretooshortwasalsoseenasageneralproblem,especiallybytheelderly.EverymajorintersectiononFinchwasidentifiedasnotgivingpeopleenoughtimetocrosssafely.
Anotherproblemidentifiedweresignalsthattakeaverylongtimetochangebeforetheyallowpedestrianstocross.Inparticular,thelightatGlendowerandBirchmountandthelightonFinchbytheSt.AidanCatholicschoolwasidentifiedinthisregard.
Distances
Abasicproblemidentifiedbymanyparticipantswassimplythedistancesbetweentheactivitiestheyuse.Inthesurvey,21percentmarkedthestatement“[the]placesIwanttogoareveryfarapart”asamajorbarriertheyfaceintheir“dailytravelintheneighbourhood.”MostparticipantsliveneartoBirchmountandFinchandthelongwalktotheBridlewoodMallatWardenRoadwasmentionedinseveralofthegroupdiscussions.Specificcommentswerethatthelibrarywastoofaraway,thatasupermarketwasneededclosertoBirchmount(wherethereusedtobeafoodstorethatclosed)andthatthewalktoBridlewoodistoofarforseniors.Someseniorsreportedthattheapproximatelyonekilometrewalktakesthem30minutesormoreeachwaybuttheyneedtowalkeveninwintertodotheirshopping.
Shortcutsandfences
Relatedtodistances,anumberofpeople(18%)listed“placesarenotwellconnectedintheneighbourhood”asamajorbarriertotravelintheneighbourhood.Evenmoretelling,36percentofpeopleagreedand43percentstronglyagreedthatthey“oftenuseshortcuts(unpavedpaths,cuttingacrossparkinglots,etc)”togetaroundtheneighbourhood.Becauseinformalroutesandshortcutsofteninvolvepedestrianscopingwithpoorwalkingconditionssuchasmudorincreaseexposuretotrafficwhencomparedtomoreformalroutes,thiscanbeinterpretedasanindicationthatformalroutesdonotdirectconnecttheplacespeoplewanttogo.
Fencescameupasaissueinseveralgroups.AparticipantreportedthattwooutofthethreegatesbetweenSilverSpringsandFincharekeptlocked,forcingpedestrianstowalkfurther.
FencesaroundtheSt.SylvesterCatholicSchoolwereidentifiedasfallingdown,perhapsbecauseofshortcutting.Aparticipantsuggestedformalpathsshouldbeinstalledattheselocations.
FencesaroundthecondosnearBridlewoodMallwerealsoseenasmakingpeople’swalkslonger.Oneparticipantasked“theydon’tprovidesecurity,sowhydotheymakeuswalksofararound?”Anotherparticipantmentionedclimbingfencestoshortentheirwalktothemall.
PreliminaryReport:Steeles‐L’AmoreauxWalkabilityWorkshop 14
AlockedgateinafencebetweenTimberbankParkandtheTimothyEatonBusinessandTechnicalInstitutewasidentifiedasaproblem.Anothercomplaintwasabridgealongthisroutethatisnotclearedofsnowinwinter.Thisisclearlyapopularshortcutbecausethealternativeroutealongstreetsismuchlonger.
Byfar,themostcomplaintswereraisedaboutthepedestrianlinkbetweenthecornerofFinchandWardenandtheBridlewoodMallentrance.ThisisaheavilyusedlinkbecausebothbususersandpedestrianscomingalongFinchfromtheeastuseit.However,thereisasteeprampbetweenthestreetlevelandtheparkinglotlevelthatmanypeoplefounddifficult,especiallytheelderly.Also,thereisnotwalkwaythroughtheparkinglotatthislocationtothemall.Whilethemallisbetterthanmanyinthatitdoesprovideformalpedestrianfacilitiesbetweensomeentrancesandsomesurroundingstreets,thereisjusttheopenparkingsurfaceatthislocation.Severalparticipantscommentedthattheyfeeluncomfortablewalkingthroughthebusyparkinglot.
Securityandlighting
Feelingsafewhenoneisoutwalkingisclearlyanimportantconcernforcreatinggoodpedestrianenvironments.Inthesurveyquestionthataskedparticipantstoidentifymajorbarriers,onlyafew(7%)markedoffthattheneighbourhood“doesn’tfeelsafe.”However,amorespecificquestion,“Ifyoufeelunsafewalkingincertainpartsofyourneighbourhood,whataresomeofthereasonswhy?”onlytwentypercentofrespondentsreportedthatthey“prettymuchfeelsafe.”Themostcommonresponseofthoselistedforthisquestionwasthatthefeelunsafein“PlaceswithfencesandnarrowspaceswhereIfeelnervous”(markedby43%ofrespondents).
InthegroupsdiscussionstheSilverSpringshousingareawasmentionedseveraltimesasaplacepeopledonotfeelsafe.Also,theBridlewoodMallareawasmentionedbyseniorsasaplacetheyavoidbecauseof“robberies,““armedpeople”and“pursesnatchers.”
Still,socialfeardoesnotseemtobeamoregeneralissueformostpeopleintermsoftheirlocaltravel.Inthesurvey,fewrespondentslistedplaceswith“toofewpeople”orplaceswith“scarypeople”asanimportantissue.Most(58%)didreport,however,thattheyavoidwalkingatnightandalmostaquarter(23%)reportthattheykeeptoareas“thathavegoodlighting.”
PreliminaryReport:Steeles‐L’AmoreauxWalkabilityWorkshop 15
Placeswithgoodlightingalsocameupasapositivequalityseveraltimesinthegroupdiscussions.OnepersonmentionedtheyevenuseashortcutalongBrigadoonCreekbecausethereisgoodlightingandmanypeoplethere.Themallareaandthenorth,butnotthesouthsideofFinchwerealsoidentifiedaswelllit.
Therewerefewercommentsaboutweremorelightingwasneeded.TwoplacespeoplewantedmorelightwaswithintheSilverSpringsdevelopmentandalongthelanethroughthetownhousesbetweenGlendowerandFinch.Aparticipantreportedthatatimerforthelightsinthislanewaywas“reversed”sothatthelightscomeonduringthedayinsteadofatnight.
Publicspaces
Theneighbourhood’sstreetsandparksareimportantsocialspacesandplacesforrecreationalwalkingandexercising.Almost70%ofparticipantsreportedthattheywalkorrunrecreationallyatleast3timesaweek,andmorethanhalfofthesereportdoingsoeveryday.Neighbourhoodparksfeatureprominentlyinthisandarewellusedbyparticipants.Seventy‐fourpercentofparticipantsreportedthattheygotoaparkatleastoneaweekand42percentreportedgoingthreetimesaweekormore.Inthesmallgroupexercises,manyparticipantsmadecommentsaboutL’AmoreauxParkinparticular,whichisclearlywelllovedbythecommunity.Itshowsuponalmostallthepedestrianroutemapsandpeoplemadecommentssuchas“Iloveit,”and“It’smyfavouriteplace.”SeveraloftheMandarinspeakersmentionusingtheparktopracticeTaiChi.Thewoodlotintheparkwasalsopointedtoassomethingspecial.Oneparticipantcommented,“Iwishthereweremoreofthose.”
Theonenegativecommentmadeinseveralgroups,waswinterconditions.ThewinterconditionsfortheshortcutthroughTimberbankParkwerementionedabove.L’AmoreauxParkwasalsomentionedinthisregard.Aparticipantnotedalotofchildrencutthroughtheparktogettoschoolbutthat’sitnotsafebecause“it’snevercleared…it’salliceunderneath.”Aseniorcommentedthattheparkisanimportantsocialplaceforexercise,butthat“itshardtogettoinwinter[because]alltheroadsintheparkareicyandslippery.”
Anotherimportantpublicspaceisthemallitself.Asmentionedabove,someseniorsreportedbeingfearfulofgoingtothemall.Incommentsfromasmallgroupwith
PreliminaryReport:Steeles‐L’AmoreauxWalkabilityWorkshop 16
youth,themallisclearlyadestinationalthoughsomecommentedthatitdidnothavestoresorservicesthatcatertoyouth.Amovietheatreandarcadewerementionedasactivitiestheywouldliketosee.TheMillikenSquareshoppingareawasmentionedasbeingunfriendlytoyouth.
Othercommentsonpublicspaceincludedthevariousbasketballcourtswhichparticipantssaidwereindisrepair.
Someolder,Mandarinspeakers,livinginapartmentsexpressedastrongwishforacommunitygarden.Theymentionedthatpeopleinhouseshaveaplacetogarden,buttheydon’t.
Finally,garbageandsmellswereidentifiedasaprobleminseveralpublicareas,especiallyinthecommercialareas.Garbageand“vermin”atthemallwerementionedasweregarbagesmellsintheplazaatBirchmountandGlendower.SmellsfromthecreekandravinenorthofFinchwereidentifiedasaproblemafteritrains.Oneparticipantnotedthattheyavoidwalkingthereafteritrainsbecauseit“stinks.”SmellsandgarbagewithintheSilverSpringsdevelopmentwerealsocommentedon.
Busservice
Busserviceandtransitisnotafocusofthisstudy,butthesurveydidaskparticipantstoevaluatetheoverallserviceandmanypeoplemadecommentsaspartofthesmallgroupdiscussionsaswell.Onlyafewparticipantsreportedthatthebusserviceisa“majorbarrier”totheirlocaltravel.Thismaybecause,eventhoughwalkingdistancescanbefar,fewpeopleusethebuswithintheneighbourhood.Whilemorethanhalfofparticipantsreportedusingbustransittogettoworkorschool,fewreportedusingbusesformorelocaltravelsuchasshopping.Beyondexpense,someoftheMandarinspeakersdidnottakethebusbecausetheydonotfeelconfidentenoughduetotheirEnglishskills.Mostpeoplethatdidtakethebusreportedthattheservicewasokay,butthatthewaitforthenumber43bus,inparticular,wasoftenlongwithbusescominginbunches.
PreliminaryReport:Steeles‐L’AmoreauxWalkabilityWorkshop 17
SUMMARYOFTHEMES
Theinformationpresentedabovedoesnotfullydescribeallthecommentsweheard,alltheinformationcollectedinthesurvey,orincludeasystematiccompilationofthenotesmadeonthemaps.Thisworkwillcontinue.
However,eventhepreliminaryreportingofinformationfromtheworkshopbringsupsomeclearthemes.First,manyoftheparticipantscomefromhouseholdswithatleastonevehicle,buttheparticipantsarehighlydependentonwalkingandtransittocarryouttheirdailylives.Mostshopbyfootwithintheneighbourhoodandmanyalsowalkortakethebuslocallyforworkandschool.
Onaglobalquestion,mostpeopleagreedthattheneighbourhoodwasagoodplaceforwalking,butinmorespecificquestionsseveralproblemsstoodout.
Fundamentalwasthesimpledistancesbetweenwherepeoplelivedandthemajorshoppingareastheyreliedon.
Also,sidewalkandwalkingconditionsalongFinch,themainrouteusedbymostparticipants,wereseenasaproblem.Inwinter,snowremoval,ice,andsnowbanksthatpeoplemustclimbtocrossstreetsorusethebuswasclearlyidentifiedasaproblem.WithToronto’slongwinters,thisisclearlyamajorissueforpeoplewhohaveanydifficultywalkingbutmustdosotofulfilbasicneeds.Severalparticipantstookthelackofpromptsnowremovalasanindicationthat“theydon’tcareaboutus.”Evenoutsideofwinter,thesidewalksalongFinchwereidentifiedasuneven,inpoorrepair,andasoftenfloodingafterarain.Finally,peopleridingbicyclesonthesidewalkswasseenasamajorsafetyissueforpedestriansandmanyparticipantsthoughtbicyclelanesonFinchwouldhelpmovebicycliststotheroadway.
Mostparticipantsreportedthattherewereenoughplacestosafelycrosslargestreets,butmanycrossedthesestreetsevenweretherewerenolightsorcrosswalks.Manyalsodonotfeelsafefromtraffic.SeveralintersectionalongFinchwereidentifiedasparticularlydangerous,andsignalsatallthemajorintersectionsonFinchwereseenasnotgivingpeople,particularlytheelderly,adequatetimetocrosssafely.
Shortcuttingisclearlycommonandsomerouteswereseenaproblematicbecausetheyareicyinwinter.ManyparticipantsalsoidentifiedthelinkbetweenthecornierofFinchandWardenandthemallasproblematicforpedestriansbecauseofthesteeprampandwalkthroughtheparkinglot.
Somepeopleclearlydidnotfeelsafemovingabouttheneighbourhoodduetosecurityissues,andmanypeopledonotwalkatnight,butoverall,personalsecuritywasnotflaggedasamajorissue.
Finally,peopleclearlyvalueandregularlyuseL’AmoreauxPark.TheMallistheothermajorpublicorsocialspace,althoughsomeseniorsavoidthemallbecausetheydonotfeelsafeandsomeyouthdonotfeellikethereismuchtodothere.