Adelaide Street track almost finished! New traffic signals on King! Almost no work on York Street. And some really appalling track.
All photos in this article were taken by me on April 10 and 14, 2024.
Updated April 17, 2024: Photos showing pavement patching at King & Church added.
Updated April 21, 2024: Photo showing rail gap and pavement patch on westbound rail, west side of the intersection added.
The basic problem with some of the repairs is that they do not necessarily provide a continuous surface for streetcars. The reason for this is that the diamonds are designed to carry cars on their flanges so that the main part of the wheel does not produce the familiar “thunk” where at the crossing of two tracks. Some of the breaks shown here are within the diamond, and the flange way has completely broken off. As streetcars pass, their wheels fall off of the adjacent intact flange way into the gap even though the main rail head is continuous. This is particularly evident on the northerly westbound rail (see photos at the end of the article).
Updated April 26, 2024: Photo of work in progress on York Street south of Richmond added.
Adelaide Street
The two remaining chunks of new/replacement track are finally being installed on Adelaide Street, and some work is underway for new overhead. This will be the eastbound 501 Queen diversion for the Ontario Line construction.
York Street
Almost nothing has happened with the new track to be installed on York south from Queen. There is a pile of rail on Queen west of York, and some pavement cuts prior to excavation, but that’s all. Metrolinx is not exactly rushing with their part of the project.
Updated April 26, 2024
Excavation for a new trackbed appears to be complete between Richmond and Adelaide Streets.
King Street Signals
New signals intended to deter straight through auto movements have been activated on King at Church and at Yonge. The intent is to make a straight through movement one that must drive against a solid red signal. If the City ever installs red light cameras, there will be a bonanza in tickets.
The design provides separate signals for pedestrians, cyclists and authorized vehicles (mostly transit, but also taxis from 10pm to 5am). The signage, already complicated, is now more extensive and guaranteed to confuse any motorist. Indeed, during my visit, a 501 Queen bus created a traffic jam waiting for a conventional green signal while ignoring the transit signal.
Here is the collection of signs westbound at King and Church Streets. The signals are in the process of turning red for King, and they show an amber aspect for transit and cyclists.
An important point about signals is that they do not only tell people what they can do (for example, the red hand tells pedestrians not to walk, a green bicycle tells cyclists they can proceed). This gives some hint to everyone of how all traffic is expected to behave.
Nobody knows what an “authorized vehicle” is, and this is especially tricky for unmarked “cabs” like Ubers. If a car drives through a full red signal, is it allowed or not?
The large red aspect on the main signal (with the yellow backboard) never changes, but it will on occasion be joined by a green arrow in the bottom aspect.
Here is the cycle of displays eastbound at King and Yonge as east-west travel gradually opens up.
This confusion shows how important the establishment of simple, clear barriers like a few short transit malls with planters and other physical limitations. Send motorists a clear message: “Don’t even think about driving here.”
All photos taken on April 14, 2024.
King & Church Track
Although the TTC told a good story recently on their subway track maintenance, the situation on the streetcar network is not quiet so rosy. A low point is at the intersection of Church & King, long overdue for complete reconstruction, where there are three separate pavement gaps and ad hoc rail repairs.
It is hard to take TTC claims that they value safety highly and repair faults promptly with conditions like this.
Updated April 17 & 21, 2024: The photos below show recently applied pavement patching.
Steve Munro 
I have always been confounded and confused that we’re very good at offering signage that informed people what they cannot do, but not what their positive options are. I spent a sabbatical in the Netherlands, many years ago, and was delighted and surprised that most of the signage was what you may do and can do and only occasionally what you mustn’t do. In Canada, and certainly Ontario,we’re different. We are the punitive parent. I remember that I wrote to many agencies upon my return, suggesting this other way of looking at life, but of course, other than form letters, I was ignored.
Recently, I have had cause to consider these matters again. The TTC has some very old fashioned ideas within its way of being. We use wheel trans for my husband. I am aware that there are people who dodge fares and that it costs them millions. When I now call wheel trans to reserve a ride, I am notified that paying a fare is essential. Wheel trans is pretty hard to dodge fares if one would be so inclined. I know that the “New” world doesn’t think the “Old” world can teach us anything, but I think it can. This punitive parenting model is obsolete. Encourage adulting! (I know it is a terrible word!) Shared responsibility would be even better. Offer people positive options. You may turn right here. You may turn left there. Green signs and fewer red signs.
I was part of Joanne’s class of University in the Community. I love what you do. Thank you.
Nenke
Steve: Yes, I agree. A big part of the confusion is that with so many signals and signs, it’s hard to know what one should do. A challenge with the signals is that a green arrow is usually “read” as indicating a protected turn. At the King Street intersections, some turns will always overlap, and right turns will conflict with bikes and pedestrians. But there has to be some way to tell motorists that they must turn rather than sitting in front of a streetcar waiting for a green that will never appear.
Glad you enjoyed University in the Community. Thanks!
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Wasn’t the Queen streetcar diversion supposed to be operational by now? End of 2023 then Spring 2024?
I have left messages with Metrolinx, but no one replies.
I recall that MX was responsible for some and City Hall /TTC for other work.
3 streets – Richmond, Adelaide and York are evolving way too slowly.
Who’s in charge and how do we get focus and activity?
Steve: The City is responsible for Richmond and Adelaide, and Metrolinx for York Street. Why, I have no idea. Originally they were going to do the whole thing but the City took over most of Metrolinx’ planned work. If the City had taken the whole thing, it would have been done by now.
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Toronto, TTC, and Metrolinx are spreading out the required work all to “save money”. Lowest bidder for the longest time. If they did it any faster, it would mean they would have pay overtime.
Same reason the King-Queen-Roncesvalles-Queensway took y-e-a-r-s to finish. To save money, not time.
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Thx for the update. Why is Metrolinx dragging its heels on York-Adelaide tracks?
Steve: Honestly I don’t know. Their most recent bulletin said that work would start as early as April 4 (now almost two weeks ago), and finish by May 10. My guess is that this will only get us at best to the foundation because the TTC is installing the track.
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If I remember right, the TTC actually closed the King/Church junction in 2023 for a long weekend to fix several areas of deteriorating rail and concrete. Not 100% sure, but I think the current problems are in same places which would make one suspect there is a serious vibration problem that causes them. Watching/listening to streetcars going over the ‘points’ does not give much confidence. I have strong doubts it can remain as it is until the planned fixing of track and watermain in Q3-Q4 2025.
Steve: Yes, making it to mid 2025 is very doubtful. This project should have been done quite some time ago, but kept getting pushed back and now would complicate the downtown street closures and service diversions. But, hey, TTC management says that they keep track in great shape. Maybe the problem is that it’s not a subway line. They have a lot to answer for in how they have repeatedly taken far too long with bus replacements and diversions for the amount of work actually done.
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Odd that bicycles aren’t given a green signal during the right turn phase given that makes them an obstacle for motorists to avoid while making their turns. Not that I expect any cyclists to sit and wait for their green and instead just proceed on the transit green signal.
Steve: While I was photographing, some cyclists treated even full reds as interesting decorations and blew right through.
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Kafka would be impressed. Actually my sympathies for the driver, as the HTA is probably vague on the point. There’s still no reference (last time I checked the latest version) of complete transit signalling other than a single vertical….
Best I quote exactly:
I leave it to others to interpret that in this situation.
That McGiver track fix at King and Church…c’mon Steve! It’s not like it’s a ‘reactive rail’ or sumptin.
What could possibly go wrong?
Steve: If one of those welded pieces falls out, there would very well be a derailment. TTC infrastructure management should stop bragging and start actually fixing their track.
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My understanding was that dumb things like “green arrow means complete right of way” and “use prohibitions, not allowed manoeuvres” are due to Ontario highway code. Same with things like “every signal has to be double” (which I think dates back to bulb burnouts before LED signals became a thing?) which is contributing to the Christmas tree effect on King and Adelaide.
(My pet peeve is all signals being across the intersection. Normal jurisdictions put one smaller bicycle signal nearside at bicycle eye level, not two bicycle signals 5 metres up across the intersection.)
((Before anyone starts about cyclists not obeying signals anyway, I offer this: if the level of cycling infrastructure is such that only crazy people would cycle, it is not surprising that the only cyclists you will see are crazy people. Very little about the current design of King Street invites rule-obeying cyclists. But for the record I would also be fine if the city was to declare that through cyclists are on Adelaide/Richmond and King Street rules apply to all private vehicles including bicycles.))
So we can sit here and talk about how it’s better in Quebec or the Netherlands, but ultimately it’s the province that has to change those rules.
Or the city bans cars from some blocks and builds a proper transit mall.
Also are Ubers actually allowed through the intersections as “authorized vehicles” or is this simply something that was never enforced for political reasons? What is the exact bylaw wording?
Steve: The bylaw says “licensed taxi cabs”, but with the total non-enforcement on King, the ride sharing folks have had free rein.
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I wonder why we don’t have Red Arrow Lights in conjunction with Amber and Green. Like you’ve said, having a solid red light communicates the wrong message to the driver; if I was in a car, it would take me tens of seconds to read all those signs, versus having a dedicated signal telling me what to do.
As for the transit signal, why don’t we have the European style signals used for trams? I’ve seen Waterloo use them for their ION LRT, so I’m not sure what’s holding the city back.
Regardless, this is still very exciting! I hope this improves the traffic flow along King.
Thanks again for the article, Steve. I love your photography work as well! 🙂
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I took the Queen car to the Porter Air shuttle at York and Front. Going west it was perfect. Went down Church to Wellington?! Then up York. The Porter bus was waiting. I ran one short block – in the rain!
Coming back I thought, where will the Queen car be. Only one lane on Wellington. One up York. Hum. I thought…King. And sure enough it came north from somewhere and turned right on King! I missed one and the next was right behind it. Yeah!
In both cases, this is the fastest I’ve ever done. This detour is working for me!!!
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Jarek writes: (regarding the atrocious track conditions highlighted by Steve with pics above)
Steve states:
Even short of a derailment, with no solid base under the Macgyver ‘fix’, a cracked tire or otherwise damaged bogie assembly is almost a given.
Hmmmm…’cracked welds’ bring back memories at all?
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I too have wondered about the wisdom of having the transit signals just smaller versions of the ones for road vehicles. San Francisco is another city that uses unique shapes for transit-only signals – red/green Xs and horizontal bars for the cable cars – and maybe the streetcars/LRT. I don’t know the significance of the various shapes, but what’s clear is that even without little Transit Signal signs, no vehicle driver is going to imagine that these signals are for them.
On Eglinton East just west of the LRT portal to the Science Centre (heh) station, there are transit-only signals in the LRT right of way immediately to the left of the traffic lane in both directions. These days they’re always red, and several times I’ve seen a car stopped in the left lane waiting uncertainly for the light to change. Generally either someone leans on the horn behind them, or they just slowly realize that it’s not for them and creep on through. This wouldn’t happen with shaped signal lenses or any colour, whether X or | or anything that isn’t a circle or arrow.
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As I understand it, the idea is that the most restrictive, most safety-critical signage should be unambiguous. Defaulting to a full red ball means that at worst a driver will stop when they don’t have to. The reverse scenario seems worse.
Green turn arrows have a consistent meaning in Ontario: the way for that turn is completely free. But a red straight arrow requires also explicit full red ball or red arrow signals for left and right turns (otherwise the status of the turns is not clear), and then we’re back to the Christmas tree of too many lights. Doubly so if they’re all required to be doubled.
Honestly given the intended state of these intersections (no straight on except taxis and transit, no left, right-on-red allowed, right turns are protected at times), designing signage by any jurisdiction’s standard would be difficult. I think they should have not excepted the taxis and then used the white vertical bar for transit, but I’m not a politician and I wasn’t here for that debate.
Crayon alert: IMHO the thing that could most improve these intersections is a large sign saying “cars and trucks must turn right”. Yes I know there are already a lot of signs. Combine the no-left and no-straight-on signs which are currently separate onto the new sign, below the big text, so they’re there for legal reasons. Hang it above the middle of the lanes in the spot currently taken by the transit signal. Put the general traffic light next to it. Put the transit signal off to the side and train the drivers about it (yes I know this would require Transportation Services and TTC talking to each other constructively and is thus a herculean feat for the city’s premier transit route). Put the bicycle signals as low as possible, for example where the turn prohibition signals now are. Then get to work on proper transit malls.
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These new traffic signals work a little differently depending on the location. Some of them do show a green light even though the rules are the same as the other ones. Maybe a programming error?
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I’ve already seen multiple videos posted to Twitter about the new signals not stopping cars. One had 7 cars go right through in one light cycle. I’ve seen a couple cars stop while the transit light is green and car light showing the right turn arrow thinking their light would eventually turn green, but then after a few seconds go straight through. As you said Steve, the only way to stop the cars is to add physical barriers to make it pretty much impossible to drive through.
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Is this an option here? Seems like it would help a lot.
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Concerning the wasteful signage clutter.
According to Statistics Canada, 49% of the adult population scored below high-school literacy levels; 17% scored in the lowest level.”
Having English signage defeats the purpose if so many are not able to read English to do what they require. Worse if they are written in “legalize”, which is usually ABOVE high-school literacy.
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Why do we have to overcomplicate things by having two sets of signals right next to each other for pedestrians and authorized vehicles? This only creates more clutter and confusion, not to mention how much these things cost.
Steve: The double signals are an HTA requirement. It should have been changed ages ago.
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A general Rule about signage (particularly signage aimed at people driving) is to make it simple and clear. The signage on King is really quite confusing, even if one is walking and can ponder its meaning! Part of the problem is that Council makes it more complicated by allowing things at some times but not others (here it is taxis being allowed between 10 and 5, in other locations it is No Left Turns – or no parking – during different time periods on Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays).
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“Toronto, TTC, and Metrolinx are spreading out the required work all to “save money”. Lowest bidder for the longest time. If they did it any faster, it would mean they would have pay overtime.”
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No doubt the new temporary repairs to the King/Church track were long planned and absolutely nothing to do with your alarming photos. (Cough, cough)
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The combination of left-side bike lanes (a rarity in Toronto) and the signaling approach is going to get someone badly hurt on Adelaide. I suppose we should wait until the work is done to fully judge, but there’s already at least one place where green signals are prompting dangerous behaviour (last week I watched a cyclist northbound on Bathurst see a green right arrow at Adelaide and turn wide into the bike lane, not realizing oncoming traffic had protected lefts going south-to-east, resulting in crossed paths).
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I watched a cyclist northbound on Bathurst see a green right arrow at Adelaide and turn wide into the bike lane, not realizing oncoming traffic had protected lefts going south-to-east, resulting in crossed paths). I hope someone told 311.
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