Comments on: Village Sidewalks a Hazard

By: Merle Hudson

Merle Hudson — Fri, 23 Mar 2007 05:56:01 +0000

The sidewalks and crosswalks in Bloor West Village are a disgrace. The crosswalk at Runnymede never seems to be without chunks of missing brick, and, until recently one row of bricks on the south sidewalk of Bloor was protruding several inches – an accident waiting to happen. Now the bricks have been removed and we have an equally hazardous trench to trip into.
The design is pathetic for our climate and the city’s upkeep is equally pathetic. We need more than a new broom to fix up the mess of Bloor West sidewalks and crosswalks. Surely we do not need a serious accident to spur the city to some “concrete action.”

By: Vilis Miklasevics

Vilis Miklasevics — Sat, 24 Feb 2007 00:31:49 +0000

My mother tripped and broke her wrist while crossing at Bloor and Runnymede several years ago. I have always blamed the late councillor/alderman Bill Boytchuk because my recollection is that he proudly claimed credit for getting the city to install the interlock brick at BWV intersections. That “design feature” was a mistake from Day 2 – because the road heaved very quickly. I guess there just haven’t been enough lawsuits, because the city doesn’t learn. Look at St.Geroge St. and the effort that was made to redesign it. It is clear that today’s construction companies don’t know how to incorporate brickwork into roads – so that it lasts more than a couple of months.

By: James Melvin

James Melvin — Fri, 23 Feb 2007 22:01:18 +0000

The poor conditions of Bloor West Village sidewalks are one of my pet peeves. This is a reason to feel bad about the place you live. The BIA should be ashamed of themselves. This is the sidewalk design that was installed at the initiation of the BIA. The crumbling quality of the bick pavers, the slickness of the terazzo and the freqent cahange of material block to block provides an inconsistency and hazard for pedestrians.
The BIA and BWVRA and SARA should all appeal to the City to address thes poor quality of pavement. The patterning and borders can all be acheived with the use of concrete or the use of new mega pavers. There is no need to combine various materials.
The attraction of the Bloor West Village neighbourhood is sullied by the condition of it’s main street floor.

By: J. Woodburn

J. Woodburn — Wed, 21 Feb 2007 17:46:15 +0000

As someone who taught Risk Management for more years than I would like to think , I fully expect twisted ankles and worse as a result of the sharply increased hazards presented by the Bloor Street obstacle course.

One significant injury would wipe out the savings made by the city in not repairing the missing bricks and potholes. Penny wise and pound foolish!

J. Woodburn