More work coming to Bayview Ave.

As we head into the coming months, watch for further improvements to be made to our part of Bayview and the pedestrian realm on our side.

Bayview Ave. itself will be resurfaced curb to curb.

The sidewalk on the east side between Parkhurst and Eglinton will be torn up and replaced as was the southern section about a year ago. This will come at no cost to the taxpayer, as the cost will be covered by the utility companies that made cuts into the existing  sidewalk in the first place.

(By the way, the way the City of Toronto handles this sort of thing is to save up all the required utility cut restoration work in a given area and try to carry it all out in a single project, rather than have the utility company do  the full restoration work at the time of completion of the original utility work. That is why Leaside underwent a torrent of sidewalk repairs earlier this summer.)

The trees that were removed as part of last year’s sidewalk project are due to be replaced by new trees this fall, to be planted directly in the ground in the spaces currently covered by asphalt patches.

I have asked for extra benches and waste bins to be installed on our side of Bayview. These should arrive this fall.

I have also ordered new bike rings for our side of Bayview. The city is experimenting with new designs for bike rings, and ours will be installed once the new standard design is settled.

Also some time this fall, news box “corrals” will be installed on our side  of Bayview in response to my demand that we take steps to eliminate the random installation of news boxes along the curbside.

Why can’t I be specific as to project execution and asset installation  dates? Each work order is subject to a contract that is negotiated centrally in company with related projects being undertaken in other parts of the city. Once a contract is signed, the contractor carries out its projects according to schedules influenced by a host of factors including procurement timelines, workflow issues arising from other job sites, etc. Tree planting, meanwhile, is a seasonal activity. Efforts are made to plant all the city’s new trees during the optimum planting period each spring and each fall.

A word as to parking on Bayview: Everyone has a story about the enthusiasm with which parking enforcement officers pounce on cars parked marginally over the time allowed on the coupon displayed in the car window.

This is a particular issue with Bayview merchants, who need this disincentive to business like a hole in the head. With this in mind I voted earlier this summer along with a majority of my colleagues on council to implement a 10-minute grace period for cars parked overtime in pay-and-display areas, such as Bayview.

Article written by John Parker, Councillor, Toronto Ward 26.