News: Hamilton Spectator: Driver Charged in pedestrian fatality on York Blvd

Driver charged in fatal pedestrian crash on Hamilton's York Blvd.

A 22-year-old Hamilton man is facing a careless driving charge in relation to a fatal collision that killed a 62-year-old pedestrian last month.

The man was crossing in front of 221 York Blvd. around 4 p.m. Nov. 23 when he was hit by a car leaving the parking lot, police said.

He died of his injuries a week later in hospital.

The 22-year-old driver remained at the scene and speed and alcohol were ruled out as factors.

After a nearly month-long investigation by the collision reconstruction unit the driver is now charged with careless driving under the Highway Traffic Act.

Police have not released the victim's identity.

SOURCE: http://www.thespec.com/news-story/6202928-driver-charged-in-fatal-pedestrian-crash-on-hamilton-s-york-blvd-/

cars are dangerous and roads are chaotic: proof

The Spectator is reporting that

"Allan Maki, who was convicted of dangerous driving causing three deaths when he went into diabetic shock, has been handed a suspended sentence without jail time. The judge called the ruling exceptional, because Maki has Type I diabetes. The judge said he had no intent of causing harm. The Crown was seeking a reformatory sentence. Maki was given three years' probation, a 10-year driving prohibition and has to complete 240 hours of community service within 18 months - all of which are the maximum allowable."

The original tragic story unfolded here, in Hamilton on York Blvd.

wrong way to be positive

Making a one-way, multi-lane, high-speed highway in the downtown into a pedestrian and cycling friendly two-way street, even with the construction impacts, should be a positive thing to report on, "Commuter headaches" notwithstanding.
Slowing down traffic in the downtown is a good thing for the city; making room for more people to bike and walk, and for commercial activity like the market, or for festivals, are also good things.
You can bet the drivers will be crying in the letters to the editor section shortly...

York Blvd. commuter headaches start Monday TheSpec.com - Local - York Blvd. commuter headaches start Monday

Stretches of York, then Wilson, going two-way

John Burman, Hamilton Spectator

Hamilton motorists are in for some major changes downtown this summer.

The conversion of York to two-way traffic begins Monday, followed by a similar change on Wilson Street.

York will become two-way between Queen Street North and James Street North.

A separate project to start later will resurface Wilson Street from James Street North to Victoria Avenue North and convert that stretch to two-way use.

The York Boulevard work, which starts first, includes major infrastructure work co-ordinated with the renovation of the Farmer’s Market and Central Library.

The city’s public works department says the York work involves replacing the existing water main, resurfacing the street, modifications to traffic islands for two-way use, sidewalks, streetscape work and decorative lighting.

There will also be road work and sidewalk repair on Queen Street North at the same time.

The city says there will be lane restrictions and transit delays during the construction, which is expected to end in October.

When the road work is complete, the street will be reopened for two-way traffic.

The city has promised additional information in the coming weeks on the Wilson Street project as construction there nears.

A public works spokesman says the construction and renovation of the Hamilton Farmers’ Market and Central Library project is going well and most of the exterior glass wall system has been completed, with only final detailing remaining to complete the building cladding.

Interior work are also on schedule with mechanical and electrical infrastructure elements nearing completion. Interior finishing work has commenced throughout both spaces and is expected to be complete late this summer with everything done later in the fall.

Reclaiming York Downtown

An exciting project with a great deal of potential is due to begin construction this spring 2009 in the downtown - in tandem with the reconstruction of both the Farmer's Market and the Central Library, York Boulevard between Bay and James will become a two-way street with enhanced pedestrian and cycling infrastructure, and far more opportunity for an active and invigorating street life: plans include market stalls for the wider sidewalks, and street closure possibilities for special events.
Check out the city web site for more detail.

road diet: York Blvd Bicycle Lanes!

Formerly two car lanes, now one lane for cars, one for bicycles on York Blvd in Hamilton Ontario. This job was on the books for years, so it is a pleasure and a relief to finally have the lines down.

Grand opening is for1:00pm Tuesday May 21, 2008, but you can ride it today!

[Photo by Richard Dominick]

York Statement: Bikes belong

City cutting lanes on York to make room for bikes TheSpec.com - BreakingNews - City cutting lanes on York to make room for bikes

The Hamilton Spectator

Work is under way to create bike lanes on York Boulevard.
The speed limit along the city entrance has already been reduced from 70 km/h to 50 as part of the transformation.
Crews are sandblasting the existing painted lines to make room for a new dedicated bike route and realigned traffic lanes.
There will still be four lanes for cars from Dundurn Street to the Highway 403 ramps. Beyond the High Level Bridge to Burlington, where the speed limit remains 70 km/h, traffic lanes will be reduced from four to two.
The project, which has been in the works for more than three years, is intended to encourage more residents to use alternative transportation.
“It makes a statement about the kind of city that we are,” said Hart Solomon, manager of traffic engineering and operations.

http://www.thespec.com/News/BreakingNews/article/361222

ROOM FOR BIKES ON YORK BLVD

Cyclists cheer plan for bike lanes on York Boulevard

By Dana Borcea, The Hamilton Spectator (Dec 5, 2005)

Cyclists will have a little more space on the road thanks to a city proposal to put bike lanes on York Boulevard.
 
Commuters on two wheels currently share the busy road linking Hamilton and Burlington with four lanes of speeding traffic.

Peddling down the street next to vehicles driving more than 60 km/h can be daunting, said Matt Thompson, a spokesperson for MACycle, a campus community bicycle co-op. "As a cyclist, I'd feel a lot better having a white line there."

But while the city's plan to reserve lanes for bicycles may soothe the nerves of cyclists, the prospect of reducing car traffic to two lanes may have drivers grumbling.

Cycling advocate Randy Kay said even if they are outnumbered by drivers, cyclists deserve some infrastructure of their own. Kay is spokesperson for the group Transportation for Livable Communities.


The creation of on-street bike lanes is well worth a little rush-hour congestion, he added, even if drivers do outnumber cyclists. "If you build it, they will come," he said. "Hopefully fewer people would want to drive and more people would start to ride."

Kay would like to see the proposed bike lane stretch past Dundurn Street and well into the city's core.

"Why stop there? There should be dedicated bike lanes running to the library, the market and the galleries and not just for commuters between Burlington and Hamilton but for the city itself."

Advocates say that an off-street trail that currently runs along a stretch of York Boulevard is well suited for leisure riders, joggers and pedestrians. But to avoid collisions, commuter or "transportation" cyclists are better off on the street with a lane of their own, they say.

Both Kay and Thompson praised recent efforts by the city to enhance cycling infrastructure, but insist it has a lot of catching up to do.

Supporters and opponents of the proposed bike lanes can weigh in at a public meeting on Dec. 8 at Sir John A. Macdonald Secondary School, 130 York Blvd. between 6 and 8 p.m. The city will unveil several options for the lanes.

Mary Lou Tanner, strategic planning manager with the city's public works department, described York Boulevard as "an important access point in and out of the city" that takes Hamiltonians past the waterfront and into the Royal Botanical Gardens.

She said the move would help fulfill the city's commitment to building 13.5 kilometres of new bike lanes a year and further its plans for "balanced transportation networks."

"We will not build a road system that simply services cars. We are going to build a transportation system for all users."