Posted Nov. 12, 2018
Updated Nov 16, 2018
Updated Dec 2, 2018
The City of Toronto has engaged WSP Global Inc. to advise on improvements to the traffic and parking problems related to events at Casa Loma. A public Drop-In event for the Casa Loma Transportation Management and Mitigation Plan (TMMP) was held November 6th at the Toronto Archives Building on Spadina Avenue. The City plans on a follow-up meeting early in the new year after more feedback from the community and further study and evaluation of various alternatives to solve the traffic and parking problems. The City is maintaining a website to keep us posted.
The CLRA is taking input from our neighbourhood residents on both concerns and solutions. Please EMAIL us with your comments and suggestions. We will be adding them to this posting and passing them along to the TMMP team so that our residents will have a voice in the process. The CLRA will also be organizing a meeting and making a formal submission as part of the TMMP review. This will be communicated by email to our residents and by posting on our website.
CONCERNS
- Traffic chaos in front of the Castle
- Cars, taxis and Ubers who stop to let off passengers block traffic as vehicles cannot pass when volume of traffic is heavy
- Vehicles waiting to enter the parking lot from the west side back up on to the street and vehicles from the east making a left turn block traffic behind them
- Residents who live on Walmer and Castleview are experiencing serious traffic congestion as cars look for parking spaces on those streets; many times there is double parking as cars wait for Casa Loma visitors to be picked up.
- Visitors to Casa Loma are precluding residents and their guests from parking on Walmer and Castleview.
- Residents with overnight parking permits on Walmer and Castleview cannot find parking until after events are over.
- Drivers searching for parking spaces on Walmer and Castleview are distracted and pose a risk to neighbourhood children.
- Residents who live on Walmer, Castleview and Russell Hill Drive just north of the Castle, on Ardwold Gate or in Forest Hill above St. Clair experience delays in getting home
- Unwanted noise from cars honking their horns
- Pedestrians crossing Austin Terrace to reach the castle from the sidewalk at the corner of Austin Terrace and Walmer Road are put at risk maneuvering between traffic exiting the parking lot, exiting Walmer Road and proceeding both ways on Austin Terrace (at times at high speed), particularly because of the sharp and largely blind turn on Austin Terrace immediately west of the Castle.
- Visitors exiting the Castle on to Walmer through the Stables or who are waiting for a pick-up at the corner may be boisterous at times (there was a serious personal injury fight in October) and are not reminded by signage that they are in a residential neighbourhood.
- Some bus tour visitors and others occupy the front lawns and patios of residences on Austin Terrace while waiting for their buses, asking for water, use of washroom etc. as if they were still on public property.
- There is not enough enforcement of parking regulations, in no parking, restricted parking , and in front of hydrants and driveways, particularly on Walmer Road, Castleview, Austin Terrace west of Spadina, Lyndhurst Court and Ardwold Gate
- Any expanded use of the Stables and Pellatt Lodge either by Casa Loma or other tenants will only exacerbate the congestion and noise issues and should be addressed by the City in the upcoming lease renewal.
SUGGESTIONS
(These suggestions are those made by area residents for review and discussion; they may be mutually exclusive and not every resident may be in agreement. The CLRA is in the process of getting input from its members as we engage in discussions with our councillor Josh Matlow, City officials, its consultants and the Liberty Entertainment Group).
- Improve the use of the two existing parking lots at Casa Loma
- Better pavement markings to identify parking spaces
- Better coordination between the use of the two lots
- Eliminate the taking of a parking fee on entry and instead take payment on exit or use automated payment machines such as those at Green P lots.
- Move valet parking away from the main entrance to the parking lot
- Use part of the east lot for drop-off and pick-up “DOPU”use by vehicles (Ubers, Taxis, other)
- Have clear signage to the DOPU area
- Advise Uber, Lyft, taxi companies of the DOPU area
- Require tour buses to wait at the Bridgman parking lots to free up space in the east lot
- More use of traffic officers rather than off-duty police officers
- Place lighted signage, electronically controlled by the attendant at Casa Loma, advising when the lot is full and directing traffic to alternate lots at George Brown and Bridgman so that traffic heading to Casa Loma from the south does not enter Austin Terrace and from the north proceeds past the Castle without stopping.
- Suggested locations would be on Spadina just south of St. Clair; Davenport at Macpherson, Spadina at Dupont and Davenport east of Bathurst
- Improve the pavement, markings and lighting for the Bridgman parking lots so visitors will accept them as alternative lots
- Have Casa Loma operate a shuttle service during major events to the DOPU area from the corner of Spadina and Macpherson (can pick up pedestrian traffic from the Dupont Subway Station) and the corner of Macpherson and Bridgman for the parking lots
- Have Casa Loma operate a shuttle service from the St. Clair West subway station during major events to the DOPU area.
- Re-design the home page of the Casa Loma website to advise of (1) public transit alternatives (St. Clair West Subway, Dupont Subway, and 127 bus, including walk times) and (2) parking alternatives so that this information is prominent, including on mobile devices.
- Casa Loma should provide to the CLRA for posting on its website an advance shedule of events, quarterly or monthly as needed.
- The TTC should evaluate a new bus service running from St. Clair West down Spadina to Dupont such as extending the Forest Hill 33 Bus route down to Dupont station
- Widen Austin Terrace in front of the castle by moving the south sidewalk so that it is adjacent to the Casa Loma wall and construct a minimal amount of new road space on the north side to accommodate the 2 lanes of through traffic and a Drop-off/Pick-up lane in front of the Castle.
- For pedestrian safety, construct a sidewalk on the north side of Austin Terrace and a Crosswalk in front of the Castle
- Consider taking some of the space at the north end of the Baldwin Steps park for a DOPU area.
- Put signage at exits to the castle and stables reminding people they are in a residential area and asking them to respect private property and keep noise and litter to a minimum.
- Bus drivers should remind passengers on arrival that they are in a residential area and to respect the privacy of residents
- Provide seating in the DOPU area for passengers to wait for their buses and cars
- Change the exit from the stables from the east side to the south side.
- Employee parking should not be allowed at the Stables as the driveway is entered from Walmer Rd., a residential street. Employee parking should be limited to the Casa Loma parking lots or the lots at George Brown and Bridgman.
- Limit the number of days for the Legend of Horrors event; every day is too excessive.
- Parking permits should be made available to residents of Walmer Rd. and Castleview Ave. on a 24 hours/7 days basis and include 3-5 visitor permits which could be used by their guests on a temporary basis.
- Install rectractable automatic bollards on Castleview at Spadina to prevent traffic from entering Castleview and Walmer during major events; residents would use an electronic mechanism to obtain access for themselves, guests and trades/delivery people.
- The City should ensure parking enforcement officers on on duty at the times of Casa Loma events.
- Install Bike Share in a suitable location and other bike parking at Casa Loma.
- Open the South Gates for all major events to encourage use of the Dupont Subway Station
- Rename the Dupont Subway Station to Dupont Casa Loma Subway Station to bring more attention to this transportation option
Most recent update Dec 2, 2018
If you wish to bring other concerns and/or suggestions to the attention of the CLRA, please EMAIL us.