Comment 113343

By mdrejhon (registered) - website | Posted August 07, 2015 at 14:06:41 in reply to Comment 113334

There is no Dundurn funnel problem yet, but there will be once both Main/King becomes two ways.

As I posted in the later article, "It's an astronomical number of cars using that one 403 onramp. Easily four figures of cars every morning 6am-9am -- right-hand lanes on King congests really very badly as we approach Dundurn (especially if a bus is in the way in the right-hand lane), that I now see cars driving on the two faster left-hand lanes only to cut across 3-4 lanes (near Dundurn, and occasionally AFTER Dundurn!) to reach the 403 onramp. And once, during a moment when the 403 itself wasn't congested and at a moment there wasn't a bus on the right-lane of King anywhere near Dundurn, I saw nearly 50 cars flows into the onramp in a mere single minute (1 second tailgating, car after car after car) -- 3 lanes merging in a hurry high speed to one minute without slowing down. It is REALLY crazy during the peakiest moments of the morning peak of that King 403 onramp."

Once this happens, all that 3 lanes of cars cramming into one onramp, will now have to come on Main 2-way, squeeze through Dundurn (including enough space in multiple left-turning lanes waiting for stoplight).

But if we can come up with multiple solutions, including 2 westwards automobile lanes on King between Queen and Dundurn, we can spread the load around. I trust that traffic modelling people will figure out how to solve the upcoming Dundurn funnel problem.

So we need to come up with load-spreading solutions, considering that introduction of LRT may only allow room for 2 car traffic lanes on King (1 for each direction, or 2 towards 403), as the 5th lane is on a very tight right-of-way not leaving room for the slightly wider LRT vehicles and a small curb to separate the LRT lanes from the car lanes, considering there will also need to be station islands in the middle of the street (at Dundurn too).

Hopefully we get away with not needing to widen Dundurn (for more waiting space for the massive number of cars in both left turning lanes, given we're forcing an existing 3-lane funnel to make two turns).

I am currently a SoBi+GO user in the summer (I prefer leaving my car at home since SoBi+GO is equally as fast, I wish there were more late-departing GO trains), but most of my commutes, especially in winter, is a car commute to Aldershot, and I am very familiar with all the Main Street funnel effects at almost every minute of the morning peak, having very variable departure times throughout the whole morning. That funnel effect will be transferred to Dundurn when International Village possibly becomes pedestrian-only, and most westward morning Lower City commuters take Main to get to the 403.

So I behoove it to city planners to come up with a solution that both you and I like. (And can we trust them to do so?)

Comment edited by mdrejhon on 2015-08-07 14:43:09

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