Redleaf was saying that on 680 news on Sunday, all they could talk about was all the traffic tie-ups because of the Toronto Good Life Marathon, instead of talking about how wonderful it was to have another great race in T.O.
I was just watching "the Mayor" on CP24 and the first question was a complaint about the race blocking traffic. Grrrr.... One day. One day!!!!! (and not the whole day either). What about the Beaches Jazz Festival, Taste of the Danforth, etc, etc. They block traffic too! It seems to me that any time I've been downtown on a Sunday morning it is like a ghost town. Why can't people just take transit?
Thanks for letting me rant!
Suffering Benefiting from mature onset exercise addiction and low aerobic endorphin release threshold. Hoping there is no cure.
During the run, drivers were booing runners and shouting at the police.
The people of Toronto are downright embarrassing at times.
During the run, drivers were booing runners and shouting at the police. The people of Toronto are downright embarrassing at times.
Don't I know it. This guy got out of his car and swore at the cop like you wouldn't believe. Most everyone else just turned around but he completely ignored the two or three sets of KIDS around and was swearing left right and centre.
Didn't stop till she started talking into her mike!
First or last...it's the same finish line
HF #4362
Part of the fun of the CIM in the past was watching irate drivers have to deal with the lengthy waits or find alternatives. But in the past it was just that one Sunday in the fall. Now you have two events close together as the Scotiabank has pushed it's boundaries further north and stretched themselves out across Lakeshore. The Goodlife already made a concession this year by omitting the northbound segment of the race, to allow Yonge Street to open up much earlier. Of course that means taking over Lakeshore to accomodate, so these two races are taking up roughly the same territory.
From the drivers' perspective, it's a mess on a Sunday. You can't get E/W anywhere south of Bloor at all, getting to the Gardiner is a challenge, Bloor was a writeoff and without having a route map in front of you, trying to figure out how to get around it all is simply more frustration. I can understand why they're pissed. I think drivers could handle it one day in the fall, but not two, especially only a couple of weeks apart. So something's got to give.
If you're going down that way for the race, or you don't need to cross the city, it seems fine. If you're down there, or you head down that way without knowing what's going on, you're essentially screwed. Transit's not an option as streetcars a buses are stuck as well. The subway can be a lengthy and round-about route, plus buses and streecars have limited service on Sunday.
I can understand both sides. I don't think it can compare to events like the jazz festival or the taste of the Danforth as these only block off a couple of miles of street at the most. These races cover huge pieces of real estate in contrast.