Toronto can and should do it better than the ugly and intrusive new barriers installed at the Union Station.
New blocks that are installed in front of the Union Station in Front and York Street Image by Sean Marshall
When it was found that the Union Station finally received permanent mollards to replace the random jersey barriers that have been in front of the traffic center since 2018. I wrote several times about these barriers on my own website, criticized her appearance and placement and blocked the way for the thousands of people who cross the front street every day. But when I visited her personally after seeing criticism online, I was dismayed.
The new permanent obstacles could even be worse than the temporary obstacles to replace them.
After a tragic attack, the Jersey barriers were hastily placed in the Yonge Street in North York, where a man deliberately drove a rented van on the sidewalk, killed ten pedestrians and many more injured and traumatized.
Vehicles on crowds of pedestrians are a big problem. The tactics used in mass meetings – such as the winter light exhibition and New Year's Eve at Nathan Phillips Square and large concerts and playoff games in the Rogers Center and in the Scotiag Arena – are now the blocking of closed roads with heavy plows such as snow plows, garbage trucks and city buses. However, the Union Station is the only place in the city where the officials decided that new permanent obstacles were necessary.
The Union Station is one of the most busy pedestrian areas in the city, picture of Sean Marshall
The new permanent barriers are not the robust but tight bollards that are used elsewhere. Instead, they are large, non -decorated concrete blocks that are anchored in the ground and are knee -high. The simple concrete color does not match the stone stems or the plaza. They are very closely composed and hinder access for those who use large carts, strollers or mobility devices with bikes. Despite all the renovations of the union station from money, these blocks look cheap.
Concrete blocks on the corner of York and Front Street at the Union Station, image of Sean Marshall
The total costs for the installation of the “custom anti-terrorist concrete barriers” were, as the city describes the offer, $ 2,438,238, including HST. The lowest offer from South Central Inc. came cheaper than the other two offers. It is worth noting that there are no public documents that describe the city's contract specifications, and there was no public consultation before the city collects offers.
The result? An aesthetic mistake and a challenge for accessibility.
Video shows pedestrians who run around the concrete blocks in front of the Union Station
I cannot understand the city's decision to go with these blocks, in which more elegant and more pedestrian -friendly alternatives are usually used elsewhere. For example, the Austrian parliament building in Vienna, which is exposed to the famous and busy rings, is protected by smaller concrete bollards, which are also separated more often, which makes it much more pleasant for pedestrians.
Thick concrete bollards in front of the Austrian Parliament building, 2023, picture of Sean Marshall
In Great Britain, metal bollards are common on busy commercial roads and in front of important buildings, but they are easy to survive for pedestrians and generally mix in.
Metal bollard in front of the Royal Courts of Justice in London, picture of Sean Marshall
In the United States, government buildings are also protected by strong anti-vehicular barricades (especially since the bombing of Oklahoma City 1995), but for pedestrians in general.
Metal -Poller protect the federal court in the city center of Manhattan, picture on Google Street View
It is also worth noting that other popular pedestrian areas such as the crossing of Yonge-Dundas are not protected against a potential vehicle-or an unintentional collision. It is incomprehensible why the city has only focused on protecting a pedestrian area by using such a poorly thought -out design. Toronto can and should do it better.
Urbantoronto will continue to pursue progress in this development. In the meantime, however, you can find out more about this from our database file linked below. If you want, you can join the conversation in the associated project forum thread or leave a comment in the room provided on this page.
* * *
Urbantoronto has a research service, UtPro, which delivers comprehensive data on development projects in the Greater Golden Horseshoe – from the proposal to completion. We also offer immediate reports, downloadable snapshots based on the location, and a daily subscription newsletter, New Development Insider, which pursues projects from the first application.