AD Posted September 7, 2007 Report Share Posted September 7, 2007 Get out yer bikesGardiner shutdown to hit thousands downtownTORONTO STAR FILE PHOTOThe Gardiner Expressway, which is used to get in and out of downtown by thousands of people each day, will be closed for routine maintenance this weekend.Sep 07, 2007 04:35 PMthestar.com staffTens of thousands of people will be heading downtown for an unusually high number of public events this weekend and the Gardiner Expressway — which most would normally use — will be closed for what is being described as routine maintenance.The only major east-west artery available for people heading downtown in their cars will be Lake Shore Blvd.Here's what's going on downtown Saturday and Sunday:— It's the first big weekend for the Toronto International Film Festival. Thousands will flock downtown to see movies and to watch for the Hollywood stars who've come to town.— Thousands of other people will be heading for Toronto Islands Park to attend the Virgin Festival, a pop music extravaganza being headlined by groups like the Smashing Pumpkins, Metric M.I.A. and the Tokyo Police Club.— At least 10,000 people will attend the annual Great White North Dragon Boat Festival on the lakeshore near Exhibition Park.— Between 25,000 and 35,000 people will be cheering their lungs out when the Argonauts and Ticats play a CFL game Saturday afternoon at the Rogers Centre.— The group Genesis are kicking off their reunion tour at BMO Stadium Saturday night and all 20,000 seats are sold.— Entertainer Hilary Duff will entertain another 18,000-20,000 people Saturday night at the Air Canada Centre.More than a few people are asking why the city would choose this particular weekend to close the Gardiner but calls to City Hall management for comment went unreturned.One City Hall veteran, Councillor Rob Ford, was not happy with the turn of events.When asked who makes these decisions, Ford said that he attended a meeting in recent days with the people in charge of special events, transportation, police and city manager Shirley Hoi and everyone was "passing the buck."He said doesn't know who made the call to close the highway. "You'll probably never find out," he said."I always thought that council makes final decisions, but I guess not.""I think it's (the Gardiner shutdown) completely asinine. Council decides everything else - why not the road closures?"The expressway will be closed to all traffic tomorrow morning (Saturday) at 2 a.m. and not reopen until 5 a.m. Monday.The closing will give crews time to work on a number of things, including road resurfacing on the westbound Gardiner between York St. and Spadina Ave.; lighting work; catch basin cleaning; traffic camera maintenance; sign maintenance and repairs to guard rails. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jay sanislo Posted September 7, 2007 Report Share Posted September 7, 2007 yikes! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paisley Posted September 7, 2007 Report Share Posted September 7, 2007 now if we could just blackout the city...crank the air conditioner!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bouche Posted September 7, 2007 Report Share Posted September 7, 2007 Good thing they aren't hosting the Toronto Grand Prix this weekend. That would suck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
captainsunshine Posted September 8, 2007 Report Share Posted September 8, 2007 (edited) Oh, geez!My mom and her friend are in town, and they want to go to Toronto either today or tomorrow! Good to know parking will be a bitch, and traffic out the ass! Yay! :thumbdown: Edited September 8, 2007 by Guest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paisley Posted September 8, 2007 Report Share Posted September 8, 2007 Oh, geez!My mom and her friend are in town, and they want to go to Toronto either today or tomorrow! Good to know parking will be a bitch, and traffic out the ass! Yay! :thumbdown: perhaps a great excuse to let them experience the Go Train... usually a pretty smooth route into the city, drops you right in the subway stationparking and driving through toronto can always be a little intimidating to outsiders Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wassink Wild Card! Posted September 8, 2007 Report Share Posted September 8, 2007 I am soooo glad that I don't have to go to Toronto this weekend...what a nightmare that would be, better just take the GO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YearsAlongTheSea Posted September 9, 2007 Report Share Posted September 9, 2007 This city has no concept of traffic control... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paisley Posted September 9, 2007 Report Share Posted September 9, 2007 my folks went to an Indian dance performance in Brampton last night and took the 407 for the first time (both ways)... said traffic was a breezelikely worth the toll charge this weekend (right after they got on the 407 going westbound, the 401 on their left turned into a parking lot) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
captainsunshine Posted September 10, 2007 Report Share Posted September 10, 2007 Yay! We took the Go Train and had no problems!! It was quite a smooth trip to the city (well, besides seeing Matt Damon and Ben Affleck!)Haha... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now