Latest news with #gridlock
CTV News
a day ago
- Automotive
- CTV News
Queensway closure causes traffic gridlock
A two-vehicle crash closed the eastbound lanes of Highway 417, causing traffic gridlock across Ottawa. CTV's Stefan Keyes reports.
CTV News
a day ago
- Politics
- CTV News
Torontonians ‘mad as hell', Bradford says, pushing to temporarily reopen King Street amid traffic gridlock
Toronto city councillor Brad Bradford has laid out a plan to help relieve gridlock by reopening a portion of King Street. Natalie Johnson reports. Toronto city councillor Brad Bradford says the city must act on what he calls a 'common-sense' solution to worsening downtown gridlock: reopen a key stretch of King Street to vehicles until major construction wraps later this summer. Standing near the closed King and Church streets on Thursday, Bradford said downtown congestion has surged since the intersection was shut earlier this month to replace a 142-year-old watermain. With no streetcars currently using King Street between Spadina Avenue and Church Street, Bradford says he plans to introduce a motion at next week's council meeting to temporarily allow cars back onto the corridor. It's a move he says is already backed by businesses and residents in the area. 'What I'm hearing from Torontonians is that they are mad as hell with the congestion in the downtown core,' Bradford told reporters. 'They want the city to take it seriously. They want the mayor to step up and do something. If she's not prepared to do that, I will.' Construction closures bringing traffic to a crawl In addition to replacing the watermain, the work along the King-Church includes rebuilding TTC streetcar tracks. Watermain construction at King and Church intersection causing traffic, commute chaos Watermain construction at King and Church intersection causing traffic, commute chaos However, Bradford argues that no streetcars have been running through the corridor, with several routes instead using Richmond and Adelaide streets. 'These streets are already under pressure from the Ontario Line construction, lane closures and everyday commuting,' Bradford said. 'Now there are four busy streetcar lines moving more than street 30 streetcars per hour that have been diverted onto Richmond and Adelaide.' Bradford emphasized that due to this overflow, it makes little sense to restrict King Street when streetcars don't use it. Rethinking a traffic strategy Bradford's motion, seconded by Coun. Stephen Holyday, also calls on the city's Deputy City Manager of Infrastructure Services to develop better strategies for managing congestion ahead of major downtown infrastructure work — something he explains is even more urgent because the city's planned 'congestion czar' has yet to be appointed. That czar role was approved by council in April, part of Mayor Olivia Chow's wider congestion strategy. But a report on what the role will entail isn't due until July 10. In a response sent to CTV News Toronto, Chow's office released a statement suggesting they have sped up construction in the area by 'one full month' and that 'Bradford has not yet shared his motion with our office.' Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow speaks to reporters on Saturday, March 8, 2025. (Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press) Instead, Chow plans to bring her own motion forward at council next week in collaboration with Coun. Chris Moise and Deputy Mayor Ausma Malik. Chow's office says this motion aims to 'ease congestion' by working with the TTC, transportation services and the Financial District BIA to 'manage temporary loading zones in specific areas.' 'This has been considered at city council repeatedly,' the email reads. 'We are always open to exploring new solutions to speed up traffic.' Meanwhile, another staff report suggested that Toronto's 5,600-kilometre road network has not expanded in decades, despite massive growth in construction activity and traffic volume. Last summer, up to 24 per cent of city roads were closed at one time, more than doubling travel times. The report also highlighted the city plans to have 67 traffic agents in place by summer — but enforcement alone may not be enough, Bradford suggests. 'This is about using common sense and looking for creative solutions to our problems,' Bradford said. 'We should be making better use of all the corridors that are available at our disposal when we can, particularly one that is significantly underutilized right now.' A 'segregated' east end feeling left out, Bradford says While the King–Church intersection isn't in Bradford's Beaches–East York ward, he says the consequences of downtown congestion are city-wide — particularly for residents east of Yonge Street. 'Respectfully, a lot of people from the east end of the city feel entirely cut off from the downtown core,' Bradford said. 'When they took that ramp down on the Gardiner, they segregated the east end of Toronto and made it very difficult and painful to get into the core, and we're still dealing with the impacts of that.' Gardiner Expressway Westbound traffic is seen on the Gardiner Expressway in Toronto, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Cole Burston (Cole Burston/The Canadian Press) 'I'm standing up for everybody east of Yonge that's having a hard time getting into the core, and folks from out in Etobicoke, North York, trying to get downtown.' Developers and business leaders have also lined up behind the motion, warning that gridlock is hurting the city's economic engine. 'Fixing Toronto's mobility crisis requires action, not just talk,' said Jon Love, executive chair of KingSett Capital. 'There's no reason for King Street to be reserved for streetcar priority when there are no streetcars running on it.' Leona Savoie, co-chair of NAIOP Greater Toronto's government relations committee, called the motion 'a common-sense solution to alleviate congestion and get Toronto moving again.' A bid for mayor? Notably, Bradford was asked several times during Thursday's news conference about whether he was trying to lay the groundwork for a future mayoral run, to which he said: 'I have not made any decision on that... As a member of the 25 councillors and 26 including the mayor, it is becoming on all of us to stand up and fight on the issues that are important for people that are trying to call the city home.'
BBC News
a day ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Sting and Snow Patrol fans slam gridlock 'chaos' after forest gigs
Concert-goers have complained after being stuck in gridlock for "hours" as they attempted to exit a forest car of fans descended on Westonbirt Arboretum, Gloucestershire, to watch Sting and Snow Patrol perform in separate Forest Live gigs on Tuesday and Wednesday man said it was "chaos" as he spent two and half hours attempting to leave after Sting's show on England runs the concerts, a spokesperson said: "Our traffic marshals worked hard to ensure safety and efficiency, and we remain committed to delivering a safe, enjoyable festival experience." Simon Barnard, from Nailsworth, attended Sting's concert and said it took him two and a half hours to exit the car park."The traffic exit is chaos and there has been no improvement from the time we saw Madness a couple of years ago. "It is such a shame as it spoils an otherwise great event and venue," he Wilshire, a retired lecturer who attended the Snow Patrol gig, said he waited an hour and a half to exit the car park - adding the delay "took away some of the joy" from the England spokesperson said they were proud to host two "unforgettable nights of live music at Westonbirt Arboretum". "We acknowledge the queues some guests experienced when exiting the car parks due to the large volume of vehicles leaving at the same time and we thank everyone for their patience," they band Elbow is set to perform on Thursday, with McFly and The Script headlining over the weekend.
BBC News
4 days ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Lancashire PCC joins calls for action on M6 safety over closures
Disruption caused by frequent crashes and repeated closures on a motorway is causing "gridlock" on local streets, a police and crime commissioner has PCC Clive Grunshaw has joined calls for action on the regular disruption on the M6 between junctions 28 and 33, saying the county needed "bold action and significant investment" to keep moving. The boss of a Preston bus operator previously called for urgent safety improvements on the M6 and Ribble Valley MP Maya Ellis has raised concerns in the Commons over the chaos caused for drivers and Department for Transport has been contacted for comment. Thomas Calderbank from Preston Bus wrote to the transport secretary last month saying he was "deeply concerned" about the road's his own letter to Heidi Alexander, Mr Grunshaw urged the government to consider measures such as average speed cameras during peak times and a new bridge over the River Ribble between junctions 32 and 33 near Lancaster - the longest uninterrupted stretch of the M6 without an interchange. 'Ripple effect' He emphasised the knock-on effects on local roads and the increased demand on police resources to manage diverted traffic and incidents."When the M6 is closed or congested, traffic is routinely diverted through Preston and surrounding areas," he said."This places immense pressure on local roads, causing widespread disruption and gridlock."He added: "Lancashire hosts the largest motorway network outside London, serving both local commuters and significant through-traffic"The regular disruption on the M6 has a ripple effect across our communities, often bringing traffic to a standstill."He said locally "we're doing all we can", including increased police enforcement and targeted infrastructure improvements, but "we need national support to deliver long-term solutions". "To keep Lancashire moving, we need bold action and significant investment." Listen to the best of BBC Radio Lancashire on BBC Sounds and follow BBC Lancashire on Facebook, X and Instagram and watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer.
CBS News
08-05-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Highway 37 project in North Bay could get environmental exception to proceed
The 10-mile stretch of Highway 37 between Mare Island in Solano County and Sears Point in Sonoma County is considered one of the most problematic roadways in the state of California. About the only thing that moves slower than the traffic on Highway 37 is the progress to correct the problem. But now it looks like the state is prepared to suspend some of its own regulations in order to get that job done. "We know that there's this 10-mile stretch between Sears Point and Mare Island that is an absolute bottle neck," said Assemblymember Lori Wilson. "And it doesn't have to be commute hours. This is kind of like an all-day thing. There's a small window to get through there unscathed." As an Assembly member from Solano County, Wilson is well aware of the gridlock on Highway 37. And so are her constituents. So, she spoke at a committee hearing last week to make sure that her fellow legislators understood, as well. "It is so unreliable that North Bay transit operators won't even run buses on the corridor because it would be impossible to stick to a regular schedule," she told members of the Assembly Water, Parks and Wildlife Committee. The state has plans to widen Highway 37 to two lanes each way, and they've been talking about it for decades, held up mainly by a lack of funding. But something else is standing in the way — the animals that live in the salt marshes on either side of the roadway. Some of them have protected status, specifically the salt marsh harvest mouse, the California clapper rail, its cousin the California black rail and the white-tailed kite. The law said no construction can be done nearby during critical periods in their life cycles, and that would have a profound impact on the road project. "Based on their life cycles, it would reduce construction time period to basically about three months out of a 12-month year," said Wilson. "Which you can imagine if you could only build three months out of a 12 month year, how long that project would take." So, Wilson has introduced Assembly Bill 697 which would exempt the Highway 37 project with what's known as an "incidental take" permit. Construction crews would still have to take precautions to protect the wildlife, but the state won't automatically assume that something terrible will happen. The Metropolitan Transportation Commission said that's vital for the project to happen at all. "The way the law is written now," said MTC spokesperson John Goodwin, " because there is the possibility of harm being done to these animals, work cannot take place. This would allow work to take place in this location." It seems like common sense, but that hasn't always been the hallmark of California law. Now, lots of regulations, from housing rules to environmental laws to species protection are being reconsidered. And Wilson may be one of the new species of Democrat legislators, willing to take a second look at a law's practical value. "We needed to strive to have these aspirational goals, but at the same time, you have to be balanced," she said. "So, you can't just swing the pendulum the whole other way and not care about people. Because the whole point of doing this work is to support people." AB 697 passed the committee with a unanimous vote. The current Highway 37 project is expected to cost about half a billion dollars, and Goodwin said, while there are still plenty of funding issues to work out, if all goes well, it's possible construction could begin sometime in 2027.
