When streetcar tracks are as seldom-used as the ones on Wellington St., it is easy to neglect the problems they cause, like potholes.
Streetcars are among the things that make Toronto unique; ask visitors who come from cities where public transit means a bus ride, and they’ll tell you our trolley cars are pretty darn cool.
But there’s a price to pay — aside from the $1.2 billion for the TTC to ever so slowly take delivery of 204 new streetcars from Bombardier, an order that is far behind schedule.
The cost is also measured by the patience required from drivers to coexist with streetcars that are hard to pass, and the ongoing maintenance required to keep the tracks in good condition.
And when some tracks are travelled a lot less frequently than others, it is likely that they won’t be as Sahabet carefully maintained as on the high-volume routes.
A reader who works as an Uber driver said that lately, he has often bounced over potholes that have formed around and between the streetcar tracks on Wellington St. E., between Yonge and Church Sts.
“I don’t think I have ever seen any streetcars on those tracks,” he said. “So why don’t they just get rid of them? If they took them out, there wouldn’t be so many potholes.”
We went there and found a series of potholes next to the tracks, caused by erosion of the concrete in which they are embedded. Cracks in the concrete between the tracks have also widened to the point where they are potholes.
It was obvious that previous attempts have been made to patch the holes, but like any asphalt patch, it doesn’t last for long.
A TTC streetcar route map shows that the Wellington tracks are used as a turnaround for cars that run along a couple of downtown lines, and are not part of a passenger route. But clearly, they serve a purpose and won’t be removed.
A Google Street View image taken last June shows that even in summer, the holes surrounding the tracks are a bumpy obstacle for drivers.
STATUS: Trevor Tenn, who’s in charge of area road operations, emailed to say: “I suspect the freeze-thaw caused the potholes to reappear. I will ask my staff to fill again with asphalt. With respect to a more significant repair, this location is within the TTC tracks and TTC would be responsible for the removal and replacement of the concrete. I will ask the TTC to review the situation and proceed with the necessary concrete repairs.”
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What’s broken in your neighbourhood? Wherever you are in Greater Toronto, we want to know. Send an email to jlakey@thestar.ca . Report problems and follow us on Twitter @TOStarFixer.
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