Loading...Humber Bay Shores is a distinct neighbourhood in Etobicoke Waterfront. Known as “Park Lawn and Lake Shore” and “Mimico” the area recently has been zoned for high density residential high-rises. Access to the downtown core is made simple with The Gardiner Expressway and Lake Shore Boulevard, many people opt for this location for the lake and city views, lower price per square foot and ample parking.
Humber Bay Shores is a two-decade old and still-growing community of lakefront condominium high-rises near the Humber River. The area just to the east is quickly filling up with 38- to 66-storaey towers whose meretricious names evoke Miami Beach Ocean Club, Jade, Eau du Soleil.
Besides, the area is really nice, there are a number of issues there as well. First, the traffic which is the biggest problem. The area is packed up with cars for the most part of the day and that stems from that lack of alternative routes people can take. The only two ways can get out of the neighbourhood is through Park Lawn or Lake Shore, and for the many people who commute into Toronto, must access The Queensway or Lake Shore.
The Problem is that Park Lawn, Lake Shore, Queensway, and the Gardiner jam up extremely bad. Humber Bay Shores residents haunted by the traffic havoc caused by recent construction on the Gardiner Expressway are now concerned a newly proposed road toll on the highway could mean a swift return to gridlock on their local streets.
This neighbourhood has a bigger problem right now because they are going through a condo expansion. The area is so packed is just due to the sheer amount of density that is in the area. Within the past years thousands of residents have moved into the area. This is only about the approved and under construction condos, which may potentially see more new condos added depending on the resolution of development proposal. To make matters worse, even more people are moving into the area. There are over a half dozen developments under way in the Mystic Point / Humber Bay area, with several others in the works in nearby Mimico.
Additional issue is the non-existent transit in the area. Humber Bay Shores was the victim of traffic diversion. The 501 streetcar is unreliable and it makes for a very slow trip and the 66 Prince Edward can only handle so many riders and it gets caught in the traffic and becomes unreliable during the rush hour. There are no alternatives to those two routes. To travel from Park Lawn on Lakeshore, to the Humber River will literally take 15-20 minutes during the rush hour which is pathetically slow and painful.
Although there are tens of thousands of people living in the largely vertical neighbourhoods, there is currently no transit connection to the GO station forcing people to park illegally on side streets to catch the GO or get in their cars to commute downtown.
There are other options besides a GO station: Light rail and better TTC access, including express routes, would improve transit times for riders. TTC unveiled plans for a new community shuttle bus, connecting tens of thousands of people to the Mimico GO station. Getting to the GO station could soon be a lot easier for the residents of developments in the Humber Bay area and the Mystic Point neighbourhoods. The TTC has seen rapid expansion in the daily ridership going downtown.