19 Jan 2023

No Exit

No exit sign with additional clarifying text. Leafy street in the background, with fall colours

Location: South Kingsway and Morningside Avenue
Date photo taken: 11 November 2021

As someone who considers walking a hobby, I've always taken No Exit signs with a grain of salt. Unless I'm in a hurry, I usually don't mind risking a bit of backtracking, just to see where the road leads. That's not to say that I don't find the single-minded focus of the signs annoying. At one point I even considered making little Ampelmännchen decals to slap on signs that provided incorrect information to pedestrians, but discovered I was too short to apply them. Now, thanks in large part to the efforts of Walk Toronto, a pedestrian advocacy group, the City of Toronto has changed its approach to these signs. Starting in 2021 they began installing versions which provide greater clarity regarding the types of egress possible. With over 450 locations of inaccurate signage identified by Walk Toronto, its likely going to take a while to switch them all, but every new addition makes a difference. 

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