The days of hay wagons and streetcars on Yonge Street
Different kind of traffic clogs midtown street a century later
You may think Yonge Street traffic is hard to navigate now, but at least we don’t have to worry about getting around hay wagons.
About a century ago, the street in North Toronto featured horse-drawn wagons and streetcars, not to mention pedestrians and at least one dog straying across, according to a city archive photo from February 12, 1917.
The picture supposedly shows Yonge Street looking north at Montgomery Avenue, although you could not tell from the sparse and unfamiliar shops along the street.
Today, of course, this midtown stretch is chockablock with retail and social service buildings, as seen in a recent photo.
And traffic, lots of traffic.
Hay wagons, however, have receded into history and transit vehicles are gone from this roadway, having been forced underground with the building of the Yonge Street subway line.
Just cars and bicycles.
We also note pedestrians — and dogs — seem to stick to the sidewalks and crosswalks these days.
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