Walking in Waterloo Region

[MidTowner]

With regard to Ira Needles and pedestrian detours to use level 2 crosswalks, this is a little bit of a different scenario.  There isn't really a single natural street crossing (or even two or three), as the shopping area covers a huge amount of space next to Ira Needles: people's destinations may be anywhere and everywhere within this complex (but probably on the far side of the giant parking lot).  As such, the most convenient street crossing point may be just about anywhere, and the odds are that it's not where the crosswalk would be located, 30m or not.

This is a good point. I was envisioning someone walking along Ira Needles, having to detour sixty meters at multiple roundabouts. You're right that for various reasons, probably there are very few people making that walk. And you're also right that, for people crossing Ira Needles to get to the Boardwalk (though there are some other reasons someone might be crossing Ira Needles: just because I can't imagine them doesn't mean they don't exist and aren't completely valid), thirty meters to the north or south might make little difference.

I still am not sure we're prioritizing things correctly when, to avoid delays of a few seconds for motorists, we're asking people to divert out of their way, and then putting up fences to force them to. Crossings should be at desire lines (which are usually at intersections), and guardrails should be a last resort.