03-27-2021, 10:15 AM
(03-27-2021, 09:45 AM)ijmorlan Wrote:(03-27-2021, 08:45 AM)jamincan Wrote: Homer Watson crossings:
- Balzer Greenway trail b/w Block Line and Bleams
- trail b/w Pioneer Park and the sports fields near Pioneer Drive
- trail at Doon South Drive
That is odd. I got curious because I didn’t know about these crossings so I looked on the satellite view and found another oddity: these crossings all have poor connections to the sidewalks on Homer Watson. Also neither side of Homer Watson has a continuous sidewalk. Overall, very poorly designed.
Things are significantly improved with the MUT along Homer-Watson, but that's pretty new so won't appear on satelite maps.
But yes, Homer Watson is a regional epitome of anti-pedestrian, anti-transit, anti-cycling, car dependent planning.
It is interesting that it does have a lot of crossings, although I would argue there are more crossings of the Conestoga Parkway. While associated with roads, the Lexington Rd. bridge does include a bikeway/trail, fully separated, and later transitioning off road. I think that's a given to be included.
It also has reasonably good crossings at Frederick St. and Eckert St. with full bike lanes and sidewalks on both sides on reasonble traffic roads
(Side Note: Frederick has large concrete barriers protecting pedestrians from the *checks notes*...existing concrete barrier wall...why they didn't put these barriers between traffic and the vulnerable road users, I will never know...okay...I know, but I slam our engineers enough already....)
And, at one point in time, Westmount also was a good crossing of the Expressway...
To be fair, Homer-Watson also has many intersections which have provisions for cyclists and pedestrians, but those aren't grade separated, so are probably less safe (the one grade separated intersection does NOT have provisions for peds, and given the park on one side and the residential neighbourhood on the other, and the excess of space in the underpass, the fact that there is not a pedestrian access is just one more reprehensible oversight by our regional goverment).
Of course, there are also bike lanes on Northfield, Fischer-Hallman, and Ira Needles, but lets be serious, the only function those serve is to make our city world famous for bad cycling infra.