08-01-2020, 10:25 AM
(This post was last modified: 08-01-2020, 10:26 AM by danbrotherston.)
(07-31-2020, 02:31 PM)tomh009 Wrote:(07-31-2020, 01:23 PM)Momo26 Wrote: I was disappointed to see what they did on Queen from Charles to King. Just widen sidewalk? IMO That's not a revitalization of a block. I was expecting a lot more.
What more would you have done, given that there is no municipal property there to work with? (And, no, I don't think turning it into a pedestrian street would have been approved.)
Personally I am pleased that it is much more pedestrian-friendly now. No dedicated bike lanes, but they would not have fit without cutting down the sidewalks, and hopefully Ontario/Gaukel will be bicycle-friendly in the future.
I agree there's not much more they could do than refreshing the sidewalk, but I also think they could have done that better.
For one the sidewalks are way too narrow at intersections....so that there is room for turn lanes, again, even in the most pedestrian focused areas, driver convenience over pedestrian facilities.
But other stuff seems like just so much an unforced error...the curbs encourage drivers to drive on the sidewalks (and we see that happening). Worse, outside the hotel, where the temporary asphalt was, they now have installed permanent decorative pavers...which are "decorative" with that broken look...they are so uneven that anyone with a mobility issue, a cane, a walker, I suspect will struggle...there's just no reason for that...
I was excited about this project, I participated in it, yet I'm still disappointed...maybe I have unrealistic expectations of progress in the city, but this is a 50 year project, they should be asking what people want in the future, not the past.