04-10-2024, 09:38 PM
(04-10-2024, 02:30 PM)the_conestoga_guy Wrote: Honest question, how difficult would it be to modify the existing bridge to improve the pedestrian and cycling experience? If we just focused on the south side, for instance, we could raise the cycling lane to be even with the sidewalk and turn it into a MUT. Put in a concrete barrier (even one of those half-height ones) along the stretch and suddenly you have a really solid option for active transportation.
Installing a brand new bridge always felt a bit wasteful when compared against the option of fixing the existing bridge. It doesn't even take much of an imagination to work up a good solution. It has to be incredibly embarrassing for our city officials and engineers to see bridge proposals being put forward to "fix" the issues you created with your 10 year old bridge 50m away. I just hope they have the courage to recognize their mistakes and move forward with fixing them.
Maybe not difficult per se but the reality is that even the south side still has two awful slip lanes to navigate that the MTO would never accept having the service level reduced. Also wouldn't surprise me if there are design standards for the sidewalk and shoulder (its barely a bike lane) that dictate low height for snow storage in storm events or the like.