08-24-2017, 10:20 PM
(08-24-2017, 09:06 PM)Pheidippides Wrote: Some observations from along the Laurel Trail today:
1) The new animal enclosure fence is being built in advance of the central promenade upgrades; about 3m east from where it is now.
2) Other than the new bridge, what exactly is complex about this project that is going to take 6 months to complete? There is no asphalt to rip out. There are no utilities to unearth and replace. The area is already wired for electricity (maybe upgrading that?). Shouldn’t it just be grade and pave?
3) I only noticed today that the pedestrian beg button on the south side of University at the Laurel Trail is on the wrong (left/west) side of the path. That meant me and my bike trailer were blocking the south-bound users while waiting and then dodging and scrambling to get back to the proper side when the signal finally did change. This is on top of the beg button being too far from the path on the north side of University at the trail.
1) Thus proving that my idea of leaving most of the existing trees in place would have worked fine.
2) And they’re simply closing everything, with no apparent attempt to stage the project as they would for a road project and close minimal sections at one time so as to maintain connectivity for those who need it most — those without the assistance of a motor vehicle.
3) The pedestrian buttons on both sides are in ridiculous locations. They should be placed so that bicyclists can easily hit them by just stopping and reaching out. On the north side there isn’t even pavement in front of the button. Or better yet, have the lights default to green for the trail, with motor vehicles triggering green lights using detectors in the road. Done right, this wouldn’t have to delay most motor traffic at all.
Overall, an excess of incompetence being displayed, almost enough to make me feel a bit better about my chosen profession of creating software systems.