Victoria Park

[danbrotherston]

Does anyone know what this concrete pad at Jubilee & Water is for? Saw the forms yesterday, and it was poured today.

I am guessing that it is part of the downtown cycling grid, but I have no idea WHAT part.

Since the NIMBY/anti-cycling/anti-progress/anti-city-living-yet-somehow-live-in-downtown-kitchener people who live in Vic Park managed to force Water St. to be kept open in the name of....*checks notes*...reducing?? traffic I have no idea what that particular location is supposed to look like.

And yes, if you are reading some contempt and derision in my comment, that would not be inaccurate. I have met some of these people in person...they are thoroughly unpleasant individuals.

[dtkvictim]

I am guessing that it is part of the downtown cycling grid, but I have no idea WHAT part.

Since the NIMBY/anti-cycling/anti-progress/anti-city-living-yet-somehow-live-in-downtown-kitchener people who live in Vic Park managed to force Water St. to be kept open in the name of....*checks notes*...reducing?? traffic I have no idea what that particular location is supposed to look like.

And yes, if you are reading some contempt and derision in my comment, that would not be inaccurate. I have met some of these people in person...they are thoroughly unpleasant individuals.

Hmm, I thought that entire part was cancelled. I don't see anything listed on EngageWR regarding it either, when they've even listed "neighbourhood bikeway wayfinding" AKA sharrows.

Perhaps bike racks? Though it's an odd shape for that, and I don't think many would lock their bike there with the current situation.

My only other guess is some sort of indigenous monument to match the existing Queen and (partial) Kaiser ones, since they seem to be staying.

[panamaniac]

I am guessing that it is part of the downtown cycling grid, but I have no idea WHAT part.

Since the NIMBY/anti-cycling/anti-progress/anti-city-living-yet-somehow-live-in-downtown-kitchener people who live in Vic Park managed to force Water St. to be kept open in the name of....*checks notes*...reducing?? traffic I have no idea what that particular location is supposed to look like.

And yes, if you are reading some contempt and derision in my comment, that would not be inaccurate. I have met some of these people in person...they are thoroughly unpleasant individuals.

Hmm, I thought that entire part was cancelled. I don't see anything listed on EngageWR regarding it either, when they've even listed "neighbourhood bikeway wayfinding" AKA sharrows.

Perhaps bike racks? Though it's an odd shape for that, and I don't think many would lock their bike there with the current situation.

My only other guess is some sort of indigenous monument to match the existing Queen and (partial) Kaiser ones, since they seem to be staying.

That's what I thought, that the round shape made it look like the base for a monument of some sort, but wouldn't that have to be part of some public process?

[danbrotherston]

Hmm, I thought that entire part was cancelled. I don't see anything listed on EngageWR regarding it either, when they've even listed "neighbourhood bikeway wayfinding" AKA sharrows.

Perhaps bike racks? Though it's an odd shape for that, and I don't think many would lock their bike there with the current situation.

My only other guess is some sort of indigenous monument to match the existing Queen and (partial) Kaiser ones, since they seem to be staying.

That's what I thought, that the round shape made it look like the base for a monument of some sort, but wouldn't that have to be part of some public process?

That's an interesting guess, but I agree, doing anything without a public process (specifically including the indigenous community) would be a huge misstep. One of their main objection is lack of involvement...

That being said, I don't think the other monuments have similar pads and that pad doesn't really look substantial enough to support a large monument without cracking. It is a really confusing design.

I don't think Water can be "cancelled"...its a crucial route forming the northern leg of the route and connecting to the IHT (albeit inconveniently through the park). Anyone going east/west through the city will make use of that route.

[mgregorasz]

Does anyone know what this concrete pad at Jubilee & Water is for? Saw the forms yesterday, and it was poured today.

It looks like a pad for some benches.

[dtkvictim]

I don't think Water can be "cancelled"...its a crucial route forming the northern leg of the route and connecting to the IHT (albeit inconveniently through the park). Anyone going east/west through the city will make use of that route.

Cancelled in the sense that no infrastructure change is happening. I mean, I still use it from time to time as it's quicker to get to Joseph through Water instead of navigating all the pedestrians in clock tower portion of the park. But I'd use like 5 times as much if there was no through traffic.

It looks like a pad for some benches.

Also a reasonable guess, but it feels kind of random... It would probably be the least pleasant place to sit in the entire park, next to the road.

[Rainrider22]

Oh well.
Atleast they tried...

[timio]

Bike maintenance station?

[danbrotherston]

A bench seems to be the winner...

https://twitter.com/ECMCrosswalk/status/...3409331200

Or at least something related to the Every Child Matters Crosswalk.

[tomh009]

More here:

https://twitter.com/ECMCrosswalk/status/...95008?s=20&t=8B9XHn5ItRYKkTth-3qutQ

[Chris]

Here is an article on the CBC KW site.

New crosswalk in Kitchener to honour young lives lost at residential schools
Crosswalk will be unveiled along Water Street at Jubilee Drive next month

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/kitchener...-1.6565780

[panamaniac]

What ever happened to the plan for a "survivor garden" in the park?

[Bytor]

Perhaps bike racks? Though it's an odd shape for that, and I don't think many would lock their bike there with the current situation.

I live a hop, skip, and jump away from Victoria Park and I walk through it multiple times a week. Not once have I been accosted, yelled at, verbally abused or assaults by a homeless person in the park.

People walk their dogs, parents push their strollers, kids play in the in the jungle-gym, and all that stuff which was happening before the encampment. So the "situation" seems to be mostly hype from the news papers and hateful persons on social media.

[dtkvictim]

Perhaps bike racks? Though it's an odd shape for that, and I don't think many would lock their bike there with the current situation.

I live a hop, skip, and jump away from Victoria Park and I walk through it multiple times a week. Not once have I been accosted, yelled at, verbally abused or assaults by a homeless person in the park.

People walk their dogs, parents push their strollers, kids play in the in the jungle-gym, and all that stuff which was happening before the encampment. So the "situation" seems to be mostly hype from the news papers and hateful persons on social media.

That's nice, I didn't mention any of those things because they aren't relevant, so I don't see why you brought it up. I walk through the park every single day, and despite having had homeless people do all of the above to me, I've also never had them happen in or around the Victoria Park encampment.

There is, however, an impossible to ignore amount of stolen bikes in the encampment which was the point of the comment.

[dtkvictim]

The main bridge had a flexible bollard installed around the same time as other trail bollards were installed, which frankly shouldn't be needed at a junction with another car-free trail. But anyways, this has now been replaced with large concrete blocks.

I'm curious what the motivation is behind these. I've never seen a car try to enter, though I have seen someone drive a motorcycle (like, an actual Harley) through the park trails and over this bridge to visit the encampment (and presumably wouldn't be stopped by either of these barriers).

Before:


Now: