Quote:
Originally Posted by sharpie
Does anyone know if the city considered a diverging diamond at circle and idlwyld? Not sure it would fit and how many access points would be affected, but far superior to spui's from a capacity perspective.
Induced demand is real. You don't see it immediately after a project is completed, but it affects the choices people make about how they get around. Everyone has tolerances that they're willing to live with in terms of travel time, cost of transportation, quality of job, quality/cost of housing. An improved transportation link alters that balance. As an example, instead of the commuter parkway, what if the city spent the money on the west bypass illustrated above? My guess is that development in Kensington would increase and the northeast would grow less than with the commuter parkway. On the other hand, the commuter parkway will enhance the growth in the northeast. It's a really interesting topic because its really difficult to quantify all the variables.
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Yes they are considering Diverging Diamond Interchange along with SPUI, but are not likely to go ahead with reconfiguring until after the effects of a north perimeter road are known.
http://saskatoon.ca/DEPARTMENTS/Infr...riveStudy.aspx
As for induced demand, why would the city want to develop Blairmore (west sector) more than University heights (northeast sector)? There is more proceeds from land sales in the NE, and that is where they have chosen to develop there (well, actually both sectors are being developed, just that the NE seems to be in higher demand with residents willing to pay more). Part of that choice means having to plan for infrastructure like the commuter parkway and bridge. In case you haven't noticed it, "induced demand" as you define it with regards to infrastructure, is the main tool this city uses to plan for growth.
They could choose to not expand the capacity of arterial roadways to keep up with the population growth, resulting in lower quality of working life as well as future growth. Or more likely, if a counselor chose not to cater to voter demand, they would simply lose their job to another candidate that would.