Pedestrian Bridges

[Ottawan]

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/Co...050/story.html



Thoughts?

[rakerman]

I think they would be good. Kind of sad it took them 20 years to build the first one, and only then discovered people actually like cycling & walking across bridges.

[Dado]

Add a third - from Clegg across to Hurdman. That would be a great way to serve St. Paul's University.

[Ottawan]

I think that this is a real opportunity in city-building. One of the region's greatest features are its four impressive waterways (Canal, Rideau River, Ottawa River and Gatineau) - however these also divide our city. A neighbourhood like Overbrook feels very distant from downtown, but with the Donald-Somerset and then Corktown bridges, that can change. The Fifth Avenue, and Dado's proposed Clegg-Hurdman bridges would end the relative isolation of Ottawa East.

These are (relatively) inexpensive ways to build the right kind of city, one that becomes more truly urban.

[Rathgrith]

As long as this process does not take 25 years, I'm all for it.

[Kitchissippi]

A fourth and a fifth could be bridges on both ends of Leonard Avenue in Old Ottawa South. The Bank Street and Bronson Ave bridges are brutal on a bike, and it would be nice to have an alternate route in between these. The Percy/Craig corridor is an ideal way to bike into downtown from the Glebe, and if this axis is somehow extended farther more cyclists could use it. From Data Centre road, a pathway link could even go all the way to the Airport.

[TransitZilla]

Originally Posted by Ottawan

I think that this is a real opportunity in city-building. One of the region's greatest features are its four impressive waterways (Canal, Rideau River, Ottawa River and Gatineau) - however these also divide our city. A neighbourhood like Overbrook feels very distant from downtown, but with the Donald-Somerset and then Corktown bridges, that can change. The Fifth Avenue, and Dado's proposed Clegg-Hurdman bridges would end the relative isolation of Ottawa East.

These are (relatively) inexpensive ways to build the right kind of city, one that becomes more truly urban.

Agreed. These can't get built fast enough.

[eemy]

For something like this, do they really need to do a study first? Just build the damn things and save a million dollars.

[Dado]

Oh really... this is just too easy!

Originally Posted by jeremy_haak

For something like this, do they really need to do a study first? Just build the damn things and save a million dollars.

"We have a process to follow."

[rocketphish]

We shouldn't stop at mere "footbridges". These crossings should all be constructed with both pedestrians and cyclists in mind, with dedicated "lanes" for each, and tying directly into the City's cycling network. Looking at that map... it seems obvious that Somerset and Donald Streets should have dedicated bike lanes built on them, to allow riders better access to the City core via an east-west cycling route. There are very few good routes for a cyclist to take to cross the Rideau River and the Canal.

The problem? Take a look at the Corkstown Bridge:
http://www.bing.com/maps/?v=2&cp=rk3...42&lvl=2&sty=b

Does that look like it integrates well into an east-west cycling network? Not to me. Just how do cyclists get across the U of O campus efficiently? What awkward ramps that just dump cyclists onto a pedestrian only campus access point.

[TransitZilla]

Originally Posted by rocketphish

The problem? Take a look at the Corkstown Bridge:
http://www.bing.com/maps/?v=2&cp=rk3...42&lvl=2&sty=b

Does that look like it integrates well into an east-west cycling network? Not to me. Just how do cyclists get across the U of O campus efficiently? What awkward ramps that just dump cyclists onto a pedestrian only campus access point.

It's not as bad as it looks. Marie-Curie (the extension of Somerset into the campus) has a dedicated, segregated contra-flow bike lane that leads directly to the ramps and provides 2-way bike access to the bridge.

[Gitfiddler]

The Somerset East bridge to Donald Street would be very good. Currently the intersections at Montreal and North River, and Montreal and Vanier are both a nightmare for pedestrians and cyclists.

Encouraging bike/foot traffic to cross at a Somerset-Donald bridge has a few benefits. North River is fairly quiet except for at the Montreal intersection, so crossing the street becomes much safer. The location of the bridge is still quite close to the Vanier Towers (only a couple blocks farther than Montreal Rd). Additionally, the bridge would do a lot to showcase the river, as well as the parks on both sides.

I'm definitely in favour of the Overbrook-Sandy Hill bridge.

Old Ottawa East-Glebe is also a good idea, I think. It would probably be helpful for traffic issues should the CFL and/or pro soccer end up at Lansdowne.

[RTWAP]

I wonder if anyone from Sandy Hill will complain about letting the riff-raff in over the Donald Street bridge. If they do then I'd like to preemptively laugh at them.

These are great ideas. It's nice to see the previous success recognized, embraced and emulated.

[m0nkyman]

Just do it.

[Gitfiddler]

Originally Posted by RTWAP

I wonder if anyone from Sandy Hill will complain about letting the riff-raff in over the Donald Street bridge. If they do then I'd like to preemptively laugh at them.

These are great ideas. It's nice to see the previous success recognized, embraced and emulated.

No more so than the residents of the Golden Triangle complained about letting the damned students walk through their neighbourhood on the way to Hooley's. I was living there at the time. Some of my neighbours were irate.

If anything, I would think that Action Sandy Hill would be in favour of getting rid of the Vanier-dwelling students more efficiently.

[c_speed3108]

Originally Posted by Gitfiddler

The Somerset East bridge to Donald Street would be very good. Currently the intersections at Montreal and North River, and Montreal and Vanier are both a nightmare for pedestrians and cyclists.

Encouraging bike/foot traffic to cross at a Somerset-Donald bridge has a few benefits. North River is fairly quiet except for at the Montreal intersection, so crossing the street becomes much safer. The location of the bridge is still quite close to the Vanier Towers (only a couple blocks farther than Montreal Rd). Additionally, the bridge would do a lot to showcase the river, as well as the parks on both sides.

I'm definitely in favour of the Overbrook-Sandy Hill bridge.

Old Ottawa East-Glebe is also a good idea, I think. It would probably be helpful for traffic issues should the CFL and/or pro soccer end up at Lansdowne.

The somerset-donald bridge would be an excellent idea. That is one area where there are really no other crossing that are terribly close, plus it would join in nicely with Corktown one creating a nice straight route on mostly low-traffic roads.

As for the riff-raff, that sorta "West-vanier" area is actually becoming very swanky. There are a number of new condo developments around there along with nice town houses and such. There are apartments that rent in $1800+ a month range. The area is not perfect yet, but is becoming pretty awesome quickly.

[lrt's friend]

Originally Posted by Kitchissippi

A fourth and a fifth could be bridges on both ends of Leonard Avenue in Old Ottawa South. The Bank Street and Bronson Ave bridges are brutal on a bike, and it would be nice to have an alternate route in between these. The Percy/Craig corridor is an ideal way to bike into downtown from the Glebe, and if this axis is somehow extended farther more cyclists could use it. From Data Centre road, a pathway link could even go all the way to the Airport.

I would agree that the bike routes to the southend are terrible. We have built the Airport Parkway, the O-Train and the Transitway along the Sawmill Creek corridor but no multiuse pathways, leaving cyclists to Bank and the Airport Parkway (expressway), which are far from ideal.

We do forget that the North-South LRT project would have given us a pedestrian bridge between Vincent Massey Park (and the Rideau River bike trails) and Carleton University. Seems to me, that was roundly criticized at the time.

I fully support the idea of making Ottawa more walkable and bikeable and key pedestrian bridges will be a big improvement. This is all part of the puzzle in reducing our dependance on cars for travelling everywhere. Let's get moving on these bridges. It is time for city council to actually get something done. We pay them to make decisions, not just to endlessly debate.

[RTWAP]

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/opinion...939/story.html

Ottawa City Council has discovered feet. And bikes, too. All these revelations appear to have come by way of the Corktown pedestrian bridge across the Rideau Canal.

For two decades council argued about the idea of such a bridge. The epiphany that footbridges are fantastic structures arrived only after the structure was built and people started using it.

Everyone likes the Corktown Bridge. It's probably the most popular piece of useful construction council has built since walling in Bay Councillor Alex Cullen's soliloquies to five minutes per speech.

So council is on a rare one-project winning streak. Pretty heady stuff for the Toronto Maple Leafs of municipal government.

At least this council is astute enough to recognize a good thing, and is embarking on a $1-million study of two more pedestrian bridges. This is a small sign of progress in a city that is far too dependent on cars. One of the proposed bridges would again go across the Rideau Canal, this time at the foot of Fifth Avenue in the Glebe. The other would cross the Rideau River between Donald Street and Sandy Hill.

As the city investigates the feasibility of those two locations, it's important to reflect on why the Corktown Bridge has been so successful.

Corktown joins the Golden Triangle with the University of Ottawa, otherwise separated by the canal. The span is located in one of the most intensively used recreational areas in the city. People come from all over the city to cycle, jog and stroll along the canal. Corktown complements what's already there, namely, a lot of people without cars.

The bridge also joins the under-served transit-users of the Golden Triangle with the rapid-bus network that stops at the University of Ottawa.

In the other direction, the bridge links up the restaurants, pubs and retailers of Elgin Street with the large campus community of the University of Ottawa. The bridge is a commerce enabler, funneling consumers to exactly the sort of businesses they are looking for. (The bridge has no doubt saved a few lives by allowing U of O students to go out on the town without needing to take their cars.)

The bridge to be studied at the foot of Fifth Avenue would be similarly very useful. Again, it will facilitate the culture of walking and cycling along the canal. It will also join the Ottawa East residential area to the commercial strip of Bank Street in the Glebe. That will be great for business -- although homeowners might still have to endure a lot of street parking when the new football team plays home games at a refurbished Frank Clair Stadium if Lansdowne Live goes forward.

A bridge at Donald Street doesn't have the same kind of synergy but could be useful as well. Councillor Jacques Legendre is right that a new bridge will encourage people to pedal downtown. The bridge will be an important link in an active cycling area and will join Sandy Hill by foot to the parkland off River Road and the Rideau Tennis Club with its fitness centre.

Slowly, council is starting to understand that a pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly city is a livable city -- and a healthy one.
© Copyright (c) The Ottawa Citizen

[phil235]

And then you get nonsense like this letter in today's Citizen. Elgin St. has become a bar strip since the bridge was built? Really?


Bridge to bacchanal


By David M. Beckett, The Ottawa CitizenNovember 23, 2009

Re: Fans of footbridges, Nov. 20.

It is easy to love the Corktown Bridge. When I use it, I love it. The design is stunning and the location is ideal. For most people, that is. We just sold our condo on Somerset Street West in large part because of the noise of late-night clubgoers, heading between the University of Ottawa and the Elgin Street area.

What is now known as "the Elgin Strip" used to be a neighbourhood street with useful stores and services. Since the Corktown Bridge was built, it has become a bar strip that is not in keeping with the residential neighbourhood it bisects.

The noise on weekend nights, well past 2 a.m., is extreme, and broken beer bottles, property damage and vandalism are becoming much more common. And heaven help people who want to sleep if there's "a big game" on TV.

When we moved to Somerset Street, the bridge wasn't there, so the problems weren't there. So please don't tell us that we knew what we were getting ourselves into.

David M. Beckett,

[RTWAP]

Originally Posted by phil235

And then you get nonsense like this letter in today's Citizen. Elgin St. has become a bar strip since the bridge was built? Really?


Bridge to bacchanal


By David M. Beckett, The Ottawa CitizenNovember 23, 2009

Re: Fans of footbridges, Nov. 20.

It is easy to love the Corktown Bridge. When I use it, I love it. The design is stunning and the location is ideal. For most people, that is. We just sold our condo on Somerset Street West in large part because of the noise of late-night clubgoers, heading between the University of Ottawa and the Elgin Street area.

What is now known as "the Elgin Strip" used to be a neighbourhood street with useful stores and services. Since the Corktown Bridge was built, it has become a bar strip that is not in keeping with the residential neighbourhood it bisects.

The noise on weekend nights, well past 2 a.m., is extreme, and broken beer bottles, property damage and vandalism are becoming much more common. And heaven help people who want to sleep if there's "a big game" on TV.

When we moved to Somerset Street, the bridge wasn't there, so the problems weren't there. So please don't tell us that we knew what we were getting ourselves into.

David M. Beckett,

David M. Beckett is a maroon.