Waterloo Region Connected

Got it. I forgot about that bit of Mill.

(11-09-2020, 08:09 PM)Acitta Wrote: [ -> ]There is now a MUT on Mill St. running from Ottawa to Courtland and connecting to the Courtland MUT.

A long-awaited addition, huzzah!

Long time indeed. That bit of what may be the oldest street in Kitchener, has never had sidewalks.

(11-09-2020, 08:09 PM)Acitta Wrote: [ -> ]There is now a MUT on Mill St. running from Ottawa to Courtland and connecting to the Courtland MUT.

This is excellent, and improves connectivity between the ION stop and the YMCA / Rockway neighbourhood. Now if only there was a south exit from the ION platform with direct access to Mill...

I was planning out a route for my run today in and around Homer Watson Park, and it occurred to me that Homer Watson Rd. alone has more grade-separated trail crossings than Hwy 8 and the Conestoga Pkwy does combined and more than the 401 does in our region as well. That seems absolutely nuts to me. Homer Watson isn't fun to cross, but I'd take it over riding or running through an interchange any day.

Homer Watson crossings:
- Balzer Greenway trail b/w Block Line and Bleams
- trail b/w Pioneer Park and the sports fields near Pioneer Drive
- trail at Doon South Drive

Hwy 8/Conestoga Pkwy crossings:
- overpass b/w Boniface Ave. and Dixon St. east of Courtland
- trail that follows south bank of Grand River (barely qualifies since it's barely passable much of the year)
- future trail b/w Avalon and Strasbourg

401 crossings:
- overpass at Conestoga College
- trail along south bank of Speed River

(03-27-2021, 08:45 AM)jamincan Wrote: [ -> ]Homer Watson crossings:
- Balzer Greenway trail b/w Block Line and Bleams
- trail b/w Pioneer Park and the sports fields near Pioneer Drive
- trail at Doon South Drive

That is odd. I got curious because I didn’t know about these crossings so I looked on the satellite view and found another oddity: these crossings all have poor connections to the sidewalks on Homer Watson. Also neither side of Homer Watson has a continuous sidewalk. Overall, very poorly designed.

(03-27-2021, 09:45 AM)ijmorlan Wrote: [ -> ]

(03-27-2021, 08:45 AM)jamincan Wrote: [ -> ]Homer Watson crossings:
- Balzer Greenway trail b/w Block Line and Bleams
- trail b/w Pioneer Park and the sports fields near Pioneer Drive
- trail at Doon South Drive

That is odd. I got curious because I didn’t know about these crossings so I looked on the satellite view and found another oddity: these crossings all have poor connections to the sidewalks on Homer Watson. Also neither side of Homer Watson has a continuous sidewalk. Overall, very poorly designed.

Homer Watson has the continuous multi-use trail on the east side from Ottawa to Conestoga since 2019/2020.

(03-27-2021, 09:45 AM)ijmorlan Wrote: [ -> ]

(03-27-2021, 08:45 AM)jamincan Wrote: [ -> ]Homer Watson crossings:
- Balzer Greenway trail b/w Block Line and Bleams
- trail b/w Pioneer Park and the sports fields near Pioneer Drive
- trail at Doon South Drive

That is odd. I got curious because I didn’t know about these crossings so I looked on the satellite view and found another oddity: these crossings all have poor connections to the sidewalks on Homer Watson. Also neither side of Homer Watson has a continuous sidewalk. Overall, very poorly designed.

Things are significantly improved with the MUT along Homer-Watson, but that's pretty new so won't appear on satelite maps.

But yes, Homer Watson is a regional epitome of anti-pedestrian, anti-transit, anti-cycling, car dependent planning.

It is interesting that it does have a lot of crossings, although I would argue there are more crossings of the Conestoga Parkway.  While associated with roads, the Lexington Rd. bridge does include a bikeway/trail, fully separated, and later transitioning off road. I think that's a given to be included.

It also has reasonably good crossings at Frederick St. and Eckert St. with full bike lanes and sidewalks on both sides on reasonble traffic roads

(Side Note: Frederick has large concrete barriers protecting pedestrians from the *checks notes*...existing concrete barrier wall...why they didn't put these barriers between traffic and the vulnerable road users, I will never know...okay...I know, but I slam our engineers enough already....)

And, at one point in time, Westmount also was a good crossing of the Expressway...

To be fair, Homer-Watson also has many intersections which have provisions for cyclists and pedestrians, but those aren't grade separated, so are probably less safe (the one grade separated intersection does NOT have provisions for peds, and given the park on one side and the residential neighbourhood on the other, and the excess of space in the underpass, the fact that there is not a pedestrian access is just one more reprehensible oversight by our regional goverment).

Of course, there are also bike lanes on Northfield, Fischer-Hallman, and Ira Needles, but lets be serious, the only function those serve is to make our city world famous for bad cycling infra.

(03-27-2021, 09:50 AM)timio Wrote: [ -> ]

(03-27-2021, 09:45 AM)ijmorlan Wrote: [ -> ]That is odd. I got curious because I didn’t know about these crossings so I looked on the satellite view and found another oddity: these crossings all have poor connections to the sidewalks on Homer Watson. Also neither side of Homer Watson has a continuous sidewalk. Overall, very poorly designed.

Homer Watson has the continuous multi-use trail on the east side from Ottawa to Conestoga since 2019/2020.

Thanks, now that I think of it I remember seeing the construction. Seems the aerial photos aren’t new enough to show it. Some mistakes eventually get corrected.

The Frederick Concrete barriers are there just because the bridge condition of the normal barriers are quite degraded. It would be better to put them between Peds and Vehicles though. I doubt any pedestrian will be able to smash through the bridge wall.

I guess I've lost track of progress on things, but apparently they will be constructing the new ped/cycling bridge over 7/8 at Strasburg this summer.

https://www.kitchenertoday.com/local-new...ng-3611563

While I continue to have reservations about the investment here (apparently I'm a conservative, weird given I disagree with everything the conservative party says and does), it will make a meaningful connection for the rest of the grid.

It is starting to be the case that wayfinding is a bigger and bigger problem. Both in hard infrastructure (signs, but also like, making cycling connections look like they're connections, rather than just relying on cyclists knowing they have to jump this curb and go down this poorly paved alley), and also in the out of date ness of Google Maps.

(04-07-2021, 04:27 PM)danbrotherston Wrote: [ -> ]While I continue to have reservations about the investment here (apparently I'm a conservative, weird given I disagree with everything the conservative party says and does), it will make a meaningful connection for the rest of the grid.\

There are few fiscal conservatives among the politicians, and that includes the Conservative Party of Canada.

https://www.therecord.com/news/waterloo-...jects.html
https://outline.com/69UNbA

The headline is the West Montrose covered bridge, but in the article it also says

Quote:The funding will also help pay for [...] help finish a multi-use trail to connect the Iron Horse Trail to the new King-Victoria transit hub.

(04-09-2021, 01:27 PM)taylortbb Wrote: [ -> ]https://www.therecord.com/news/waterloo-...jects.html
https://outline.com/69UNbA

The headline is the West Montrose covered bridge, but in the article it also says

Quote:The funding will also help pay for [...] help finish a multi-use trail to connect the Iron Horse Trail to the new King-Victoria transit hub.

It continues to bug me that the covered bridge is open to motorvehicle traffic.

There is literally no reason for it to be permitted, and it is destroying a rare heritage asset. You want to know how the heritage people are full of shit...they'd be upset about this if they cared about heritage. I barely care about heritage, and I am bothered by this...

(04-09-2021, 01:36 PM)danbrotherston Wrote: [ -> ]

(04-09-2021, 01:27 PM)taylortbb Wrote: [ -> ]https://www.therecord.com/news/waterloo-...jects.html
https://outline.com/69UNbA

The headline is the West Montrose covered bridge, but in the article it also says

It continues to bug me that the covered bridge is open to motorvehicle traffic.

There is literally no reason for it to be permitted, and it is destroying a rare heritage asset. You want to know how the heritage people are full of shit...they'd be upset about this if they cared about heritage. I barely care about heritage, and I am bothered by this...

This bridge isn't close to their house so they don't care. haha That being said, I believe it has been closed to vehicle traffic for the past couple years, mostly because there it a crack it the wooden support beam from allowing vehicles over it. I don know if the article said anything about it, but I would be surprised if they open this up to vehicles again after the repairs.