Northfield / 85 Exchange upgrades?

[danbrotherston]

It is the Ontario Building Code that dictates sidewalks. The official city/region plans must be approved by the province. If asphalt sidewalks/pathways were permitted you would see them everywhere because it is significantly cheaper to stick in an asphalt path but in a few years these will not meet access or safety standards as they heave and potholes become prevalent. Developers would love to stick in a pathway and then the city would be responsible for fixing every pathway that would constitute a hazard that could result in insurance claims after they are laid and signed off on.  

Building codes dictate concrete sidewalks, very interesting.

Regardless that has little relevancy to MUTs, which can also be concrete, see Weber St, and the new Laurel Trail along Caroline.

Although those are terrible example of MUTs, they're basically just wide sidewalks.

MUTs are an example of badly designed infrastructure but they're still about the best option for segregated cycling infra that we have at the moment.

Also worth noting that newly built MUTs generally have tactile feedback plates, regardless of the surface material.