05-05-2020, 06:18 PM
(05-05-2020, 01:47 PM)tomh009 Wrote:(05-05-2020, 01:02 PM)ijmorlan Wrote: If the LRT planning process had been conducted in a competent fashion, the need for crossings (multiple) in that stretch would have been identified during the environmental assessment process, and appropriate crossings included in the final design for construction.
I would argue that the LRT planning process was generally conducted in a competent fashion, especially given the political and financial constraints. They were not perfect and missed some things (such as this one) and we may disagree with some of their decisions, but I think calling the entire planning process incompetent is a bit much.
I actually agree that overall the process was mostly OK. But certain screw-ups are big enough to deserve being called out.
Note too that in this particular case, they had several years after construction began to fix it before the LRT opened, so even after screwing up in the first place, it should have been fixed; if that had happened, I would be much more forgiving, because anybody can make a mistake, even a really dumb one (I’ve made some humdingers myself). This is what convinces me that the relevant people did not care. A related example is how long the trail beside the tracks between University and Seagram was closed — many months, even though the effect of the LRT work on the route only lasted a few weeks. If they cared about bicyclists, they would have minimized the closure, just as they routinely did for road work.