Avalon Place Highway 7/8 Multi-Use Trail Crossing

[dtkvictim]

You're right, I wasn't counting the Alpine & 7/8 roundabout which I find to be, while still ridiculously overbuilt, much MUCH more accessible to pedestrians.

I think if you're willing to cross the Alpine roundabout then there is no difference between the Avalon Pl. bridge and the Homer Watson crossing, would you agree?

As for the political feasibility...I don't actually agree, our councils are weak and they absolutely prioritize cars over cycling, but they do seem to care about peds and cycling, and especially pedestrians. I do think council would support fixing these things and improving Homer Watson north...I think for things like that, the real obstacle is our engineering departments incompetence and car blindness.

I have never used the Northwest crossing of that second roundabout, but it does look more reasonable on Google Maps at least. The other crossings of that roundabout I have used and would not like to use again... So yes, the options would be roughly equal in that case (avoiding driveways into the plaza would be a bonus of the bridge, but that's a universal cycling experience we have to deal with regardless).

Politically, I'm think more about the constituents. I think even supportive counselors would have to weigh the re-election risk that options like raised crossings would introduce. I know many people who live in that area of Kitchener as I grew up there, and I don't get the vibe that they would take kindly to what we would consider an acceptable roundabout.