Pickering Pickering GO Pedestrian Bridge | ?m | ?s | Metrolinx | AECOM

Pickering Promise said:
On its own, the building won't be a landmark building. However, in conjunction with the pedestrian bridge, it will be the most visible example of sustainability in the province.
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That seems like a huge stretch of the imagination. There are a lot of LEED certified buildings going up in more transit friendly areas than Pickering, and Pickering isn't high visibility in terms of the GTA.
 
I don't know, the wind turbine along the Lakeshore/Gardiner is pretty visible and probably a more obvious examplee of sustainability. Perhaps I'll change my mind when the new renderings come out.

As far as the gateway to Toronto, I've always used the two blue condos near Scarborough Town Centre, or even the office tower just north of the 401 on Markham Rd, as my landmarks to know I'm home.
 
I hate to burst Pickering Promise's bubble because I like his enthusiasm for Pickering's development.

A tall LEED-certified office tower like Bay-Adelaide in downtown Toronto would be a lot more visible because of downtown's density and the number of visitors every day. In addition to that, the presence on the skyline allows it to be seen from very far away, including on certain highways. It's probably visible from highway 401 as well.
 
It's just an office building with a glazed truss pedestrian bridge. To call it a "landmark" is like saying MTO direction signage works like one. It ain't.

AoD
 
Hipster Duck said:
^I dunno, PP, Pickering is not exactly the "gateway" to Toronto or Eastern Ontario in the way that, say, the Khyber pass was the gateway to the Orient.

I'm also not sure just how much of an impression that bridge will leave on motorists and commuters, or whether it will really be an icon of sustainability, but whatevs.
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LOL - No, Pickering isn't exactly the Khyber Pass. (It's way too flat...)

However, I'm not exaggerating about the bridge. It will look completely different from the original rendering posted here. When I saw the latest bridge rendering, I half-gasped, because it was somewhat dramatic looking.

I can't go into too much detail, because Metrolinx is keeping it close to its chest and has refused to release it - even to Infrastructure Canada.

What I can say is that it will look both modern and organic. And at night, it will have ambient lighting which will give it a totally different kind of aesthetic.

While it probably won't win any international design competitions, it is a dramatic departure from what you would expect from a crown agency.

Trust me, this pedestrian bridge won't look 'pedestrian'.
 
EnviroTO said:
That seems like a huge stretch of the imagination. There are a lot of LEED certified buildings going up in more transit friendly areas than Pickering, and Pickering isn't high visibility in terms of the GTA.
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Yes, there are a lot of LEED-certified buildings. But they are not easily recognizable examples of sustainability. They are buildings with inherent and mostly-hidden green features - not apparent to the casual observer.

I never said Pickering was high visibility or transit friendly (where did that come from?).

Currently, there's nothing that would distinguish Pickering from most of Scarborough, Ajax, Whitby and Oshawa. Sad - but true.

However, I stand by my claim, once you drive under the new pedestrian bridge, you will know that you're in Pickering.
 
Thanks for all of the replies!

I'm glad this has generated a great deal of discussion.

However, I can't allocate any more time replying to the posts.

So, if you post something afterwards, I'm not wilfully ignoring. I just got other tasks to do.

I just want to say that this is a great forum - and please don't elect Rob Ford.

Toronto is Canada's greatest city; and the economic and creative engine of our nation. We need visionary leaders to continue building Toronto. Collectively, we must refute mediocrity.
 
I live in Pickering too, and definitely support the "Don't Elect Ford" movement. Even though I would not be directly affected by a Rob Ford mayorship, I can clearly see that it would be a huge missed opportunity to move forward (at the minimum) for Toronto.
 
Latest renderings of the pedestrian bridge over the 401:

http://www.cityofpickering.com/standard/cityhall/news/bridge/PickeringBridge.pdf

It's not clear what the design element is on the actual span, but looks like it has potential.

Also, the cladding is almost complete on the office tower and it looks much nicer than the sloppy renderings. There's a very subtle tilt on the west face of the building that works well I think. Construction of the parking garage has begun on the north side.
 
I really think this is a great start and exactly the kind of development we should be seeing in the GTA. The only way we are going to have a transit-oriented 905 is if we make sure to develop employment and retail sites around rail stations (ideally frequent, all-day regional rail) rather than around arterial roads and expressways. This building sure isn't pretty but it's a good first step. This area will never be a traditional downtown neighbourhood but that doesn't mean it can't be transit oriented. Malls and office parks are great trip generators, particularly when they have climate controlled connections to rapid transit stations. I'd like to see this bridge extended, potentially through other office buildings, all the way to the mall.
 
unimaginative2 said:
Malls and office parks are great trip generators, particularly when they have climate controlled connections to rapid transit stations. I'd like to see this bridge extended, potentially through other office buildings, all the way to the mall.
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From http://www.cityofpickering.com/business/economic/development.html :

"Future connections are planned directly from the enclosed bridge, into the shopping mall itself. Metrolinx has targeted completion of the bridge for the 3rd quarter of 2011."
 
Cutaway rendering of the bridge span:

PedestrianBridge.jpg
 
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sikandar said:
Latest renderings of the pedestrian bridge over the 401:

http://www.cityofpickering.com/standard/cityhall/news/bridge/PickeringBridge.pdf

It's not clear what the design element is on the actual span, but looks like it has potential.

Also, the cladding is almost complete on the office tower and it looks much nicer than the sloppy renderings. There's a very subtle tilt on the west face of the building that works well I think. Construction of the parking garage has begun on the north side.
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Hey - thanks for posting this!

It's unfortunate that the rendering does not really show much design detail with respect to the portion that will span Highway 401. The best way I can describe it is a metallic mesh skin wrap. You can kind of get a sense of it in the 'cutaway rendering'.

Another rendering, that has not been released yet, shows how it will be illuminated at night. Really cool. It reminded me of one of those disco desk lamps...
 
The distance that this will save pedestrians from having to walk is huge. This is a great project and will only become more important as GO service increases.
 
One of those pedestrians is me. This will save me a very considerable amount of time once it is open. Is there any chance of a secondary GO ticket office being established near the north entrance of this walkway?
 
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