Star: Would a bridge at Dundas and Spadina save lives?

[Prometheus The Supremo]

and people in wheelchairs are supposed to use this how?

 

[grey]

and people in wheelchairs are supposed to use this how?

Well, as Toronto1 pointed out, they haven't forgotten about disabled people!

One of the four entrances will have a wheelchair lift, so presumably wheelchair-bound citizens lucky enough to find themselves on the same corner as the lift can take the lift up to the bridge platform and ride around over the intersection for a while. Weee!

When they've had enough fun up there, they can go back down the same way they came. If they want to actually cross the street, they'll have to dodge vechicles at street level while their able-bodied counterparts cross in total safety above, or travel to the next intersection with a street-level crosswalk.

 

[Fresh Start]

Esh, are they trying to recreate the Warsaw Ghetto bridge crossings?

 

[jwill]

I love the buses with poles that are supposed to be streetcars in the drawing.

I agree that the city already has the tools to 'solve' this intersection. Turn restrictions and scramble crossings. Streetcar stop islands would be useful too, but there's really no room on Dundas for those.

 

[Prometheus The Supremo]

Well, as Toronto1 pointed out, they haven't forgotten about disabled people!

One of the four entrances will have a wheelchair lift, so presumably wheelchair-bound citizens lucky enough to find themselves on the same corner as the lift can take the lift up to the bridge platform and ride around over the intersection for a while. Weee!

When they've had enough fun up there, they can go back down the same way they came. If they want to actually cross the street, they'll have to dodge vechicles at street level while their able-bodied counterparts cross in total safety above, or travel to the next intersection with a street-level crosswalk.

LOL!!! i didn't even see that!

so this is what a "team of first year UofT engineers" can accomplish. i guess the star ran this for comedic purposes.

 

[Inkarnate]

What a silly idea.

 

[valkoholic]

This story made me miss university. I can't blame the students. They were given a problem and told to engineer a solution. They probably got an 'A'. I was an idiot when I was in school and got lots of A's. Now I'm less of an idiot and I have crushing debt, inlaws and a drinking problem.

I blame the star for actually putting this forward without any context. The reporter should get an F.

 

[Chuck]

I'm an engineer myself, and would agree that many engineers focus so much on the technical aspects of a project that they fail to recognize the social context. It's' no different from architects that focus so much on the aesthetics, that they fail to realize that their design is unpractical or prohibitively expensive.

Though it would have been completely beyond the scope of this project, it would have been more meaningful for it to have been a collaborative effort for engineering, architecture, and planning students. In real life, they work together constantly.

 

[taal]

Stupidest idea ever ... and the star is really at fault as they clearly thought it was noteworthy ...
First of all it's not original at all, hundreds of cities have such bridges in place to cross intersections ... in other words I'm not sure why it would take a 'science fair' or what not to come up with the idea.

A lot of Mideastern cities have these throughout ... and it's terrible ... it's giving in to the car and putting it first ... it would make everything much less walkable.

 

[kettal]

I would like to know more about the other projects mentioned in the article.

 

[EnviroTO]

One of the four entrances will have a wheelchair lift, so presumably wheelchair-bound citizens lucky enough to find themselves on the same corner as the lift can take the lift up to the bridge platform and ride around over the intersection for a while. Weee!

LOL! Why do we have to use the structure for utilitarian purposes?

 

[mgl]

I blame the star for actually putting this forward without any context. The reporter should get an F.

I agree 100%. The Star should not have run such a stupid article. The students did their 'science fair' project and while it was probably a good exercise for them, it's not practical. A wheelchair lift is not going to help me with my granny cart full of groceries or the next person's SUV-sized stroller.

As others have stated, a scramble might be a better solution. We also don't know the accident figures. Are pedestrians being hit when running against the light to catch a streetcar? I've done that many times. It's so frustrating to want to change streetcars but to have to wait for two long light cycles to get to the platform.

 

[EnviroTO]

When I read "wheelchair lift" I assumed, perhaps incorrectly, that they meant lift in the UK sense (i.e. elevator). If they actually meant those stair railing lifts then this is even more pathetic... a person goes through all the hassle of using those pieces of crap to find out there is only one way up and down! LOL!

 

[GregWTravels]

It may save people getting hit by cars, but then again, according to research in the UK, 1000 people die every year falling down the stairs. That grim reaper is hard to escape...

 

[wyliepoon]

While I agree that a pedestrian overpass at Spadina and Dundas is a terrible idea, I can see why two students from China would propose such a thing. China is very big on the segregation of street traffic and pedestrians, something that they borrowed from Hong Kong (and Hong Kong probably got that idea from British colonial-era traffic engineers). In China and Hong Kong, not only are there pedestrian overpasses and tunnels everywhere, but most major streets have fences, even at major intersections, to prevent jaywalking and to stop pedestrians from even touching the street.

As to why the Star would carry an article on this... hey, this is municipal election year, and the Star is grasping at everything and anything that might "improve the city", no matter how unfeasible the plan is. Someone tell them that there's a proposal for Swan Boats in Toronto!