Rode the whole QQ today. Was fantastic. Everything looked great - once the trees grow it will be quite a beautiful street. The benches are attractive and useful, the light poles are well designed and unique, the paving looks great, and the cycling experience was wonderful. Some bikers definitely push the limit by going a bit fast, and some pedestrians are just overwhelmed by all the things to look at that they wander onto the path and linger without being aware of their surroundings. I found a few spots to be particularly difficult: outside the Redpath, a semi truck was stuck in line to get into the factory and was blocking the path and sidewalk (though just barely not the road). At the westin, there was a lot of traffic going into the parking area. And, there were tons of people getting off the ferry, at which point the cyclists just had to stop and wait for the tide to ebb. Still, I was extremely excited to see how beautiful the waterfront is, and I didn't mind going a bit slower to be aware of the pedestrians and traffic at a few points. More time to look around and appreciate the evolution of the city!
And re the bridge discussion, I see the completion of the bridges as the pedestrian counterpoint to the MGT: it will allow for a continuous lakeside experience, and is now the vital missing link.
