Ongoing Calgarians complaining about pedestrian bridges thread

[Slava]

This thread is hilarious. The entire cost was on $25M. Its basically 1% of the entire civic budget for a year, and as has been explained numerous times the funds were dedicated by the province anyway. It's such a non-issue.

(Oh and I think the bridge looks cool and I'll probably use it someday, despite me also benefiting from the much despised overpasses)

[transplant99]

Originally Posted by Flames in 07

just curious, do you live near the bridge?

Doesn't matter.

[LeftWing]

Originally Posted by Muta

Cool story bro. Are you going to take a stab at that calculation you seem so sure of, or not?

Well I don't know. You seem to have some issues with numbers already so something tells me that if I mention something about 10's of millions being spent on a redundant structure that will be used by hundreds of users in a month vs. something that cost 10's of millions being spent on a structure that will be used by thousands to 10's of thousands per day, with the use increasing, in some cases dramatically as the years continue - well, something tells me you're just not going to buy that.

So I won't bother wasting your time.

[4X4]

Well if only 10-15 people are going to use it, couldn't they have just built a cable ferry instead? Probably would have only cost a mil or so.

[Joborule]

Originally Posted by transplant99

But still necessary....this bridge was not....nor will it likely ever be.

Whether or not one likes the look of the thing, it truly was/is redundant in it's practicality....never mind the cost associated.

What makes you think it will never be necessary? Especially when you factor in that downtown and north side of the river population is going to expand by quite a bit in the long term. If the two bridges before this was already having capacity and space issues, how is this bridge not necessary?

[LeftWing]

Originally Posted by fotze

and most interchanges only benefit those who live beyond it.

Heh, tell that to McKenzie Towne.

[Muta]

Originally Posted by transplant99

But still necessary....this bridge was not....nor will it likely ever be.

Whether or not one likes the look of the thing, it truly was/is redundant in it's practicality....never mind the cost associated.

We'd be able to upgrade our existing infrastructure more often, which is just as critical, if we didn't have to keep expanding outwards and putting massive amounts of money into those projects.

The inner-city, which is just as important, gets one bridge which upgrades infrastructure and beautifies this area of the city, and costs a drop in the bucket compared to other projects... and it's a big deal? Why aren't the inner city residents up in arms over the other projects that have been going on for years that they'll never use?

The bridge is built, it's awesome, it's going to be a great addition to our city... people need to start liking it and get on board with it. I'm happy we're thinking past basic functionality and developing our projects with world-class aesthetics in mind. We're a world class city... we're past the point of being Red Deer, High Level, North Battleford or Yellowknife.

[Muta]

Originally Posted by LeftWing

Well I don't know. You seem to have some issues with numbers already so something tells me that if I mention something about 10's of millions being spent on a redundant structure that will be used by hundreds of users in a month vs. something that cost 10's of millions being spent on a structure that will be used by thousands to 10's of thousands per day, with the use increasing, in some cases dramatically as the years continue - well, something tells me you're just not going to buy that.

So I won't bother wasting your time.

Unbelievably rich. You accuse me of 'issues with numbers', and then throw out that the bridge will be used by 'hundreds' of users a month?

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

[Ozy_Flame]

Let's not forget a golden fact - edmontonians helped pay for this bridge

[LeftWing]

Originally Posted by Muta

Unbelievably rich. You accuse me of 'issues with numbers', and then throw out that the bridge will be used by 'hundreds' of users a month?

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

I know right? I mean I didn't think it was *that* funny, but whatever rocks yer boat. Sure I was talking about today's numbers and not what it will be when the environment is perfect and the hour is noon to 1:00pm and people are actually using it, but still the point remains. The numbers aren't close.

[Magnum PEI]

Originally Posted by transplant99

But still necessary....this bridge was not....nor will it likely ever be.

Whether or not one likes the look of the thing, it truly was/is redundant in it's practicality....never mind the cost associated.

I would say that another bridge is necessary. The LRT bridge has barely enough room for two cyclists to pass each other and the Prince's Island bridge is really busy in the summer.

[frinkprof]

Originally Posted by transplant99

But still necessary....this bridge was not....nor will it likely ever be.

Whether or not one likes the look of the thing, it truly was/is redundant in it's practicality....never mind the cost associated.

The bold shows a gross misunderstanding of transportation infrastructure and how it works. The preceding sentence alone understates the scale of how wrong your statement is, and I feel obliged to use the words ignorant, backwards and insensible as well.

Redundancy, in a transportation system is good. It is desirable. If you want to see examples of a lack of redundancy, look no further than the much-maligned one-exit/entrance nature of the community of Evanston, right here in Calgary. Nevermind the provisions being in place for a good modal split (a related concept), the place is gridlocked because there's only one way in and out, which is grossly inadequate for the number of trips generated by the place. It is a relative disaster directly because of the lack of redundancy.

Redundancy provides those taking a trip within the transportation system with options. Options if one route is congested, if one is in need of closure, if traffic is set to increase, etc. Redundancy and the addition of route options also drives where and when people take trips. If you add route options, it increases the amount of people that will want to live somewhere or locate their business there. That is called induced demand. It can also be implemented as a reactionary measure to trips that have increased or are projected to increase.

[Muta]

Originally Posted by LeftWing

I know right? I mean I didn't think it was *that* funny, but whatever rocks yer boat. Sure I was talking about today's numbers and not what it will be when the environment is perfect and the hour is noon to 1:00pm and people are actually using it, but still the point remains. The numbers aren't close.

So, your point remains even after you ignore all rush hour times, when the bridge is used the most?

I see.

[LeftWing]

Originally Posted by Muta

So, your point remains even after you ignore all rush hour times, when the bridge is used the most?

I see.

No, my point remains even after I include the rush hour time. When the bridge is used the most. 10,000's / day (and always growing) vs. maybe that in a month (with very little growth year-year). It's not close. It's a really, really bad comparison, you should move on.

[Cscutch]

Originally Posted by LeftWing

No, my point remains even after I include the rush hour time. When the bridge is used the most. 10,000's / day (and always growing) vs. maybe that in a month (with very little growth year-year). It's not close. It's a really, really bad comparison, you should move on.

It will be interesting in the spring/summer/fall when all the charity walks that happen almost every weekend start using it... Because cramming 1000's of walkers/runners through the tiny pedestrian walk way just up the way is the more ideal.

Chris

[Muta]

So which is it? 100's per month, or 10,000 per month? You've now claimed both. You seem to be a self-proclaimed expert in capacity, so now I'm confused by what you're saying.

As well, you keep on failing to acknowledge that the bridge and interchanges serve different purposes for different types of people. You seem to be under the impression that the bridge is supposed to function as a freeway with same capacity levels, even though they don't cost REMOTELY close to each other.

And where's the calculation? I've asked you several times, I'm still curious as to when you're actually going to do one.

[LeftWing]

Originally Posted by Cscutch

It will be interesting in the spring/summer/fall when all the charity walks that happen almost every weekend start using it... Because cramming 1000's of walkers/runners through the tiny pedestrian walk way just up the way is the more ideal.

Chris

Sure. There's times when the Saddledome C-Train station is packed too, like during a Flames game. Should we add another set of tracks and another station to accommodate those times. They certainly happen more than a few times a year.

[LeftWing]

Originally Posted by Muta

So which is it? 100's per month, or 10,000 per month? You've now claimed both. You seem to be a self-proclaimed expert in capacity, so now I'm confused by what you're saying.

As well, you keep on failing to acknowledge that the bridge and interchanges serve different purposes for different types of people. You seem to be under the impression that the bridge is supposed to function as a freeway with same capacity levels, even though they don't cost REMOTELY close to each other.

And where's the calculation? I've asked you several times, I'm still curious as to when you're actually going to do one.

You seem upset, do you need a hug?

[Muta]

Originally Posted by LeftWing

Sure. There's times when the Saddledome C-Train station is packed too, like during a Flames game. Should we add another set of tracks and another station to accommodate those times. They certainly happen more than a few times a year.

We did, we expanded our fleet of train cars. We also expanded, and continue to expand, the train stations to accommodate the increased demand. We're also building many new kilometres of track, and have an underground subway system down 8th Avenue ready for future expansion.

[Muta]

Originally Posted by LeftWing

You seem upset, do you need a hug?

So that's what you've resorted to?