Tuesday’s headlines

7 comments

1. PATH> A life long downtowner I have never liked PATH nor seen anything cool about it; it reminds me of a linear mall so I stay away. That said, the idea of bringing natural light into it would go a long way to making it a more humane location.

   Smoking> When spring comes we not only see piles of butts in front of stores but also in front of houses of smokers. Somebody a few doors down from me smokes on their front porch and throws ALL their butts onto the street. I would love to see more enforcement and peer pressure on this lazy and poluting activity.

2. Interesting to note that while it’s great to read urban(and the like) articles on SPacing.com, most publications now also have space to leave comments on their websites aswell. I was wondering what Spacing was doing, advertising wise, to spread the word of this site? I find myself frequently trapped as to where to leave a comment regarding an article! Do more people read, leave posts and start discussions in the Post, Globe, Star than Spacing? I’d hope not, i’ve began to generally like Spacing. Thoughts?

3. Looks like Seattle is getting it’s elevated highway torn down

   http://thetransportpolitic.wordpress.com/2009/01/13/seattle-viaduct-will-be-tunnelled-charlotte-lrt-to-expand-connecticut-sees-a-new-cr-line-in-its-future/

4. Re: Seattle isn’t just tearing down it’s elevated highway. It’s REPLACING it with a tunnel. In other words, they recognize that the elevated highway serves a purpose that somehow needs to be accommodated. I think more people in TO would be supportive of tearing down the Gardiner if the proposal also included replacing it with a tunnel. But the Mayor’s proposal doesn’t include that. Instead it proposes a 6/8 lane roadway as a replacement for the Gardiner which would actually be far from pedestrian friendly.

5. And yet the greatest cities in the world like Manhattan (Thank you, Jane Jacobs) and London thrive with neither a freeway nor a highway tunnel blasting through their hearts. Nothing against cars per se, but some motorists need to get over their entitlement syndrome. Owning a car does not give one the infinite right to drive anywhere, at any time, regardless of other peoples rights and needs.

   If/when the Gardiner comes down more people who drove it will have to use transit if they don’t like the surface roads. And if any tunneling is done it should be for the rail line or a new east/west downtown subway line.

6. Boris,
   I’m not saying I agree with tunnelling a highway — and I agree first priority in tunneling should be for transit. But the claim that the “greatest cities in the world” thrive without a freeway or a highway tunnel strikes me as less than true given the underground highways Paris and Tokyo have in the works. But maybe it all depends on how you define “greatest” and you are using some definition that includes London and New York but not Paris and Tokyo. Can’t imagine what that definition would be though.

7. I’m stummped! Having just looked at a beautiful picture of downtown Chicago(*waterfront/boulevards/parks) i can’t deside what i like best! Elevated expressways or boulevards?(*or tunnels for that matter)

   Although, i’ve always been a fan of the Gardiner. Simply because lets not kid ourselves, car’s won’t go away, so we need roads that lead donwtown.

   Second, if we excavate, let’s excavate for new transit lines, not for cars and their exhaust fumes.

   Third, with boulevards you have a problem of land space and pedestrian traffic. To cross one of these wide roads is insane and it’s not pedestrian friendly. I’m all for public parks downtown though. Anything to combat our CONDO-town going up at the waterfront(*where’s the ACC now?? It’s swallowed by CONDOS. GAWK)