Anyone who walks in Ottawa knows that a key feature of our crosswalk design is that the crosswalk must be located at the lowest possible point. So that puddles will form right at the crosswalk location. In winter. In spring. In summer. In autumn. Without fail.
This is not an accident, not a freak of Ottawa’s failure to warm climate. It’s a design feature, built into crosswalks.
But crosswalk designs are changing with the times. Complete streets have the addition of cycle tracks above the curb, adjacent the sidewalk. And, as shown in this picture, taken right in front of City Hall, that means we get not one, but TWO puddles for the enjoyment of pedestrians.
(in the photo above, the first puddle is on the brick piazza paving up to the lego dot crossing strip; the cycle track crosses on the first 3 white stripes, then there is another puddle out where the car is).
Apparently the silo that deals with storm sewer grates acts independently from the silo that deals with crosswalks, which in turn acts independently from the silo that designs cycling lanes, which in turn acts … well you get my drift.