SO, the City is considering five separate road underpasses or overpasses in the area where Woodroffe makes it out to Barrhaven. Initial costs are $430 million dollars. An admittedly very preliminary guesstimate. Not including the cost of construction detours, moving … Continue reading About those Barrhaven underpasses …
A number of interesting changes and opportunities for west side bus routes are coming up in the next few years. Let’s play the bus route planning game! The official plans: To “encourage” people to use the new Confederation Line, and … Continue reading The bus route planning game
There are two interesting (well, to some of us …) takeaways from regarding the landscaping starting around Bayview Station. First, that the landscaping is underway while major construction continues. But as soon as a patch of ground is finished active … Continue reading Pedestrians protected from overland flooding
Ottawa truly is the city that fun forgot. Or maybe the city that frets endlessly about being sued. In a park-short neighbourhood with three different multi-storey public staircases, no opportunity for fun may be indulged in. Someone might smile. But … Continue reading Friday Traveller: Active transportation in Montreal
Not yet quite a religious holiday, but observed by many who partake in the sacramental activities of the Force and the Sacred Blocks: Continue reading May the fourth be with you …
This house on Elm has a front tree bearing bright shovels and rakes. The presence of possibly traumatic (fake?) stuffed birdies means it is not there to amuse the younger set of pedestrians. Art materials can be found anywhere, even at … Continue reading Plastic Art that Amuses
There is always something attractive about the sterotypical mouse hole in the wall. Little arch, small scale, friendly mouse. Then there is this house, where the wood panel separating two front porches was jigsawed out to make this very large … Continue reading Mouse Hole for Posties
The city is offering four options, or concepts, for improving Merivale in the traditional main street area between the Farm and Carling Avenue. Three of the options involve a road diet, ie right-sizing the road for the amount of traffic … Continue reading Does transit priority really mean … do nothing?
In honour of the No 2 Bus, here is a WSA story from 2012: It was a hot and sunny four o’clock as I left Loblaws in Westboro. My two cloth bags didn’t seem to have much in the line … Continue reading Spaggetti Dinner on the No 2 Bus
Merivale Road is a curious creature. It is a place, a destination, thus functioning as a street. It accesses adjacent land, giving it value. And it also has a somewhat conflicting role as a through road to get from one area … Continue reading The three ages of Merivale
The new Bayview Station site is always interesting to watch. Remember what the old western abutment looked like?: The old abutment was removed, new pillars were constructed, and a new wall is being built to conceal the supporting bridge pillars: … Continue reading Retaining walls at Bayview Station
So a few days ago I aired some folk’s grievances about “illegal crossings” and “suicidal” pedestrians. Such behaviour is only irrational when viewed from a motorists perspective. So turn about is fair play. Just like pedestrians and cyclists, motorists seek … Continue reading Unconscious drivers
The nice weather brings out new views of the city. This ByWard Market building has a pleasing red brick colour, and a decorative clock tower. But maybe that clock tower has another function. I was surprised each morning I noticed … Continue reading Out and About in Spring
Ottawa does have a outdoor wall mural art process. Some pieces are decidedly engaging or attractive. Here, for your Friday viewing pleasure, are some wall murals from other cities, with after and before pictures, courtesy of Bored Panda, via WIMP, via Price … Continue reading Friday Traveller, Urban Wall Art
Vancouver gasoline prices hit $1.429 per litre on Sunday. What is happening here? Richard Eade has some commentary. (above: photo in Vancouver Sun a few days ago) http://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/gasoline-shortage-fuels-price-hike-in-lower-mainland Two days ago I filled our car at $1.009 per litre. When I … Continue reading On Gasoline Prices
As part of the conversion of our transit system from all-bus to a bus-train combination, OC Transpo is changing a lot of routes to become feeders to the new stations. Some of these routes will be in effect in fall … Continue reading New OC Transpo bus branding rolls out
The patios on the By Ward Market reappeared on Friday. And, while slogging up a street on the west side … Continue reading A sure sign of spring and warmer weather
Readers with memories may recall this sign shown about 10 days ago: It has been changed: — Richard Eade. Continue reading Read at City Hall?
Hopefully, this artwork was created from “used” post it notes saved from garbage, and that this artwork did not unnecessarily divert the civil servant from its duties nor sacrifice virgin post it notes. On second thought, maybe we should rejoice that … Continue reading Post It Note Art
Spring will eventually come. And as it does, this love note will re-emerge from under its snowbank: Here’s the message… Perhaps the proud parents can read along with baby’s first speller. Continue reading Love letters under the snow
If you go through the downtown on weekdays, you may notice the occasional steel plate embedded in the centre of the street. If you go on the weekends, these plates are lifted and lanes are blocked to traffic through the core. … Continue reading Line my sewer, please
Over the next few stories, Richard Eade and yours truly will be looking in some detail at the proposed reconstruction of Carling Avenue from the top of the hill by the Farm, down to Sherwood Drive, to Preston, Booth, and … Continue reading Carling Avenue Reconstruction
The old transitway viaduct near Bayview Station is being converted to rail for the Confederation line. I was curious to see the contractor, RTG, drill holes in the jersey-barrier type concrete sidewalls along the roadway. They used the holes … Continue reading Elevated Confederation Line noise
We’ve all heard of the “war on cars”, or “the war on cyclists” or pedestrians, or whomever is your favorite in or out group. But the war on stick figures? Sticker aggression is better than actually doing it, I guess. Continue reading Stick wars
Canadians are too tolerant of unsafe roads, and unsafe cities, and unsafe neighbourhoods. There is a lot written about this, only some of which is readily understandable. I thought this video made the case in simple English with persuasively related … Continue reading Vision Zero, or is it Zero Vision?
