Wallace Ave Overpass Walkway Bridge Rehabilitation (City of Toronto, Metrolinx)

[pesto]

 

[W. K. Lis]

And the penny-pinching automobile-addicted politicians and bureaucrats still won't bend a little for bicyclists or wheelchair-bound pedestrians.

 

[vic]

Opened up last night. Still work being done and demo of old staircase is ongoing.

 

[salsa]

I wish the design and colour of the new stairs matched the existing bridge.

 

[smably]

I wish the design and colour of the new stairs matched the existing bridge.

Maybe it will be painted?

 

[adHominem]

Even if they paint it black, it'll still look like a lowest-bidder parts-bin special.

 

[vic]

The new staircase matches the style of the one it's replacing, which was a 1990's rebuild. Apparently the metal will be painted black.

 

[vic]

 

[steveintoronto]

I wish the design and colour of the new stairs matched the existing bridge.

You do realize that the "original steps" disappeared generations ago? Been replaced a couple of times since. I get your point on trying to match the "Heritage Structure" that it is, but more often than not, unless spending multiples more than utility, attempts to 'match' look worse than just celebrating the good design the replacements are.

I thought much the same as you when crossing the bridge a few weeks back (I live very close to there) until stepping back and considering the context. What has struck me is that even the last replacements a generation ago were very dangerous. Trip on them, and you don't stop until you hit bottom.

Excellent vid! Love that dog! I always find it a bit desperate seeing runners run to the top of steps, down, and back up again, repeat endless times.

Why not just get a bike? Also running on steps like that without hanging on the rails is really risky, let alone a danger to others being more pedantic.

 

[adma]

You do realize that the "original steps" disappeared generations ago? Been replaced a couple of times since. I get your point on trying to match the "Heritage Structure" that it is, but more often than not, unless spending multiples more than utility, attempts to 'match' look worse than just celebrating the good design the replacements are.

Actually, I find the removal of the old steps regrettable on different grounds; that is, the former straight-on configuration felt more welcomingly "generous", and with a touch of bygone blue-collar authenticity--they poetically, cinematically expressed age-old infinite expanse at the E end of the bridge, that of the blue-collar distant past as well as that of the hipster-love-locked recent past. Whereas right now the bridge feels too "compressed", like an arbitrary bauble...

 

[nrb]

This is a real cheap hack job and an embarassement to that beautiful bridge.