This park always seemed like just a footpath to travel from St. Patrick to Sussex more quickly than following paved roads, rather than a destination park. I often frequent the area on foot, exploring Green Island, Stanley Ave/Stanley Park, Rideau Falls, and back towards Boteler, and have not once gone into this park other than to look across it towards the river. The piers for the OLD old bridge are still out in the water, in the middle of the park. One could daydream about what would have happened had we kept that bridge going, a direct connection, upgrading from train to vehicles...
For local greenspace, you have the tennis court and playground at the south end of Bordeleau which could stay where it is, and a tunnel would dive underneath properties just within the boundaries of the park, and pop up again along St. Patrick before the bridge across the river (also to not piss of the Chinese). The intersection at Beechwood could also be rearranged to allow thru-traffic onto the Vanier Parkway rather than the low-thru-put signalized intersection.
For additional greenspace, you also have the 'park' greenspace around the union basketball court, the white Union bridges, the islands in the river, the pie shape at Cathcart and King-Edward, which could stay as the dog park, Cathcart Park, Jules Morin Park, the beautiful MacDonalds Gardens, Major's Hill, not to mention the All High Holy Stanley Park and New Eddy Park that are not to be touched at any cost.
Lowertown is low on park, because its the oldest neighbourhood in the City. Build a pedestrian bridge across Island Lodge so Lowertownies can get to Stanley Park, but I would venture to guess the Ton at New Edinburgh would doth protest the unwashed Lowertownies accessing their High Holy Lands.
Looking at History, its a shame St. Patrick was focused on connecting to the Market and points downtown, rather than connecting to the M-C bridge. With all the neighbourhood demolition 70 years ago in the name of 'City Building' to punch through St. Patrick in the Beausoleil area, the short direct connection to M-C suggested by Richard could have been made, and King Edward forever downgraded to local boulevard. But alas, here we are with our traffic sewer and best intentions.
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Originally Posted by YOWetal
Even if it was a cost free choice I don't think most would take paving over a park in order to get back a quiet King Edward. But it doesn't even acomplish that.
You are also forgetting not even half of the traffic is coming from Vanier/St Patrick. Sure if you close Nicholas and Mann exits that removes a big chunk but again most of those exits aren't used by Quebec bound traffic so you are creating even bigger problems.
If there wasn't local opposition to an East End Bridge the Feds paying for it entirely in lieu of replacing this bridge makes some sense but it's still a critical bike and pedestrian route and adding sidewalks and bike routes to a ring road bridge isn't going to help that.
It looks like we are getting a new multi use bridge and I suspect will never see a tram as governments change. Cons will be much tighter with transit funds and hard to see PQ prioritizing a connection to Ottawa for Gatineau.
I don't think anyone would see it that way. How would there be a massive improvement? Is the section north of there really the problem anyway? It's further south where people interact as pedestrians and it cuts the neighbourhood in half.
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