Winnipeg Construction IX

[trueviking]

Originally Posted by dmacc

The importance of Route 90 isn't just for drivers going to work and home but for the transportation of goods and services. Those goods and services are what drive the need for a better route 90... though leaving route 90 the way it is is better then the one being suggested.

where are these transport vehicles coming from and going to? Why do they need to run through residential neighbourhoods to get wherever they are going? Should we really be planning our city for the long haul trucking industry?

the trucking argument is such a red herring.

[trueviking]

Originally Posted by dmacc

I would like to know what the Cab driver, semi truck driver, purolator driver and business who operates in and through the downtown think

you would like to know what someone who drives for a living thinks about building a city that prioritizes driving? I'll hazard a guess.

Also, semi-truck drivers should be banned from downtown streets.

[buzzg]

The "$11m is too much" crowd doesn't seem to think or know about the Waverley underpass at $150m for what isn't even an intersection, or this proposed half-billion-dollar plan to add a lane to Kenaston and poorly/cheaply rebuild the St. James bridge.

[esquire]

Originally Posted by trueviking

Also, semi-truck drivers should be banned from downtown streets.

Damn right. You want to talk about causing traffic and threatening the safety of pedestrians, I'm coming at you with these road beasts every time.

[trueviking]

Originally Posted by buzzg

The "$11m is too much" crowd doesn't seem to think or know about the Waverley underpass at $150m for what isn't even an intersection, or this proposed half-billion-dollar plan to add a lane to Kenaston and poorly/cheaply rebuild the St. James bridge.

yeah. I love how this has become the new argument. We could do so many other things with that money...and then they start listing things that are supposedly more important.

If you truly believe that we should have higher priorities for our public spending than building roads, I am totally with you...and I have a long list of projects we can talk about.

why start with an insignificant $11m project when we could save 50 times that much on a 4km lane? Imagine the impact we could have with that money!

I suspect the priority for roads trumps all these noble other goals when it means the perception of driving faster. If it doesn't mean driving faster, we cant afford it.

It all comes down to the fact that the ONLY reason for keeping barriers is to allow drivers to go through and out of downtown as quickly as possible. Its the only argument....so those who believe that is the only priority for downtown try to float other things to make it seem like their argument has more depth.

[dmacc]

Originally Posted by trueviking

you would like to know what someone who drives for a living thinks about building a city that prioritizes driving? I'll hazard a guess.

Also, semi-truck drivers should be banned from downtown streets.

A cities ability to transport people and goods and services are just as important as those who want to use the space to walk through. You can't just discount the opinion of a group of people because their opinion and livelihood depends on vehicle transportation and you feel you should be able to walk somewhere.

[trueviking]

No...I don't believe downtown should be designed through the lens of making the Purolator guy's job easier. Sorry.

[dmacc]

Originally Posted by trueviking

where are these transport vehicles coming from and going to? Why do they need to run through residential neighbourhoods to get wherever they are going? Should we really be planning our city for the long haul trucking industry?

the trucking argument is such a red herring.

We aren't having them run through our neighbourhoods to get where they are going. Route 90 has always been the dividing line between Tuxedo and River Heights. Almost all the homes being expropriated are vacant. No Neighbourhood is being dismantled for this project.

Also, Winnipeg's Transport industry is a massive part of this City and Provinces economy. Their requirements and opinions are as valuable as yours and an improved Route 90 will likely bring in a better ROI then opening P&M,

[dmacc]

Originally Posted by trueviking

No...I don't believe downtown should be designed through the lens of making the Purolator guy's job easier. Sorry.

It's not about making it easier, it's about efficiency of movement improving the economy as a whole. Perhaps P&M wouldn't be hindered that bad and it would be worth it. If not then Economic progress might be more important.

[CoryB]

Originally Posted by ediger

I both live and work downtown. There's tons of pedestrians out along Portage every single day. So immediately your point is discredited.

From my office I can see Portage and Main. When I am walking on street level I am commonly the only pedestrian on a whole block or more. Not sure where you are finding all these "pedestrians" but they definitely are not around Portage and Main. Opening Portage and Main isn't going to change people from non-pedestrians into pedestrians crossing Portage and Main frequently and in high volumes.

Originally Posted by trueviking

name one 'harm' it will do to downtown Winnipeg.

Additional traffic delays from opening Portage and Main leading to more businesses relocating their offices to the suburbs. Just look at the insurance office that moved their headquarters to Polo Park or all the offices in the Kennaston business park as examples of what will increasingly happen if travelling to/from downtown is made more difficult. Sure traffic will balance out and "people will adjust" over time but that is likely because they no longer come downtown ever, except for the off Jets games.

[windypeg]

Originally Posted by dmacc

It's not about making it easier, it's about efficiency of movement improving the economy as a whole. Perhaps P&M wouldn't be hindered that bad and it would be worth it. If not then Economic progress might be more important.

Shouldn't we ask traffic engineers about that then instead of cab drivers?

[cheswick]

Originally Posted by CoryB

From my office I can see Portage and Main. When I am walking on street level I am commonly the only pedestrian on a whole block or more. Not sure where you are finding all these "pedestrians" but they definitely are not around Portage and Main. Opening Portage and Main isn't going to change people from non-pedestrians into pedestrians crossing Portage and Main frequently and in high volumes.

Really? There are no pedestrians around portage and main.... reallly?? I wonder why that could possibly be.

[trueviking]

Originally Posted by dmacc

We aren't having them run through our neighbourhoods to get where they are going. Route 90 has always been the dividing line between Tuxedo and River Heights. Almost all the homes being expropriated are vacant. No Neighbourhood is being dismantled for this project.

Also, Winnipeg's Transport industry is a massive part of this City and Provinces economy. Their requirements and opinions are as valuable as yours and an improved Route 90 will likely bring in a better ROI then opening P&M,

again. I do not buy for one second that the trucking industry, that moves goods thousands of kilometers once it leaves the city will grow at all by saving a few minutes at rush hour passing through the city. You know full well, the argument for spending that half billion dollars has nothing to do with your belief that trucking will grow...total red herring.

[trueviking]

Originally Posted by cheswick

Really? There are no pedestrians around portage and main.... reallly?? I wonder why that could possibly be.

ha ha...yeah...we put concrete barricades up to repel people for two generations and there are no people?!!!....incredible!

[trueviking]

Originally Posted by CoryB

Additional traffic delays from opening Portage and Main leading to more businesses relocating their offices to the suburbs. Just look at the insurance office that moved their headquarters to Polo Park or all the offices in the Kennaston business park as examples of what will increasingly happen if travelling to/from downtown is made more difficult. Sure traffic will balance out and "people will adjust" over time but that is likely because they no longer come downtown ever, except for the off Jets games.

good one....we've tried the 'downtown must out-suburb the suburbs or it will die' argument....that was aboiut 20 years ago....didnt work.

[trueviking]

anyways....since this is a construction thread...the plans for the Academy Lanes building are being unveiled at an open house next Monday. I have heard 'mixed-use'.

[buzzg]

Making it easier for trucks to get through the middle of the city does precisely zero for the local economy. The only trucks that would boost our economy are ones that stop in Winnipeg to load/unload a shipment – most of those are going to the industrial areas... no semi is stopping to drop off stuff at Dollarama on Portage.

This argument should be about improving the conditions on the perimeter so that trucks that are passing through use that route as opposed to going through the city. Then Highway 1's route could be moved to there, so that the province isn't "forced" to use Broadway, St. Anne's, and another inappropriate streets as main routes.

[BuildUpWpg]

[QUOTE=CoryB;8224902]From my office I can see Portage and Main. When I am walking on street level I am commonly the only pedestrian on a whole block or more. Not sure where you are finding all these "pedestrians" but they definitely are not around Portage and Main. Opening Portage and Main isn't going to change people from non-pedestrians into pedestrians crossing Portage and Main frequently and in high volumes.

They aren't there because they are forced under ground!

[trueviking]

I was in Ottawa a couple weeks ago and was really amazed at how many sidewalk restaurants and small storefronts they had for a mainly office downtown.

But I also heard they don’t have Amazon in Ottawa.

[buzzg]

Originally Posted by trueviking

anyways....since this is a construction thread...the plans for the Academy Lanes building are being unveiled at an open house next Monday. I have heard 'mixed-use'.

*cue Lindsey Steek transparency campaign*

Oh wait... this might fall out of her 2-block radius of giving a shit.