Winnipeg Construction VIII

[cllew]

Originally Posted by cheswick

Are they LED lights? I recall reading a story a few years ago where a municipalty changed out their traffice lights to LED's. There was the unanticipated drawback that in the winter the lights filled up with snow cause the new bulbs didin't burn hot enough to melt it.

They could be LED's but looking in the top from my office in City Place I saw some sort of power packs near the top and they must generate some heat.

You are right about the LED traffic lights not melting off the snow in the winter.

[headhorse]

if anyone was wondering, MMP is the architect for the development at 221 Stradbrook (old WWC courts). 18 storeys, 200 units

[tofurkey]

Source was the subdivision and rezoning application here (scroll down to 221 Stradbrook): http://winnipeg.ca/CLKDMIS/ViewDoc.asp?DocId=13216&SectionId=&InitUrl=

No renders in the document, unfortunately.

[steveosnyder]

Originally Posted by tofurkey

Source was the subdivision and rezoning application here (scroll down to 221 Stradbrook): http://winnipeg.ca/CLKDMIS/ViewDoc.asp?DocId=13216&SectionId=&InitUrl=

No renders in the document, unfortunately.

I hate criticizing these sorts of developments because I think this would be a great addition to the neighbourhood, but it seems like vehicular access will be done on the North side (the side that currently isn't very vehicularly oriented), and pedestrian access will be on the East and South side of the property, currently one-way streets that have average daily traffic counts of 23,900 and 18,300 respectively.

I thought the City wanted high quality pedestrian orientation in the TOD area; this isn't really high quality if you ask me.

[tofurkey]

Project could definitely use an elevated ped crossing from Harkness RT station across Stradbrook to the tower site. At-grade crossing would mess with traffic too much, I think, as that street is quite busy during peak flow periods.

[steveosnyder]

Originally Posted by tofurkey

Project could definitely use an elevated ped crossing from Harkness RT station across Stradbrook to the tower site. At-grade crossing would mess with traffic too much, I think, as that street is quite busy during peak flow periods.

While I understand this would cause a snarl during peak hour I have to question this... The City should build an elevated pedestrian crossing (quite expensive) because of traffic flows during 2 hours of the day, 5 days a week?

What really drives me nuts is that the City wants to build pedestrian oriented areas around the TOD, but they do so only thinking about automobile traffic and little to no regards to the pedestrians. You are what you measure, so if you do nothing but measure automobiles you will become really good at moving vehicles.

I have yet to see a document put out by the City that shows the number of pedestrians that walk down a street, or one that shows how pedestrians interact with the street. The only time a document mentions pedestrians it is how their movement conflicts with and causes traffic.

[tofurkey]

It's a good conversation to have and I agree that planning just for ease of vehicle movement should not be the default choice, especially in a TOD zone.

The merging of eastbound Stradbook from Main and westbound Stradbrook to main, at the corner leading north up to River and back west, is a real choke point though. Good planning should consider both ped and vehicles and try not to unnecessarily exacerbate either. Unless your goal is to make traffic flow worse in an attempt to coerce people onto transit or foot.

[steveosnyder]

Originally Posted by tofurkey

It's a good conversation to have and I agree that planning just for ease of vehicle movement should not be the default choice, especially in a TOD zone.

The merging of eastbound Stradbook from Main and westbound Stradbrook to main, at the corner leading north up to River and back west, is a real choke point though. Good planning should consider both ped and vehicles and try not to unnecessarily exacerbate either. Unless your goal is to make traffic flow worse in an attempt to coerce people onto transit or foot.

My goal is for the City to stop wasting money trying to make areas that are not pedestrian oriented more pedestrian oriented. No matter how much work is done on the South property line this area will not be pedestrian oriented. It would be better for the builder, the City and the people living in the area if the South property line was for vehicles (ie. the parking entrance was off Stradbrook) and the pedestrian orientation was on the North side of the property, where they have shelter from the fast, high volume traffic.

The City is wasting money (both the developers and their own) building it like this.

EDIT: The development plan looks like they are going to change from a 5-foot setback on the south property line to 10-foot to "facilitate pedestrian orientation". I say make it 0-foot, have a direct access to the parking structure on that side and have pedestrians on the north side. The money saved by not having to plow sidewalks that almost never get used could be used to help offset the cost of a elevated pedestrian walkway over Stradbrook.

[tofurkey]

BTW, when I said "your goal", this wasn't not meant at you specifically (just to be clear). I do recall Winnipeg Transit mentioning in the past that some of their proposals could make traffic worse in an attempt to increase ridership.

[trueviking]

such a weird little development happening where the old skate park was in the exchange...they tore the building half down and used the bricks to make a weird new façade on the other half...all new windows...now they are advertising a park where the old building was.

[esquire]

Originally Posted by trueviking

such a weird little development happening where the old skate park was in the exchange...they tore the building half down and used the bricks to make a weird new façade on the other half...all new windows...now they are advertising a park where the old building was

Is that ever nice. I am certain that this park will be nicely tended, well used and add more to the urban fabric of the East Exchange District than the building that once stood there ever did.

[rypinion]

Incredibly I was able to remember the website that used to be advertised on that building after demolition:

http://www.leonbrown.ca/109pacific.htm

Not that the website has much info.

[thebasketballgeek]

I know this is off topic but I have noticed for a quite while that when you enter ssp forum it shows canada it shows all the provinces. And then it shows the cities. What surprises me is Winnipeg is not one of those cities that have their own city forum!! I mean even Halifax and St John's Newfoundland have their on city forum so why not Winnipeg!!!!!!!!

[trueviking]

^ has it been three weeks already?

We have decided many many times that we don't measure the stature of our city based on its need to segregate itself into a corner of this forum.

[thebasketballgeek]

sorry i'm new to ssp

[armorand93]

Does anyone know whats going on at the corner of Ellice and Empress, in what was formerly the Foody Goody parking lot?

[The Jabroni]

Originally Posted by armorand93

Does anyone know whats going on at the corner of Ellice and Empress, in what was formerly the Foody Goody parking lot?

Yeah, I've been wondering for a while, since I drive by there every morning. Perhaps a 7-Eleven?

[trueviking]

Originally Posted by thebasketballgeek

sorry i'm new to ssp

sorry...i was a bit terse....that question comes up every few months.

[1ajs]

Originally Posted by trueviking

such a weird little development happening where the old skate park was in the exchange...they tore the building half down and used the bricks to make a weird new façade on the other half...all new windows...now they are advertising a park where the old building was.

they are working on making into a meeting hall of some sort

[Biff]

Originally Posted by armorand93

Does anyone know whats going on at the corner of Ellice and Empress, in what was formerly the Foody Goody parking lot?

It's a 3 CRU strip addition. I have heard Qdoba (awesome), Rogers and another.