Downtown mobility for humans of every shape and size, age and ability

Strikes me the Downtown Mobility Hub Project display boards might have been done for a city convinced that the big problems in its downtown renewal and revival have already been solved, and now we just need to tweak a little.

Someone (who they’ll listen to, that’s not you and me) has to tell the City—staff and Councillors—you can’t add other modes to an already overbuilt private car network. Car infrastructure has to be reduced to accommodate safe equitable walking, accessible mobilty for disabled, bicycling, and transit for every age and shape and size of human (and their pets!).

Here’s how to tell if this plan has merit : look for these kinds of things :

• mentions of travel lane width reductions;
• lane eliminations (road diets);
• elimination of “beg buttons” at every City-controlled intersection in the urban core;
• repurposing parking lots to urban squares and affordable housing;
• elimination of right turns on red lights;
• sidewalk extension lines including zebras across every intersection in the 800m urban zone.

You’ll find none. And if you see mention of a “roundabout” on the downtown waterfront, or use of the discredited term “jaywalker “ be afraid, be very afraid. (Cue Twilight Zone theme music)

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