Knobbly sidewalks, better wayfinding signs on the Iron Horse Trail and a cure for the detested Erb and Caroline intersection are among the six walking/cycling demonstration projects that Waterloo Region is preparing to roll out for public consultation this summer.
Waterloo Region senior transportation planner John Hill talked about some of the Region's new approaches to mobility, at Velo-city Global 2012 in Vancouver on Thursday.
Hill is one of more than a dozen Ontario planners who spoke at three sessions about Ontario cycling plans and projects. He told the group that the Region has nine action plans to roll out for this fall, and six demonstration projects in the works.
Of course, I wanted the details on the projects and of course, they are not totally ready for a "reveal." But there are a few details:
-- Wayfinding on the Iron Horse Trail. Better signage that will show distances to destinations, riding times, etc.
-- Truncated domes at crosswalks on Frederick Street. To be tested at several locations, these are short knobs (think Lego) or textured material that are used at corners to guide vision-impaired pedestrians to crosswalks. Current curb cutouts often encompass the whole corner. A vision-impaired person could conceivably walk into the centre of the intersection.
-- A solution to the dreaded Erb and Caroline intersection in Waterloo.
These and three other projects will be presented to the public in the summer and council approval is needed before the final plans can be signed off in early 2013.
They listened! They really listened!
When is "hug an urban planner day" again? Soon, I hope.
Posted by: Peter Parker | June 29, 2012 at 01:45 AM