Folks who were able to attend the Oversight Team meeting on Thursday pointed out that the agenda item "design refinements for bicycle, pedestrian, and transit facilities" was dropped at the last minute.
They did decide on a style and basic structure, though, and the renderings were interesting for that dropped agenda item, if indirectly.
 |
| More than twice as along as our existing bridges |
 |
| It's a highway bridge, for high speeds |
 |
| But, look! It's a family out for a Sunday stroll |
 |
And, hello! Someone sees a friend.
The bridge is a place where people connect. |
What we have here is a mid-century scene from a film by
Antonioni!
And it is the truth. No amount of potted flowers, banners, artsy railings, or cantilevered view points, will disguise the fact.
This is a highway bridge. It will not be pleasant to walk and bike on. It will be a tremendously long, barren span, connecting no pockets of meaningful and walkable commercial density. This is not an amenity for people who walk, bike, or bus.
2 comments:
Since that bridge will be built when the National Organization for Women gives Ray Rice a "Husband of the Year" award we probably don't have to worry to much about it, but when I look at those propaganda images I see acres of canvas for graffiti.
And since highways that destroy neighborhoods and raise speeds and noise are always associated with alienation and resistance by communities in the blast zone, there will be lots of people wanting to say something about it.
I sure hope people will be wanting to say something about it, but in the past, planning has been done in such a way that they've proposed that it go through the neighborhoods that are least likely to make a fuss.
Post a Comment