Earth Heals Herself said:
I have nothing against it. I just don't understand what the fuss is over. How often do you even visit it? Unless you visit several times a year, who cares?
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The Fort York pedestrian bridge is a vital non-automobile link that unites the Queen West neighbourhood to the waterfront via a string of parks: Waterfront - Fort York - Stanley Park - and, via sideroads, all the way up to Trinity Bellwoods and beyond. It's about making pedestrian and bike connections to the waterfront where previously there were none.
 
neubilder said:
The Fort York pedestrian bridge is a vital non-automobile link that unites the Queen West neighbourhood to the waterfront via a string of parks: Waterfront - Fort York - Stanley Park - and, via sideroads, all the way up to Trinity Bellwoods and beyond. It's about making pedestrian and bike connections to the waterfront where previously there were none.
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Time to take up hang gliding.
 
http://www.thestar.com/news/article/981566--23-million-fort-york-bridge-rejected-in-council-surprise

As a councillor, Mayor Rob Ford unsuccessfully tried to kill the long-planned Fort York pedestrian and cycling bridge. Thanks to a Tuesday-night surprise by one of Ford’s allies, the bridge may be dead now.

The S-shaped bridge was to be built in time for next year’s War of 1812 bicentennial. Supporters had touted it as a key waterfront revitalization project that would improve access to the historic fort, spur local development, link a network of parks, and allow cyclists to avoid busy streets. But its price tag, which had risen to $23 million from $18 million, was criticized by council conservatives.

Though funding for the bridge was included in the 2011 budget, the public works and infrastructure committee still had to grant the city approval to sign a construction contract. Near the end of a marathon Tuesday meeting dominated by hours of public deputations on the outsourcing of waste collection, Councillor David Shiner instead introduced a motion to ask staff to find a lower-cost alternative. The motion passed 4-2.

The bridge, said Shiner (Ward 24, Willowdale), does not need to be so “fancy” given the city’s fiscal constraints and given that it will not carry many people.

“You want to connect the people there, but at what cost? I have a lot of concern that we’re so financially tight — just think about what that $23 million could do for bridge rehab, for road repair; think of the community centres it could fix up, of the children’s services and child care centres it could provide,” he said.

“I think it’s important to have a sober second look at this, and that’s all I’m trying to do. I definitely want to have a connection; I know how important it is to connect our pathways and our parks. But this is like a Golden Gate Bridge . . . it’s unaffordable.”

The bridge was to link Fort York with Stanley Park at Wellington St. W. over the GO railway tracks. The city has already spent $1.3 million on the project.

Shiner said he came to his opinion independently. But local Councillor Mike Layton (Ward 19, Trinity-Spadina), who called the bridge design “iconic,” said he saw Ford’s hand in Shiner’s motion.

Councillor Doug Ford has expressed unhappiness with city-led waterfront initiatives and mused about a lakeshore future involving a football stadium, a monorail and high-end stores.

“I think this is the first pin being pulled out of all the good work being done trying to build the waterfront that Toronto deserves. This is the first hit, the first piece they’ve taken away,” Layton said.

“The private-sector development that Councillor Ford wants comes from key infrastructure investments like these . . . If we don’t make them, we don’t create the climate for the private sector to come in and create that wealth. So they’re shooting themselves in the foot on this one.”
 
Another 1.3 million wasted -1/20 of the cost - just to say f-you to the city. He also claimed in the G&M article that the land over which the bridge would be constructed is worth $75million, so I suppose they want to sell the land. Does anyone know whether this would have even been possible?
 
So it begins. Just as Toronto City Hall was beginning to invest in good architecture, Ford becomes Mayor and we're back to building truss bridges and utilitarian buildings that fulfill their use but have no architectural merit. Welcome to Toronto the ugly.
 
agoraflaneur said:
Another 1.3 million wasted -1/20 of the cost - just to say f-you to the city. He also claimed in the G&M article that the land over which the bridge would be constructed is worth $75million, so I suppose they want to sell the land. Does anyone know whether this would have even been possible?
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That sucks...we know very well that even if they sell the land to a developer they will do very little to have the bridge become a reality. Its all Crap.:mad:
 
The councilors who deferred the pedestrian bridge are just brown-nosers and yes-men & yes-women. Instead of thinking and acting independently and listening to the residents of their ward, they are listening to the Ford brothers and acting accordingly to stay on their side. Because the bridge is or was to be for pedestrians and bicyclists, it would be something they would not use therefore of little interest.
 
It's a cheap and short sighted chop, this decision to kill the pedestrian bridge. The design would have influenced so much, in its wake.

I consider this to be Ford's first real strike against the core city.

One of the phrases I'm getting really fed-up with is "cash-strapped". This city is not "cash-strapped", rather, the suburban councillors are merely possessed of a super-cheap mindset; the idea of glorifying the city a bit with a pinch of public money causes such apoplectic reactions amongst their sorry lot. I pity the bunch of them, more than anything else.
 
Remarkable how easy this was - get a craven suburban member to present a motion in the dark of night to kill a downtown project (well outside his jurisdiction). Shiner's behaviour fits the pattern of snubs and uninformed decision making that has come to characterize our "civic" government. We're being ruled by rude bad boys, and not in a good way.
 
grey said:
Petition here: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/9/save-the-fort-york-pedestrian-cycle-bridge/

And you can press the "Like" button here if you think it will influence the decision of councillors who probably can't use computers without the help of their chubby offspring: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Save...-York-Pedestrian-Cycle-Bridge/206956422671751
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I do not mean to pick on you; so do not take offense to this -- but FOR CHRIST'S SAKE ONLINE PETITIONS DO NOTHING!

If there are people who want to save this bridge and want to really make an impact, DO IT IN PERSON!
I too have the belief that yes, $23 million is a little excessive for a bridge, but what it's being used for is necessary, if a re-designed, aesthetically pleasing and affordable compromise can be made, then do it. Don't just kill it!

But seriously, someone show some initiative and put faces to these petitions and protests!!!
 
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