Why does the city need custom designed interlocking protective concrete blocks?

Is there additional protective value in having the concrete blocks interlock?

Isn’t the sheer mass of concrete enough to stop any vehicle?
 
Allandale25 said:
www.thestar.com

Union Station’s ugly concrete barriers were to be replaced in 2019. Why are they still there?

Though they are unsightly and impede pedestrians, the city said they may not be replaced until 2025.
www.thestar.com www.thestar.com
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“City staff are undertaking a comprehensive redesign of the Union Station plaza’s perimeter which includes installing a blend of new steel bollards and custom-designed protective concrete blocks. Construction is anticipated to commence in spring 2024 and is expected to be complete in 2025.”
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Why does it need to be custom designed? Isn't there anything good available from third party sources? (nevermind the city's track record in "design" tend to promise lots, delivers little).

AoD
 
CapitalSeven said:
I remember the process to make over "Union Plaza" that led to the problems they are trying to solve now. It was all about removing physical and visual barriers and turning the whole block into a sort of overgrown woonerf with pedestrians wandering at will like so many mighty moose.

These are from a 2011 presentation. What goes wrong when aspiration turns into ideology in urban designs and no one questions what could go wrong. There was a thread (Union Station: Front Street EA) and none of us pointed to a potential issue there or in this thread.
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You see the words "European Inspired" were used, so it was given a pass.
 
Second crane up here @interchange42
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Why not extend Bay, York and Via concourses further south instead of building a new concourse? Won't this make navigating between platforms difficult if you need to change trains at Union?
 
Deadpool X said:
Won't this make navigating between platforms difficult if you need to change trains at Union?
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I don't think so, there are already platforms here, (or there were) and they connected in to the station immediately south of the Via Concourse, between the York and Bay sections.

I can't recall having seen the exact floorplan, but I would imagine there will more and wider connections between these rebuilt platforms and the balance of the station.

At the very least, it shouldn't any more challenging than it is now.
 
Northern Light said:
I don't think so, there are already platforms here, (or there were) and they connected in to the station immediately south of the Via Concourse, between the York and Bay sections.

I can't recall having seen the exact floorplan, but I would imagine there will more and wider connections between these rebuilt platforms and the balance of the station.

At the very least, it shouldn't any more challenging than it is now.
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I explored the concourse in VR, the connections are significantly better, but the theres a lot of ramps and stairs between the other concourses and in the South Concourse itself, which is unfortunate.
Deadpool X said:
Why not extend Bay, York and Via concourses further south instead of building a new concourse? Won't this make navigating between platforms difficult if you need to change trains at Union?
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VIA, York, and Bay are all on different elevations from each other, and the South Concourse, it wouldn’t make sense to connect them:
IMG_3007.jpeg
 
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