Scott Avenue Transit Plaza CCP Feb 09 2010 (2)
This is a chance to build an iconic landmark, link the city together, and make a major transit node. Wise locals have already noted that the original bridge, which was removed to make way for the current monster, is the most preferred option.
As modern architects don't like to build things as nice as they used to, we're stuck with this new thing. It's a remarkable improvement over what's there now. Bathrooms, bus shelters, elevators, etc.
The main thing this bridge needs to do is connect to the station beneath it. People and bikes need to move up and down without hassle or time delay.
Seoul
I can't help but compare the proposed Grand Viaduct to the new cafes that Seoul has attached to all of their bridges.
Seoul has a lot of very large bridges. They connect the two halves of the city. Until recently, they didn't do a good job of connecting the two halfs of the waterfront park.
Both banks of the Han River have magnificent bike trails. Getting from one bank to the other requires a bridge. Almost all the bridges go over the bike trails, so how does one get their bike up there to use them? Enter the bridge cafes.
Almost every bridge has now been outfitted with large shoulders for bikes and pedestrians. Now many bridges are getting up to four cafes--two at each end.
Maybe some of these cafes might go in the middle of the bridges eventually,
These cafes are meant to encourage activity by the river. It's part of the new bike friendly Seoul that mayor Oh has been trying to promote. You can drink coffee and enjoy a nice view.
Though these things have been in place for a while, and I've been biking up and down the Han, I have to admit, I've never been in one of them. I have however made use of some of the elevators.
I've also been on buses crossing bridges and have been annoyed to visit the new bus stops at both ends of the bridge. Buses in Seoul usually go down the middle of the street. That's true on bridges too. The bus lanes are in the middle.
So what brilliant planner decided that this would be a good idea?
Note in that last picture the red line in the middle of the bridge is the bus lane and the short red strip on the side is the bus stop. Buses have to slow down and cut across several lanes of traffic to stop, then cut back across to the bus lane, then back to the next bus stop, then back to the bus lane. Obviously for the sake of the bridge, the bus lane should be moved to the shoulder. I've never seen anyone get on or off at these stops anyway. Maybe people aren't aware yet. It is certainly great to have easy access to the park by bus, but the current setup has a bit of a time lag for commuters going from one side of the city to the other.
St. Louis
I am posting all this in relation to the Grand Viaduct because I think there's much to be considered. A few people have expressed irritation with the planned placement of the elevators at Grand Station. They want the elevators on the platform, not off to the side. Perhaps the elevators could work at a 45 degree angle. I have used such an elevator before.
Perhaps the proposed bus shelters could expand outwards and incorporate a cafe(s) that pay(s) rent to Metro. It would not only be TOD, but it would help lend destination status to the plaza below, offer safety at night and warmth in winter, and generally be full of SLU students that suddenly think transit is hip.
Perhaps the new Grand BRT needs to consider where they would like to put their bus lanes. The current design would require them to run buses along the shoulder of the road, which means a lot of honking at cars trying to parallel park and crowding on sidewalks near bus stops.
Those cafes on the briges look pretty nice. I kind of found they attract drivers more than bikers though. Maybe it's because bikers are more active so they don't want to sit indoor looking out the river. Why would they want to do it? They can enjoy the view while they are biking with nice breeze, which is obviously better.
ReplyDeleteI like those cafes make the briges look prettier and interesting in a way but I'm not so sure about it. Indeed, the bus stops are totally not necessary. Most briges have subway stations nearby.
Maybe I can understand the original concept of them when I actually pay my visit there.
Why not? Let's do it.