The whole plan needs a rework. The whole area should be car free people space that is great for walking, cycling and hanging out. Granville Square should be expanded and connected with Canada Place and Gastown. Essential vehicle access can be provided via Waterfront Rd and the Granville Parkade entrance.

The idea of destroying Granville Square by extending Granville St is really misguided. Instead, there should be cafes and resturants lining the Square.

It is time to bring in some modern European expertise to design really great people space here (and all around the city for that matter). Many cities including Amsterdam are burying streets around their train stations and would not think of adding unneeded surface streets.

If it’s to become primarily a pedestrian area then we need to keep the bikes out too. Just to walk from the sidewalk into the Cactus Club at English Bay means one has to walk across the bike race-track. It’s dangerous. Cyclists use this route, and others, like a bike-gym workout circuit. This is not commuting or going shopping, this is high-energy working out and for the rich sporty fashionistas just a teeny weeny step up from skate boarding anarchy.

Get them out of pedestrian areas!

“A group of citizens has been established to explore possible options for Downtown’s Central Waterfront area . . .”

Citizens!!!!!!!

Vancouver is not a well-planned city, nor is it’s collective academics, architects and planners above reproach!

At best its architecture and planning is banal
and at worst, in need of an unbiased, possibly out-of-town assessment, in every nook and cranny.

Accordingly, attention to the waterfront,
rail yards’ juxtaposition to the city deserves more than the unpaid off-the-cuff opinions of those who are essentially the cause of the debacle as it stands.

A seminal visit to one of the most successful . . .

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puerto_Madero

. . . water front developments in the Western
world may be appropriate.

Puerto Madero’s planners were lucky to inherit a string of masonry warehouses, they have preserved and utilized, and
perceptive enough to hire Santiago Calatrava to
design his Puente de la Mujer.

Would that Vancouver’s design professional were so perceptive!

Surely, after the contempt Cadillac, with its origami tower, has shown for the city’s design/planning community a call-to-arms is appropriate!

Couldn’t they just put bollards down the middle in the dodgy areas and use better signage, rather than deprive disabled people access to the water/shops? You have to remember that when you ban cars, you ban those who do not have the option of walking or cycling!

I’m curious as to how it would be better? Sometimes when I am driving my friend who is in a wheelchair to appointments we’ll stop, say at English bay. It certainly would not be easier for her if I had to park far away and walk over. People are in chairs for many different reasons, so I’m not quite seeing how restricting vehicle access would benefit those with mobility issues. Maybe you can enlighten me?

Seriously Jen, there would not likely be any parking spaces for anyone by the water there anyway, it is planned to be tour bus parking.

Crossing roads is not safe or convenient for people walking or in wheelchairs. Eliminating the roads makes it much more convenient, safe and pleasent for everyone. I suggest going to pretty much any European city and see how it is done. You would find it quite eye opening.

How about using your creativity to find solutions rather than trying to think of excuses why positive change can never happen.

This is what they want Jen. Everyone needs to dress up and ride a bike. Or take the bus. Progress. Fun.

Richard, I think you are making a lot of assumptions about how people in wheelchairs get around. Many of them use taxis, have family members who drive or friends who can take them places in cars. Not every person in a wheelchair depends on transit & handyDART to get them where they need to go. Crossing roads is a fact of life, but it is much easier at controlled intersections, though tbh I can’t say crossing a bike route is always easy. I have been to Amsterdam, Edinburgh and London, though of course i couldn’t explore each city to the extent i would have liked. Didn’t see any areas other than plazas where cars were banned.

I wonder if you’ve ever had to take care of somebody with mobility issues and had to deal with the kind of challenges that they face. They certainly aren’t all transit taking people whose only challenge is wheeling themselves across the street. I’m sorry you don’t see my views as positive, but I’ve never known you to consider any of the positives vehicular access provides. Having a very good friend who was very athletic.and an avid cyclist be confined to a chair by a disease is eye opening to say the least. I’m not sure why the inclusion of handicapped parking would ruin it for you, but now is your chance to explain.

“i don’t wanna know what direction your junk is facing”

Then look at their faces. Or anywhere else for that matter.

If Lie-senko had put up a pic of women with their genitalia similarly on display I wonder if the derogatory comments would be forthcoming.

You’re entitled to be uncomfortable when faced with the human body? If you say so.

“by nature women’s genitalia isn’t quite as prone to being on display.”

If you say so.

“If I wear transparent clothes, I can’t exactly blame others for staring, can I?”

Really? Are those guys ‘asking for it’ for wearing their competitive athletic garb in what looks like a post or pre- bike race photo?

Seriously, if you can’t control your eyes and brain, don’t get behind the wheel of a car.

Call it instinct, unsolicited male genitalia historically hasn’t bode well for some people. It’s kind of like when you see a spider and it freaks you out initially.. There isn’t much of an excuse to feel panicked other than instinct. That is, of course, a different scenario than being uncomfortable with mens bodies altogether, which I am not. When you see a bed that is freshly made, with a clearly visible lump in the middle, are you telling me you look at the rest of the bed? I thought I was pretty clear that no one was asking for it when I said people are responsible for their actions, but like traffic accidents, adult genitalia on display tends to attract attention. I do think it’s funny that you are trying to paint me as a prude and a rape apologist at the same time. I can be honest about my reaction, and I’m highly suspicious that anyone would look at that picture and not immediately notice male genitalia squished all over the place. I’m still wondering how that is aerodynamic, care to enlighten me?

I wonder if the Castrati rode bikes, fast that is?

Did you have this pic just lying around or did you have to actively search for it? Hard to know which is creepier.

Wow, thanks for sending me down that rabbit hole of chamois crotch pads, in turn I googled the men’s perspective and found a conversation about the best direction for your goods to be facing and the thread featured that very photo! Apparently it’s rather infamous and I am not alone in my observations, even amongst cyclists. Of course, further research led me to effects on fertility and a higher instance of prostate cancer, for the fellows.
Just in case you didn’t know, your link says the seams on underwear chafe, hence the commando look, but they do make seamless underwear now. But what do I know, I ride my bike in regular clothes, a dress usually because I almost never wear pants/shorts. Don’t think I’ll be competing any time soon.

P.s. I’m glad you can control your discomfort, good for you!

I don’t experience discomfort because other people dress differently from me. Not sure how you would reach that conclusion based on my comments, but I am certainly used to having you misrepresent my remarks, so no big surprise there sadly.

Interesting point logan5 thanqxz. My experience was walking from Plaza Mayo, past Casa Rosita, down few steps, across a couple of very wide avenues, between the warehouses onto Promenade Manuela Corriti. Most of the towers are across Calatrava’s bridge: but yes there are many but separated by pedestrian figure ground areas and are not isolated by busy traffic. The promenade is very wide with street activities. Beyond the towers is parkland and the Rio Plata Estuary. Movement from heritage to water is the common element in Vanc and BA!
Figure ground space is very generous, textured with activity. For what its worth, for Vancouver’s waterfront development, I’d like to see a park-like platform, over the tracks, extend beyond the north facades of Gas town with two story built amenities adjacent to the rear buildings on Water Street. The texture of the old next to the new is an intriguing design opportunity that was successfully exploited in BA . . . IMO!

I don’t consider them to be people so your first comment doesn’t apply here.

Haha! Just kidding! Again, the discomfort is with seeing male genitalia clearly delineated, while someone is clothed. You don’t appear to see why it’s disconcerting, but you suggested that discomfort (not necessarily an overt reaction in the first place) was well within ability to control. I perhaps erroneously interpreted this statement to mean you were capable of controlling your discomfort, when in reality you have no discomfort to control. Again, good for you. Being made uncomfortable by the dress of a certain culture is just bigoted, right?

Ooooops . . .

http://members.shaw.ca/theyorkshirelad72/water.front/DOWNTOWN%20WATERFRONT.html