Yet another starchiect – Zaha Hadid – doing yet another pedestrian bridge (or passerelle, as the French call them), this one across the Ebro River in Zaragoza, Spain.
More here in the Independent on the 270-metre bridge which also houses a pavillion for the 2008 Expo being held there.
More than ever, it’s apparent to me that we have to seriously examine the possibility for a ped-bike bridge across False Creek, rather than a widening of the Burrard Bridge. The obvious location is under the bridge itself, using the cuts that were made through the columns to accommodate an anticipated streetcar line extension.
Yes, there’s a problem accommodating high-masted boats at high tide. But this should be considered an oppportunity for innovation rather than an intractable problem. Perhaps a separate structure should be considered – a commission to the world’s best architects and engineers – so that Vancouver gets something practical, beautiful and iconic: a statement that, really, honestly, we do take sustainable transportation seriously.
There are some fascinating politics involved with the bridge widening: Ladner cannot support the use of existing lanes for bike routes, while Robertson must. Ladner will be able to use the threat of congestion to solidify his west-side base, while Robertson will use Ladner’s position to peel off support from the cycling and heritage communities.
Maybe a serious examination of a separate low-level structure would be something they could both support.
