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We have received a number of new letters and comments
Thank you to everyone who have sent in concerns, ideas, even a poem!
If you would like to send your message email – info@johnsonstreetbridge.org – and mark, ‘For Publication‘
“No community consultation whatsoever, and a mad rush to destroy what is intrinsically beautiful, with no plan or foresight–complete madness! This will change the ambiance of downtown forever, and should not be done without community input. The plan is to ram it through before anyone has time to think about it. The 2 week consultation is a sham.
I will try to make it to the Thursday night Council meeting.” Richard Olafson
” Good Work
….One of the surprises I discovered when checking with engineering is that they simply assume that a rail crossing is still required.
The debate has never taken place. Status quo is assumed until requested otherwise. Bizarre.
If that crossing were to allow the train to continue deep into town, it may be worth spending the huge extra amount. However, that will never happen, so much will be spent on building a rail crossing that gets the train a mere 100 metres closer to town. Foolish waste.
The station should be relocated on the western edge of the water. The road realignment that they desire will be much simpler, and much real estate will be saved.” Ryan Nien
“WHATS the Hurry!! The bridge should be kept as a heritage site.City says, they have to get the funds from the FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.Does that mean the funds come from another planet??? Where the funds come from does not matter YOU AND I are paying the full shot.It is academic which pocket the money comes out of IT IS ALL OUR MONEY.Lets sit back and review all the options. I feel that by restoring the bridge we will save a lot of OUR MONEY”
Ian McPherson & Colleen Block
“The first time I drove over the Johnson st bridge back in 1989, I was a bit puzzled… why would the engineers design a blind, and sharp “s” turn under an overpass for traffic to drive through? And did they ever have serious accidents?
My solution… instead of having the tracks cross over Johnson St, then across the waterway, from south-west to north-east, move the train station south-west of the bridge (onto the Esquimalt side). Thus removing the need for a crossover, an overpass, and a double wide bridge.” Les Patrus
“Paris set the tone with it’s Promenade Plantee, a garden built in an old railway viaduct, vintage 1859, with an elevated park walkway. Now ten metres above 17th Street in the old Meatpacking District you’ll find
the High Line which has become one of New Yorks hottest, most innovative public spaces. You walk
through the ghost of an old railway line, blending wild plants with sculptured concrete on a unique
elevated promenade.
On a recent trip there an added highlight was walking across the Brooklyn Bridge looking down on
traffic crossing the Hudson River below. Tradition has it that before returning to Manhattan you must have an ice-cream in Booklyn, making the whole adventure a truly singular experience and one that could
easily be incorporated here.
Like the elevated Parkway, to walk the Blue Bridge would be an imaginative way for visitors to view our City. Should the necessity of raising the Bridge arise – so much the better. To watch the mechanics
of the Bridge at work and look down on the ships passing below would add further dimension to a
promenade towards Spinakers, where perhaps a little liquid refreshment could become our tradition.
Oh, but how are we going to drive into town you say? Simple. Re-route the traffic to the Bay Street
Bridge – a sturdy example of utilitarian functionality which could well handle the traffic.
We could even contemplate turning the downtown core into a car-free zone – but that requires
too great a leap in faith.
The concept of keeping iconic pieces of the city and transforming them into something vibrant and
alive is a very modern idea. So let’s turn the old girl into an urban park and light her up just like the Eiffel
Tower. The result could be a walkway of such unsurpassed charm, it would be difficult to imagine
a visit to Victoria without planning a Blue Bridge Walk.” Alixe Wallis
“Hi: I’ve just arrived at the site so I apologize if this has been covered. My friend Kelly and I think that the existing bridge should be retained as a pedestrian and bicycle bridge (the latter connecting bikers to the Goose), and as a railway bridge. A new bridge should be built a bit north of the existing one: an open, practical vehicle carrier like the Point Ellice bridge, which would be cheaper, not involve straightening the convoluted intersection, and the existing bridge would continue to be a part of the city’s aesthetic, historical connection, and tourist attractions. The setback is of course the earthquake upgrade that would be required, but would it be less expensive given that the bridge would not have constant vehicular traffic, only the occasional train. This may be a dream, but …
All the best” Wayne Templeton
“Moved to tears, for a different reason, The bridge spanned my imagination. Here is my poem to you. I hope it contains a point or two.
One morning I came upon,
a bridge to welcome the morning;
at the rail standing,
Leaning over the side dangling
the TC I was reading
an article that got me wondering.
My thoughts became overwhelming
across the bridge I start walking
my head tired and spinning
No place to be going
The other end was missing
On the bridge was standing
a city engineer lamenting
broken dreams escaping
with empty heart weighing
and accomplishments fading
the funding promising
never came but waiting
the bridge to nowhere crossing.” William Perry
