Bridging a longstanding gap

 Bridge to a sustainable future
London, ON
September 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Mmm, it has that new bridge smell. Can’t wait to take my first ride on it.

It may seem strange that of all the things that tickle my soul, a bridge would rank near the top of the list. But this isn't a simple structure.

You're looking at the latest addition to the Thames Valley Parkway, the multiuse path network that's supposed to make it easy for cyclists, runners, pedestrians and other non-motorist folks to get around town without having to wrestle with traffic.

Nice in theory, but somewhat lacking in practice.

Because unlike other towns, our car-culture-led burg built a network with huge gaps in the middle. That doesn't serve entire swaths of the city. That stops mysteriously outside a given neighborhood. That often forces cyclists and others to cross high-speed roads, with nothing more than paint to protect us.

The bridge you see here is part of a pair - the other is around a kilometre to the left - designed to close a yawning gap in the path and open non-stop access to the city's northeast sector.

We'll take it, because any new piece of infrastructure that gets more people out under their own power is a blessing. And when they finally cut the ribbon on this new section, I'll be there on my own two-wheeled machine. To ride. And appreciate.

But it won't stop there. It can't. Because sustainability is never truly done.

And we're nowhere near the point where we - individuals, cities, society at-large - can, with a straight face, say we're doing everything we can to change the script.

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