Taking in the new spans

Rust in peace
London, ON
November 2020
This photo originally shared on Instagram

You always remember your first time walking on a brand new bridge. Even more so when there are two new bridges to walk on, and they're 800 metres apart.

I got to do just that in north #LdnONT last week, as this long-awaited addition to the Thames Valley Parkway multiuse path system was opened to the public.

Photos, of course, needed to be taken, but the most powerful memory didn't come from what I saw. Rather, it revolved around what I felt.

See, it was an unseasonably warm autumn afternoon, and the bridge was a busy place. This being a pandemic and all, it was a little nerve wracking, but most folks kept a respectful distance. And viral risk notwithstanding, it felt good to stand amid others who were just as excited about this new structure as I was.

I could feel the movement of the crowd through my shoes as the deck flexed slightly under the load. There are very easily explained engineering reasons for this, but it was magical all the same, a tangible, safe connection to others despite living in a time of isolation.

Cyclists carefully cruised along the pathway that no longer abruptly stops in the middle of town, split by a yawning gap that forced them to battle traffic - or, just as likely, not ride at all. It was obvious this new section was already opening up the city's northeast neighborhoods. The vibrations below my feet were ample proof that something had already changed here.

I'll be riding this stretch often, silently thankful for what little attention this city pays to anyone not driving a car.

And I'll do so hopeful for a future where we feel more connected to our neighbors, and where the way we build our cities makes it easier, safer, and healthier to spend time with them.

They may be a couple of inanimate spans connected by strips of asphalt, but they're already connecting us to that better urban life ahead.

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