Sidewalks are expensive, so it’s always nice when they lead somewhere.
This chunk of sidewalk was even more expensive than usual, as the darker section was poured twice. The first time it was sloped down towards the road, so that pedestrians, wheelchairs and kids on bikes are dumped onto the shoulder of the strip, to be cheek-to-jowl with the speeding trucks.
Someone must have said “wow, that doesn’t make sense” so the last couple of sections were ripped up almost as soon as they were done and replaced with an ‘untilted’ sidewalk. It still leads to nowhere, unless they plan on running over the newly-planted landscaping, knocking down the hydro poles and pouring it over the gas line (the small flags in the photo).
This tree is probably toast anyway – the most recent work has exposed part of the rootball and stripped the bark.
As you head west the sidewalk-to-nowhere is NOT a pleasant or safe experience for people not in carbon-burners.
This section of the “Bells Corners sidewalk” connects the Westcliffe and PriceChopper plazas, and is heavily used by local residents. Walk/wheelchair/cycle at your own risk, especially at the two spots where you get dumped into speeding traffic.
bellscorners 
I really hate it when car dealerships park their cars on sidewalks!
Everyone, call 311 311 311 311 until your fingers are numb.
Complain to our slim-shady councillor too if you like doing futile things. The cars will still remain there, so in the end it doesn’t really matter…
Have you contacted the city, or better yet, RC, to see if he can actually do something useful for Bells Corners?
what an interesting ‘sidewalk’ at the rexall front
as for the car dealership … I have even spoken to them …
it is a danger especially for mothers and toddlers … an accident waiting to happen
this is either city easement for sidewalks or it’s not
my guess is that it is an easement
and if so it should not be allowed
Here in Bells Corners, we do seem to live in a zone of incompetence – we have powers-that-be that cannot:
1. build a proper bike lane on the strip, but instead gave us the same interlock bricks at great cost
2. couldn’t properly handle the renaming of the whole mess
3. and now this, a sidewalk that appears to be a make-work project with zero planning.
And I thought Parkbridge Inc. was bad! (Well they are, but that’s a different story.)
If anyone wants to complain to Myers for the sidewalk parking here are the contacts:
613-721-4567 sales@myershyundai.ca
If we send enough complaints, we’ll make those cars move faster than Alex Lewis’s BIA website (which is permanently stuck in park).
still no BIA site for all the floundering businesses to access?
and ditto for our councillor too!
might be the same webmaster – taking the summer off
did see that both RC and even the MAYOR !!!!! are making an ‘effort’ to attend Westcliffe’s AGM on the 27th … interesting!
and it’s not even election year for them.
wonder what big promises we’ll get for the community
wonder if the MPP hopefuls will also attend
– Lisa will be there for sure. He and Rick always do the same photo ops and I’ve seen her in Westcliffe Park before, pressing the flesh and smiling for her photographer. I doubt that Don Dransfield will get invited – Rick’s a Liberal but he knows who butters his bread. Jim certainly doesn’t want him there – anything that reminds people of his ties to Dalton is to be avoided.
I walk that strip all the time from my place on Terrace Dr. down to “StaleCo” and beyond.
It always amazes me how Myers Hyundai gets away with parking their cars right on the sidewalk, although I’m not sure I’d even call it a sidewalk if the cars weren’t there. I guess city bylaws don’t apply to the “special” businesses of the city.
There’s also this little paved island right in front of the lot whose purpose I can’t figure out either, other than to (thanks to the parked cars) force pedestrians to walk on or around it next to traffic. (note to self: bring camera next time).
Other observations:
– Why did they build that Rexall building so close to Robertson? Would have thought there is some building code requiring a minimum distance from any retail building to a road. This building just seems unusually close.
– I noticed a nice, big flat space (canvas) on the building just past the sidewalk to nowhere. I bet the graffiti artists are salivating over it. Wanna lay odds?
– The Robertson strip (after a recent walk from Westcliffe to Giant Tiger) is looking like the city has never sent a maintenance crew to actually CLEAN UP along the road. Garbage is everywhere and the weeds, yeah… we all know about the weeds everywhere too, especially sprouting up between the bricks. It’s so nice to see a city take pride in their environment by actually maintaining it. *eyeroll*
-Speaking of StaleCo, I went in to buy a dozen eggs (Sept. 2) and picked up a package with an expiry date of Aug. 15. Mmmmmm… gotta love old eggs.
– We once organized a community litter-picking parade down the strip to clean up some of the garbage. Even Rick and Lisa put in an appearance (I didn’t see them actually picking up any litter – they seemed more interested in posing for photo ops and pressing the flesh).
You can submit your pics of the Myers cars to iparklikeanass.com
I just said the other day to my husband that I hope they are planning to do they sidewalk down the whole strip that they tore up by Rexall.
At least before they tore it up it was able to be walked on. Now it’s a far drop when pushing the stroller. I also hate walking by the car lot – walking my kids the stroller slopes to one side, frustrating, and why is there no sidewalk at all in front of Canadian Tire?
Also, glass on the road and sidewalks seems to never get cleaned up. There’s so much dog poo on the grass side and sometimes in the middle of the sidewalks – disgusting!
I have never seen so much poo not being picked up by dog owners until I moved to Bells Corners. Dead squirrels and broken glass stay on the road forever. In other parts of Ottawa it doesn’t take so long for someone to pick up dead animal and trash.
Bells Corners is the forgotten island in the greenbelt jewel ….
maybe it’s because no one can find Robertson Road ….
as I mentioned before … the car dealer ‘sidewalk’ …. I feel for young mothers or wheelchair users … that stretch is an accident waiting to happen and the car display parking should not be allowed
I agree with Margaret. Something needs to be done with Myers. It’s just not right, and it’s downright dangerous!
Yeah, I went by the vehicles again at Myers tonight on a walk – it just isn’t right that they can block pedestrians.
The previous dealership (Micheal Davies I believe) did the same thing. Pissed me off then and it still does. Maybe we should organize a Myers Hyundai Test Drive Day. Dozens of us could test drive their poorly parked cars and never buy one. Let them know in advance that this is planned and they’ll have no idea who is a legit customer and who isn’t. 🙂
It’s ridiculous that there isn’t a wide, well maintained sidewalk along Robertson from Moodie to Westcliffe. I counted more than thirty people walking along that stretch about 1 p.m. Friday afternoon. There was also a couple struggling with a stroller that veered off course along the narrow, uneven, pathetic, little cracked asphalt stretch of sidewalk towards the bus stop.
I’d love to see a sidewalk running from Carling and Moodie through Bells Corners up to Hunt Club too. As the city doesn’t appear to consider Bell’s Corners residents worthy of a safe sidewalk to walk along through the main strip I’m certain that a complete sidewalk from Carling to Hunt Club will never happen.
This is the most pedestrian unfriendly place I’ve ever lived. The lack of safe and consistent sidewalks encourages people to drive. There isn’t even a decent sidewalk along Moodie to the businesses past the Day’s Inn.
maybe we should all complain to the mayor and councillor about the need for sidewalks in our area
it was mentioned at the Westcliffe AGM but it got sort of waffley … mutterings …. something about the mayor proposing to look at a sidewalk program for all the city ….
ok that will be 10 years in the making ….
5 for input and 5 for sorting out what came in
but there was also mention that the sidewalk to nowhere would be replaced …. AGAIN ??
there is supposed to be some ‘hinted’ action on the other side of the road
something to do with Canadian Tire and Hooters/Tims … if and when that happens
for a main connector road the ‘strip’ has been forgotten …. sad
meanwhile – it’s safer to drive and while you’re in the car it’s just as easy to go to the superstore and get what you can no longer get locally
also mentioned was the disgraceful state of the ONE YEAR OLD sidewalk and the weed-infested-grassless-meant-to-be-grass bit in the Richmond Rd area … even the mayor looked a bit surprised that anyone (me) would dare to make a complaint …. sorry folks … just saying
maybe something will get done … we’ll see
most of the weeds did get cut this week …. very interesting
rexall sidewalk …. it was being extended and fixed this afternoon … but it still goes nowhere in the eastern end except into the grass of Sukothai ….