Ever tried cycling across the Bay Street bridge? If not, let me tell you, itB次元官网网址檚 terrifying.

Passing a cyclist on the narrow bridge is no easy feat as a driver, either. Walking is only slightly better. The bridgeB次元官网网址檚 solitary sidewalk, pressed up against fast-moving traffic on the spanB次元官网网址檚 south side, makes for a pretty unpleasant stroll.

The result of all this unfriendly infrastructure is easy to see.

Almost nobody crosses the bridge unless theyB次元官网网址檙e sitting comfortably in a vehicle. ThatB次元官网网址檚 especially true after dark. Add the slightly seedy elements of Rock BayB次元官网网址檚 industrial park to the fact there are zero witnesses in sight and youB次元官网网址檝e got a no-go zone.

All of these factors flashed through my mind the day the City of Victoria announced it was closing the rail portion of the Johnson Street Bridge due to an unexpected level of structural decay.

The out-of-the-blue closure back in April changed the dynamics of rush-hour traffic quite a bit for the 22,000 folks in Vic West and Esquimalt, and many more from points further west.

It forced all cyclists onto the Johnson Street vehicle bridge, slowing traffic for cars. The new light at Harbour and Esquimalt roads aggravated the problem. Drivers rerouted to the Bay Street bridge, slowing down traffic there as well.

And then thereB次元官网网址檚 the dreadful possibility that the deteriorating Johnson Street vehicle bridge will suffer the same fate as the rail bridge.

The city is counting on it lasting until 2016, when the new bridge is expected to be completed, but IB次元官网网址檓 not confident.

For all of these reasons, I was a bit crushed to see the City of Victoria back away from its plan to add a cantilevered multi-use trail to the Bay Street bridge, known formally as the Point Ellice bridge. The project had been slotted into the cityB次元官网网址檚 draft capital budget for 2011. This week, the updated budget document shows it has been pushed it back to 2016.

ItB次元官网网址檚 bad news for me as a Vic West resident. But I think it also fails to acknowledge the importance of the bridge as one of only two routes to the downtown for the cityB次元官网网址檚 fastest-growing neighbourhood.

Two major ongoing developments flank the Bay Street bridgeB次元官网网址檚 west entrance. Both cater to a bike-friendly demographic and market their location as an easy walk or cycle to the downtown, and yet, the nearest bridge doesnB次元官网网址檛 accommodate these trips.

ThereB次元官网网址檚 a cheeky map of Victoria circulating on social media.

It divides the city into quadrants based on common stereotypes. B次元官网网址淗ippiesB次元官网网址� live in the Fernwood area, the B次元官网网址淥ld, sick and dying,B次元官网网址� cluster in the Rockland area, and James Bay is dubbed B次元官网网址淕ay Bay.B次元官网网址�

Vic West takes the moniker B次元官网网址淚sland of Poverty.B次元官网网址�

ThatB次元官网网址檚 not entirely accurate. Vic West has improved a lot over the decades, but only very slowly.

IB次元官网网址檓 not surprised Esquimalt and Vic West have had a hard time shedding these stereotypes. A welcoming gateway to the west would totally change the perception of these areas.

rholmen@vicnews.com