2023 Freetown DAT Report - Flipbook - Page 20
Freetown DAT
Hillside Bypass Station District
Only a short distance from the clock tower district,
the Hillside Bypass station’s walkshed overlaps that of
the clock tower slightly. However, the two districts are
very different, thanks to steeply sloping terrain and the
presence of the bypass highway. The Hillside Bypass
was cut along the edge of the hills below Fourah Bay
College, above the flat plain leading through the clock
tower junction to the water. Along the aerial route to
Kissy Junction and replete with government-controlled
parcels, the second midstation site is logical yet
compromised. Parcels along the highway are long but
narrow, and the ideal station location must have its
approaching cable car arrival and departure structures
and canopies hang partially over a local street and the
highway itself.
The district surrounding the station is a challenging
environment for transportation. The steep hills are
lined with dense housing that can only be accessed by
foot and the occasional motorbike. Few local-serving
land uses exist, due in large part to limited vehicular
access. The highway has suddenly introduced enormous
vehicular access, but it is designed to be a regional
arterial, not locally-serving. Entries and cross-streets
are rare, and safe pedestrian crossings are infrequent.
The drainage culvert is not crossable in a single step like
most are elsewhere, resulting in a true barrier to walking
trips across it, except where the infrequent intentional
crossings have been built. Nonetheless, the highway
represents a unique opportunity.
This station can be a significant intermodal center
for regional bus service connecting into downtown
without having to drive there, as well as an incredible
access opportunity for thousands of residents with a
difficult climb home up the hill. If simple but significant
pedestrian infrastructure improvements are made—
along with a layby transit center to the west—the station
can be a valuable interchange point as well as regional
destination.
The Hillside Bypass station replaces an existing government property and is built into the hill adjacent to the highway. A signalized crossing will be essential for safe access and bus
connections.
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