Comment 19144

By lonita_fraser (anonymous) | Posted February 22, 2008 at 08:38:05

I have very fond memories of the DLR in London (Docklands Light Rail). It was quick, in no way separated from the regular rail or tube system, and a very charming way to see that part of the city - also, at the time I was there, the easiest way for a tourist with a yen for time-related interests to get out to Greenwich to stand on the Prime Meridian. (Yes, yes, I'm a geek. :) It's not always beautiful, sometimes too industrial for the tastes of some, but that's Hamilton as well, so part of us.

Many years ago I recall someone in grade school telling us that downtown Hamilton had been planned as a two-storey city core: pedestrians and shop entry up, traffic down - hence the rather tall nature of a lot of shopfronts in the core. If they had gone through with that plan, an LRT would have been much simpler to slot in next to road traffic. It would be curious to find out why that plan was never adopted, if, indeed, it was not merely a rumour.

What would be interesting also, is providing a better and higher quality transit option for people who live in outlying areas such as Grimsby, Caledonia, Binbrook, Waterdown, et cetera, but who live in Hamilton; or, conversely, people who live in Hamilton and work in those places, or even the remoter areas of Stoney Creek. There's currently, to my knowledge, no public transit option at all. I am not alone, I know, in having to turn down excellent employment opportunities because there's simply no way to access the businesses in question unless you drive. A point was made regarding the Mac/Eastgate corridor - an LRT on that route could easily be extended right out to Grimsby and Dundas, for example. Easier access to Ancaster, the remoter parts of the escarpment, the beach, the bay, et cetera, would also be served nicely by an LRT.

Not everyone drives, or can, or even wants to, yet these outlying areas are vital parts of this region, and they can't be utilised or accessed unless non-sustainable transit is used to do it.

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