Comment 41957

By slodrive (registered) | Posted June 14, 2010 at 14:10:14

I'm a car driver and a commuter -- I would love to be able to leave my car at home. For a number of years, I lived in downtown Hamilton and Oakville and took the GO Train to work. Going almost weeks without driving a car.

A political agenda the caters to the pedestrian is going to be a challenge. Generally, the business/ industrial sector that holds some clout is going to favour the movement of goods -- and resist restrictions. However, I think the more liveable we make our downtown, the more organically the car-less (or car-lesser) resident will develop.

Think for a moment if GO Transit (rail) offered regular stops into Hamilton -- something relatively comparable to Toronto. All of a sudden, employers could potentially draw from the same talent as Toronto but locate in Hamilton -- for incredibly less overhead. That could result in a great deal more carless commuters in our core -- and likely, more people interested in taking up residence.

A lot of 'coulds' and 'ifs', but I really do think that Hamilton has an opportunity to capitalize on a resurging downtown, decent proximity to Toronto and the corridor and, of course, current and improving connectedness to transit. If a few of these chips fall into place, the car-centricness will be smothered out. The non-car options and lifestyle will just seem better.

Reply | Permalink | Context

You must be logged in to vote on this comment.

Recent Articles

Article Archives

Site Tools

Feeds