Comment 89850

By screencarp (registered) | Posted July 01, 2013 at 15:20:29

We've made huge strides in improving our streets in the downtown core over the past 20 years. International village, Hess St, Ferguson St, two way conversions, lots of bike lanes. It certainly has worked (James North, Locke St, International Village). There's still work to be done, but I feel like much of the clamour is wrong headed. I'll say it again, it's important we have ways to move cars and trucks in and out of the city quickly. King St. through the core should be slowed even more, bike lanes and pedestrian "malls", street parking and easy public transit. Focus these things on commercial area's and residential side streets where they will have the most benefit. Stop trying to calm every damn through fare in the core or it will have a negative effect on these code red neighbourhoods that we're trying to help. We WANT people who work in Burlington, Oakville and Toronto to buy and renovate homes in Beasley, Stinson and Landsdown. We NEED to make it easy for them to commute in and out of the city. We MUST make it easy for people to get in and out of downtown if we want them to shop and spend money there. Good traffic flow is more vital to the success of the downtown core than bike lanes!

Stop using excess capacity and the lack of gridlock as justifications to slow traffic. Our traffic system are well designed and over built. This is a good thing for the future growth of Hamilton.

I disagree with Justin's "Myths". People won't/can't abandon their cars. The public transit grid in most of Ontario just isn't that complete and things are far to spread out here. Traffic calming does slow traffic...that's the whole point of it. Lots of streets in Hamilton are in horrific shape and need resurfacing for the cars alone. It will cost a ton of money for curbs, bumpouts, grates and so on. Maintaining the pretty flowers/trees/garbage cans and benches I see the artist renderings aren't free either. I'm not suggesting it's not worth it, but we do need a reality check here. It's not just painting some new lines on the road.

Pedestrian and bike traffic is awesome and should be encouraged, but focus on commercial areas. Leave some routes for cars, and stop trying to break something that's great about Hamilton.

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