Raise the Hammer

an enhanced pedestrian walk can help show off the newest gaping hole in the street-wall along the south side of king!

all sarcasm aside, I think opening the south side of king to pedestrian traffic and vendors is a fantastic idea to breathe new life into the busless corridor.

"Canceling the pedestrianization pilot project saved the city a mere $200,000. Farr notes that the city brings in $2,500 a month in revenue from the Gore parking meters. I cannot help but wonder about the opportunity cost in lost assessment growth from a more people-friendly Gore."

There are doubtless other examples of similarly hapless slashing in the name of a zero percent tax increase, and yet politicians will back-pat themselves into a cheery stupor. Plus ça change, etc. Admittedly, they're spending $30K on a restoration of Queen Victoria, though the her temporary absence will likely only accent the desolation that has settled on the Gore.

History hasn't got fantastic precedents for all-or-nothing revamps of Gore Park, but I hold out hope that this time will be different. And sooner rather than later, because without creative revitalization, atrophy/attrition will continue in our CBD until the heart of downtown is nothing but convenience stores, payday loan kiosks, broken gold outlets, shawarma counters and mounted police patrols.

Buses replaced with parked cars. Even on an "interim basis", this raises questions about a lack of attention to detail and missed opportunities. Now, instead of one side of the street being clear of motorized vehicles, we have vehicles on both sides of the street. Nice. It showcases an utter lack of vision, creativity and support for renewal. "Do what we've always done, but just for now." Hey, I'm inspired.

On the other hand, $2,500 a month in parking revenues does help to pay for Council and senior staff lunches, or some of Councillor Whitehead's legal costs. Might even be "prudent" to install parking meters on the south side of the street as well. Imagine, $5,000 per month. Why, after a year, we could pay almost all of Councillor Whitehead's total legal costs, including staff time. Just a thought.

If only we could install a meter on Terry Whitehead's mouth. Think of the savings.

Anybody know the pricing structure for the Gore parking lot? Are they priced as meter parking (short limits and low incremental cost) or as a parking lot (cheap for full-day stays but expensive for short-term parking)?

Because if it's the former, I can see the appeal as a boon for local businesses, and think it might be worth keeping if it can be shown to help them get customers in.

If it's the latter, then it's indefensible.

But all in all, I preferred just having busses there. The MacNab system actually has made it harder in some ways - the 1 stops in a different stop from the 1A/5C/52/10/5B, the 2/3/6 are now isolated from the other stops way over on John street.

They're self-serve kiosk meters like you'd see in any municipal lot – there are two or three of them spaced along the span where buses used to stop. You could theoretically stay as long as you like. If you can make do without electricity/water/sewer/cable, it would make an incredibly convenient urban RV park.

So in other words, it's a cheap commuter parking lot on what should be some of the most valuable real-estate in our city.

That's ridiculous.

I still don't understand the reasoning behind "getting the busses out of Gore Park". At some point it just became a priority, and all of Fred's pedestrianizing dreams were lost in the shuffle, as LRT may also have been.

Why is the immense amount of foot traffic generated by buses downtown such a bad thing?

City council has rebuilt Gore before. Touching up the fountain/statues and giving us a fantastic new arrangement of railings and flower-beds isn't going to fix what's wrong with downtown.

Council keeps changing its mind. This is mostly due to a lack of clear long-term vision (limited to four years), an absence of convictions (except to be re-elected), a lack of will, and a deep sense of total insecurity (except when it involves the Ti-Cats!)

An optimum solution for Gore Park would be to tear-up the asphalt southward and EXPAND the park PERMANENTLY.

Oh wait! We should FIRST consult every business involved with this before we call a sub-committee to review the matter and give us recommendations which we can then propose to the population at large so we can get the feedback which will allow us to make up our collective minds to contradict the results AND DO NOTHING.

m.

Making the south leg of gore a pedestrian only zone (at least in summer) I think is a good idea know that the buses are out of there. Maybe it could help to create a hess village type atmosphere there - at least on a smaller scale.

In the meantime how about installing some better lighting in the core? Why does the dt have to look so bloody dark at night? No wonder people (especially women) don't want to go down there.

I just wrote a letter to the editor at the Spec, in response to a letter from a visitor complaining about dirty Gore Park and all the birds!!!! It was inspired by what I read here; hope they print it!

“Visitors loved city – except Gore’s fountain” – September 23, 2011

To the visitor who enjoyed her recent visit to Hamilton’s downtown, except for dirty Gore Park full of birds and homeless people, let me assure you that our city has a plan to “pedestrianize” and revitalize this area, closing it off to traffic and making it a real people place, hopefully in time for the Pan Am Games in 2015. Hamilton.ca details the Gore Park Master Plan:

Assessment of the form, function, and essence of the Study Area and any resulting recommendations will pay special attention to the uniqueness of this site. The process and outcome will respect its extraordinary physical identity, and its presence in the collective psyche of Hamilton's people. Although the special character of the Gore is somewhat elusive, it is recognized as significant and borne of over 150 years of attendance as a physical and psychological anchor in Hamilton.

In our City Council’s 2011 budget process, they eliminated funding for the pilot project of the pedestrianization of Gore Park ($200,000) but our local councillor assures us that the project is still on schedule. I agree with you: the benches are filthy and foul, and the park needs some cleanup, but our scruffier citizens have every right to be there, and so do birds. The problem isn’t poor people; it’s the fact that Gore Park has been surrounded by speeding traffic and idling buses for far too long, and it was a victim of previous administrations who had a vision of the downtown that included razing Victorian architecture and paving everything. When at last it becomes a real people place, you will see a mix of all kinds of citizens enjoying the park. We had a taste of what it is evolving into with a Promenade of vendors and music and a wonderful cupcake truck this summer. Please come again; I hope you will be pleasantly surprised!

Anne Marie Pavlov