City Still Regards Downtown as a Commuter Route to Elsewhere

Transportation

City Still Regards Downtown as a Commuter Route to Elsewhere

By Sean Burak
Published November 04, 2013

With all the recent controversy over the King Street transit lane and its possible effect on local business, it's ironic that the City decided to close James Street North for road work this past Saturday.

James Street North at Cannon, closed for road work (Image Credit: Hollie Pocsai)

They are supposedly closing it this weekend and next weekend so that they don't have to close it during the week. This makes it clear that the city still regards downtown as simply a commuter route to elsewhere. Why else would they decide to close a street on the busiest retail shopping day of the week?

The good news is that Ward 2 Councillor Jason Farr is pushing to have next week's closure take place on Saturday night or Sunday instead, where there will be less of an impact.

Sean Burak was born in Hamilton but raised elsewhere in Ontario. He returned to his birth town at the turn of the century and has never looked back. Sean is the owner of Downtown Bike Hounds.

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By Ford Nation (anonymous) | Posted November 04, 2013 at 10:10:29

Sounds like Ford Nation is running the show here too.

"The truth is that Ford Nation is made up of thousands and thousands of ordinary Torontonians, suburban Torontonians, who, like the mayor they so admire, see the city as little more than a place they drive through on the way somewhere else."

http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2013/11/04/suburban_outlook_undergirds_ford_nations_support_hume.html

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By Rimshot (anonymous) | Posted November 04, 2013 at 10:16:23

Saturday was clearly a gaffe. They should bump this weekend's work forward a day to minimize impact.

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By arienc (registered) | Posted November 04, 2013 at 10:23:21

What's even more concerning, is the fact that they've blocked the sidewalk for road work.

"First they built the road, then they built the town. That's why we're still driving around and around, and all we see. Are kids in buses. Longing to be free." - Wasted Hours, The Arcade Fire

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By highwater (registered) | Posted November 07, 2013 at 12:11:00 in reply to Comment 94478

Nice to see that the small businesses on James can get "almost all the same weight as the people who really count" once in a while. ;)

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By seancb (registered) - website | Posted November 07, 2013 at 12:27:37 in reply to Comment 94478

Good stuff. Still very telling that it didn't occur to them on their own. But maybe next time they'll consider the true value of the street as a destination rather than a commuter road!

I vote down for offensiveness and up for humour. I cast no votes based on my level of agreement.

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