Raise the Hammer

Thanks, Trey, for explaining your frustration and engaging positively again. I appreciate it. It would be great if you would start writing articles again to develop your ideas more fully.

Reasonable people can disagree on whether LRT should be on Main or King, but I think LRT can be a success with either alignment. But I do think it is too late at this stage to revisit this decision. I would also have supported LRT on Main.

One of the major arguments for not using Main is that it would be better for maintaining motor vehicle traffic flow (since Main has more lanes and no pinch points). Other arguments in favour of King are that Main connects directly to the escarpment accesses, there are no arterials south of Main as alternate routes, and there is more potential for economic uplift along the King route.

From what I saw on the RTCAC, 2-way Main conversion was rejected out of hand by staff simply because it would be too politically controversial, even though the 2010 Metrolinx BCA recommended it. To this day Metrolinx and the City's Rapid Transit team have been effectively forbidden from even considering two-way conversion of Main because it is too politically controversial. This is not helping, since staff should be free to look at all alternatives. It makes sense to convert Main to make provide more westbound lanes, especially during the construction.

Local bus service will continue along the Main-King route and we don't actually know yet how much street wall will be affected (there is a lists of properties that may need to be expropriated, but in many cases this is just a sliver and doesn't affect a building structure).

The City (i.e. Council) should be working with the Province to identify and solve problems optimally rather than stoking controversies and constantly revisiting their decision to pursue LRT each time there is a big or small decision point.

Comment edited by kevlahan on 2017-07-13 06:32:04