Comment 89918

By seancb (registered) - website | Posted July 04, 2013 at 09:59:00

We really don't need 2 travel lanes. So the easy solution is a bike lane, parking, and one travel lane.

But let's be honest about this petition - Hamilton is awash in parking. What will really help these businesses is to make the downtown a desirable place to live. And ample parking is not the way to do it. This isn't the suburbs.

The following image shows a 250m radius around Strut. Look at how much surface parking lies within this circle. Compare it to the square footage dedicated to business use. The ratio is appalling.

hunter and walnut

There is no way that the few tiny businesses at that corner are using all of these spots. The problem is we have too much cheap parking and lax time limit rules. All of our side streets in the core should have "except by permit" 2 hour limits, and if residents need to park on the street they have to buy a permit.

We also need better alternative transit connections to the hunter GO terminal, as a huge part of the parking "problem" in this area is long term commuter parking. More bike lanes are part of the solution, not part of the problem. We need to get people to the GO without their cars.

I'm sorry but this petition is nimbyism. This view of meter parking being the driver of business is myopic. Downtown businesses should be fighting for better balance, less space for cars, more space for people, relaxed zoning for intensification, and other progressive ideas proven to work. Cars don't spend money. People do. WE NEED MORE RESIDENTS NOT MORE PARKING SPACES.

Comment edited by seancb on 2013-07-04 10:01:31

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