For the DOTT, how many more people will take the train if it stops under Rideau instead of under the Mackenzie-King Bridge?
That is, is there a larger potential ridership from people in the Market than in the DND-HQ building, University of Ottawa, and Sandy Hill?
What about a station that stretched from under the south door of the Rideau Centre to Waller?
This would replace the current Mackenzie-King and the Laurier Stations while providing approximately the same functionallity. The Rideau Centre would still have its 2.3M walk-throughs per year; DND-HQ would still be served; the new Conference Centre could have a dedicated entrance; the northern portion of the UofO and Sandy Hill would be served; the mezzanine would act as an underpass for pedestrians crossing Waller; and the underground valley would not be a problem during boring.
Is there really a strong need to have the catchment area include all of the Market? Or could the market people walk through the Rideau Centre to the train?
One of the Consultants arguments for having the trains go under Rideau is to provide a simplified transfer between the surface buses and the trains. If Councillor Bedard and the Rideau BIA have their way, both the buses and the train will not be running in the same corridor. Bedard's suggestion is to move the buses from Rideau to the Mackenzie-King Bridge. This would maintain some of the Rideau Centre's through-traffic, just in the reverse direction. The issue of getting the buses from Rideau St. to the Mackenzie-King Bridge was not specified. However, if this happens, the only remaining argument for taking the train north to Rideau is for the market walk-ons. Is that enough reason? Why would we not simply leave things the way they are and take advantage of the existing ridership patterns which are already well developed and, in turn, have influenced the development and placement of downtown businesses?