Quote:
Originally Posted by ryan_mcgreal
They'll come around once their (significantly improved) business relies more heavily on pedestrians and transit. 
So? Why run a bus on the same road as an LRT line - especially when Main will be two-way? |
I'd like to address these two assumptions which are actually directly related to each other. First off, the impact LRT will have on local retail business is directly proportional to the location of the LRT stations. The further a business is from a LRT station, the less significant the impact will be on that business. Simply having a pair of LRT tracks running in front of your business will not improve retail business flow. An establishment would need to be within short walking distance of the LRT station to notice a significant increase in business.
If the current LRT system adopts station locations in alignment with the current B-Line route, the downtown stops will likely be at Wentworth, at James, and at Queen. While additional stops could be introduced, each additional stop slows down the system and makes the rapid transit, well, less rapid. I expect businesses in close proximity to these stations would enjoy the most impact from the LRT, but impact will diminish as the distance from the station decreases.
This is why local bus service should (must) remain on King Street. There is a disproportionate amount of lower city residents with mobility issues who will still need transit service that can get them closer to their destination. A local bus route has many more intermediate stops than a LRT designed as a rapid transit service. That's why the TTC, despite having a subway running below Yonge Street in Toronto, also has a local bus service running along the surface of Yonge Street. And that is also why we should still have local transit service along with LRT on King.