Originally Posted by defishel
The bolder statement I agree with: the people who oppose LRT near them in this area tend to not be the people who will actually be using it. They are the people who own cars and drive everywhere, getting adamant if we reduced driving or parking where they want to go. Their concern is only themselves, and not how other people would be negatively affected. That isn't to say I think the parkway is the best option: I'd rather see the LRT replace the #2 and go down that entire stretch, even if it means closing it to cars.
However, I am one of the people who thinks this LRT benefits the suburbs more than it benefits the urban core, as it's a much faster and more comfortable way of getting people from far-flung regions downtown faster, completely bypassing key commercial and residential districts. If LRT were built for the city, we would see Richmond-Wellington-Somerset, Bank, Rideau-Montreal at least with LRT to make it easier for people to get around. But we don't see this or any transit plans for the core (I think we've seen services diminished even). Other than going to Algonquin, I have no use of the transitway as it's out of my way and doesn't take me anywhere I want to go faster. The #2 and #14 take me downtown and to uOttawa/ Rideau faster than walking to Tunney's or Bayview and then catching the bus to go a few stops.
For example, in Hintonburg-Civic Hospital, I have no way of getting to the Glebe or OOS from where I live. We used to have the 85 go down Carling to Bronson, but it's been detoured as of a few years ago to travel down Preston. Unless I drive (or risk my life cycling) I'd either be walking 30 minutes or so, or going down to Bank in Centretown to transfer to a packed #7. So, I choose not to go there as it's not worth the extra effort.
With the current LRT at Bayview, it's a also a journey for me to get there (20-25 minutes walking with bad access), and if I weren't at Algonquin I wouldn't be taking that route.
But if we were building transit for the city, we'd see LRT going right through neighbourhoods and along their commercial streets, connecting those places to other urban neighbourhoods for the easy flow of people. This would benefit the city so much! But instead we're replacing the BRT that serves public servants coming from their homes in the suburbs downtown with a train to speed them up, with the line bypassing the important neighbourhoods where people live.
Sure, Baseline is important for LRT because of Algonquin College (and it would be a waste if LRT didn't go there, seeing as Baseline has already been prepared for it), but that's about all extending the line would be good for, unless we're including the fact that people in Nepean and Barrhaven use that station to get downtown. As well, Lincoln Fields/ Britannia is still a suburb, despite it having highrises and low-income people. It's just not the suburbs that were former municipalities.
In any case, it's all been said before about the NCC and these people opposing it. The linear park and Rochester Field should not be torn up to please a few unimportant people at the expense of the rest of the city.
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