Quote:
Originally Posted by Acajack
Gatineau's two biggest malls, Les Galeries de Hull and Les Promenades de l'Outaouais, actually paid to put their names on the new Rapibus BRT stations located near them. Both also have or had transit terminals on their property, but the Rapibus stations are across the street from them.
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People had it pretty good when the hub was on La Savane, right in the parking lot, but this new arrangement pretty well blows! (although options were limited)
For those who don't know, this is the station serving Gatineau's largest mall. People have to cross the railroad track and 6+ lane boulevard to get to the mall parking lot on the left.
To be fair, the Rapibus doesn't serve anything very well.
Ottawa on the other hand has mastered the art of serving malls with proper transit;
Bayshore: large Transitway station with Quickie convenience store, large heated area and pedestrian bridge connecting the station to the top level of a parking garage attached to the mall.
Billings Bridge: Transitway station with pedestrian bridge directly to the mall
Gloucester Centre: same (+ to be converted to rapid transit)
St-Laurent Centre: underground Transitway station (to be converted to rapid transit) with direct conncetion to the mall
Rideau Centre: served by two transit hubs (Mackenzie king Bridge for Transitway, Rideau for local east and Gatineau transit). Rideau Street itself is well served but lacks proper bus shelters (in 1983-1990s, Rideau's sidewalks were covered by heated shelters for about 1 km, but these were removed as they attracted homeless people and drug dealers), the Mackenzie-King transit station features proper heated areas and a pedestrian tunnel connecting the two platforms along with the Rideau Centre on the north side and a large federal complex on the south side. Once the downtown tunnel is built, the Rideau Centre will have direct access to the subway station and local buses will be re-distributed between the two platforms to make Rideau Street a little more liveable.