The future of Hamilton's public transit

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[QUOTE=mikevbar1;9424947]
The other end of the Blue line goes into Dundas, and this is more tentative because there is no precedent for service along this section historically speaking, so I figure this would probably be a later extension.

Not to be a Debbie Downer but building a rapid transit line into Dundas beyond extending the new LRT to University Plaza is frankly crazy even for fantasy map. The demand is simply not there. There is not even demand to have a bus run every 15 minutes straight down King Street to the new terminal at Mac even though they probably should. This section of the city has under 10,000 people, a high number (over 30%) who are seniors. There is no actual space for stations of any type, access is terrible (located partially up the escarpment), coordinating transit right-of-ways through the Bayview Junction is a non starter for the railways. There is also very little redevelopment potential in this part of the city plus very firm urban growth boundaries surrounded by conservation areas and farmland.

Extending the B line to University Plaza though is almost a no brainer if thousands of units, most of them geared towards students or affordable housing are constructed within a five minute walk of potential stations. Proper local bus routes can feed this terminal from anywhere in Dundas.

Remember that Dundas is a fractured community due to a lack of through streets between the various parts like Pleasant Valley, University Gardens, Highland Park, the Yorkview area, and the old town. It can take between 8-15 minutes to drive between these areas yet at the same time a driver can be at James and Main in 15 minutes from anywhere in Dundas.