East/West LRT through the Downtown - Page 4

raisethehammer · #1 Posted **Oct 25, 2008, 5:56 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by highwater

Unfortunately I was coming from Westdale. Main and Longwood are your only options.

nope...get off at Hwy6, take your first right, right again to York Blvd and viola.

raisethehammer · #2 Posted **Oct 24, 2008, 2:23 PM**

just go straight through to Bay and then go left. I've never seen it slow.

Jon Dalton · #3 Posted **Oct 24, 2008, 5:01 PM**

No problems getting home on the GO lately

omro · #4 Posted **Nov 27, 2008, 12:39 PM**

I'm liking the fact that both tracks on Main seems to be the clear leader in this little poll.

I'm wondering if there will be any form of public poll/referendum on this matter?

omro · #5 Posted **Apr 18, 2009, 12:28 AM**

So both lanes on Main have totally and definitively been dropped?

adam · #6 Posted **Apr 18, 2009, 2:16 PM**

While they have the shovels in the ground for LRT construction, why not update the 1950's style 1-ways too? We should look to other urban centres in North America - when they do updates on the road system, they are not converting to 1-way streets... so why are we working so hard to maintain ours?

markbarbera · #7 Posted **Apr 18, 2009, 2:26 PM**

Two-way conversion of King and Main is already being planned. No one is working hard to maintain them as one-way.

highwater · #8 Posted **Apr 18, 2009, 6:42 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by markbarbera

Two-way conversion of King and Main is already being planned.

It is? Since when? Where did you hear this?

markbarbera · #9 Posted **Apr 18, 2009, 7:31 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by highwater

It is? Since when? Where did you hear this?

The Downtown Master Plan 5-year review was presented last summer. Unless I am mistaken, the recommendations for two-way conversion was accepted by council, with the exception of King Street conversion, which was deferred to coincide with the rapid transit planning now underway. The report doesn't mention Main Street, so I was wrong to include it in my original statement.

Millstone · #10 Posted **Apr 18, 2009, 3:54 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by adam

While they have the shovels in the ground for LRT construction, why not update the 1950's style 1-ways too? We should look to other urban centres in North America - when they do updates on the road system, they are not converting to 1-way streets... so why are we working so hard to maintain ours?

The 1-ways aren't even maintained that well, save for the resurfacing of Main at Queen to Dundurn last year. There isn't a road except RHVP that's truly in great shape the whole length here, regardless of its traffic pattern.

adam · #11 Posted **Apr 18, 2009, 4:11 PM**

When LRT goes in they will have to resurface the road, repaint lines, rework traffic lights, etc So its a perfect opportunity to convert to 2-way.
This would be the most cost effective time to do the conversions, while shovels are already in the ground.

ps - completely off topic, but just to reply to Millstone's comment on road maintenance: the streets on the major arteries in Hamilton are in fantastic shape. Take a trip to Toronto or Vancouver or any other major city sometime and do a comparison. And those cities are thriving.

Millstone · #12 Posted **Apr 19, 2009, 4:46 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by adam

When LRT goes in they will have to resurface the road, repaint lines, rework traffic lights, etc So its a perfect opportunity to convert to 2-way.
This would be the most cost effective time to do the conversions, while shovels are already in the ground.

ps - completely off topic, but just to reply to Millstone's comment on road maintenance: the streets on the major arteries in Hamilton are in fantastic shape. Take a trip to Toronto or Vancouver or any other major city sometime and do a comparison. And those cities are thriving.

These are not in fantastic shape:

1) King east of Wellington (not TOO bad, just rough)
2) Burlington east of Sherman
3) Wellington at Burlington and south to Barton
4) Rymal Rd
5) Kenilworth from Burlington to Barton
6) Barton St through the village... almost
7) (Lower) Centennial Rd
8) Victoria north of Barton
9) Jolley Cut (poor sightlines and geometry, as discussed in other thread)
10) Upper Wellington south of the Linc
11) Most of former Hwy 8 through Stoney Creek

Plus the recent Spectator article about all the lines fading.

And it's not really a contest to figure out who has the worst roads. Any place can set an example either way. Toronto's allowed to not have great roads because their mayor states how much they hate cars. Vancouver I have no idea.

omro · #13 Posted **Apr 18, 2009, 5:44 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by omro

So both lanes on Main have totally and definitively been dropped?

Sorry, I wasn't talking about two way traffic, though that would be great. I meant two way LRT on Main.

omro · #14 Posted **Apr 19, 2009, 7:14 PM**

Just to go back from the tagent to two-way road traffic (which would be also cool), does anyone know if the concept of a two-way LRT on Main has been totally dropped?

SteelTown · #15 Posted **Apr 20, 2009, 2:49 PM**

They'll still be two way LRT on Main St from University Plaza to Paradise Road and from Delta to Eastgate.

From Paradise to Delta it's either:
One way LRT
Two Way LRT on King

markbarbera · #16 Posted **Apr 20, 2009, 3:26 PM**

While Hamilton's Rapdi Transit office has restricted consideration to those two options, the Netrolinx BCA will have no restrictions to its study options.

highwater · #17 Posted **Apr 20, 2009, 5:21 PM**

What's the reasoning for the restrictions? Main seems a better candidate for two-way than King.

SteelTown · #18 Posted **Apr 20, 2009, 5:28 PM**

If two way on King it'll turn Main St two way, instead of 5 lanes it'll be 4 lanes, two lanes for each direction, with perhaps bigger sidewalks.

Two way LRT on King will turn King two way as well but no curbside parking, I'm sure International Village will hate this.

To me the best option is still one way LRT from Paradise to Delta. Have LRT on the second lane to have curbside parking.

Jon Dalton · #19 Posted **Apr 20, 2009, 6:48 PM**

I couldn't see business going down if King St. became 2-way and LRT at the same time. The benefits would outweigh the loss of street parking. Look at how busy Spadina is around the streetcar right of way - when this was proposed, businesses objected for the same reasons.

The results of the study surprised me - I thought they would favour Main over King, and tend to retain one-way car traffic.

SteelTown · #20 Posted **Apr 21, 2009, 12:41 PM**

^

Quote:

Originally Posted by SteelTown

If two way on King it'll turn Main St two way, instead of 5 lanes it'll be 4 lanes, two lanes for each direction, with perhaps bigger sidewalks.

Two way LRT on King will turn King two way as well but no curbside parking, I'm sure International Village will hate this.

To me the best option is still one way LRT from Paradise to Delta. Have LRT on the second lane to have curbside parking.