This is a Downtown Plan?

Downtown Secondary Plan "Putting People First" located at http://www.myhamilton.ca/myhamilton/CityandGovernment/CityDepartments/PlanningEcDev/LongRangePlanning/OfficialPlan/PPF-Land+Use+Plan.htm
is a curious collection of maps of the downtown which appear to show no true vision forward.

Effectively the plans show no real change to what is currently there now. Running a series of tall buildings along Main Street without a cohesive transportation plan to provide comfortable rapid transit [there is supposed to be one but it was not there when I looked - dead link!] The buses running there now just are not going to work in the long term. Bidirectional east-west transit travel on a single artery will also be required to satisfy the requirements of such density - this does not require the road to be bi-directional only the transit system. Workers going to this dense an area will not be satisfied walking around blocks to get to or from work, thus encouraging  driving. The envisioned density would only follow good transit.

Although I do not like the funding mechanism for the York Region VIVA bus system it does fulfill a need for a high capacity predecessor to other high volume systems. http://www.yrt.ca/services/viva.asp
The system uses a station model which would set the stage for higher capacity as the density warrants. The future plans for VIVA are for dedicated busways and then rail transit based on utilization of the system.

The plan presented for the downtown would only need a high capacity route across [east-west] downtown with feeder routes supplying passengers originating/ending their travels away from the main "Main Street" route.

Is there no vision for the longer term available? The vision should show organic growth  which builds on  a  system of moving people, workers,  to and from  the downtown CBD  [Central Business District]  and the  sections that are permitted  to grow outward from it.   

Ilpo

Comments

[ilpo]

The city seems to have addressed the concerns raised in the original posting, in some manner at least.

[Edward H.C Graydon]

Well I will have to say that the city is finished and that I personally would not invest in a city like Hamilton . I live and work here and think that Hamilton has great biking;and nature trails all over the west end and in the east.Hamilton is a great place to have as a home base as every thing is really very cheap if you can not make it here then where? We have an airport that gives access nto the rest of the country and that is a great plus;but as far as the downtown forget it. It is toast.
I live here and like it but I do not like the poverty in the downtown it is only going to get worse in the coming years.

Edward H.C Graydon