Highways Revisited

Just reviewed the article in the Spec from 31 Oct 2007
http://www.thespec.com/specialsections/section/hamiltonnext/274850
and it had some interesting issues that were raised.
1.  The Mid-Penn expressway and far-flung employment would not be affected by rising energy prices. Well at least not until they double.  Let's see the prices have increased significantly already [since the end of October '07] and the prices are forecast to increase significantly even further by this summer. Perhaps some of that employment may have a difficult time getting their employees to work when they cannot afford to get there. For the high cost of land and the building process the highway might as well stay atop the escarpment and continue all the way to the 401 somewhere near where Hwy 6 intersects with the 401. This would truly create an alternative route that would still travel near the airport, but it would not be the Linc. 
2.   The airport.  If it is to function 24 hours strongly ensure that "cheap" housing is not built under the flight paths - EVER. The reason that Toronto's airport cannot operate 24 hours has to do with "cheap" housing being built under flight paths and then they complain about the noise! The original buyers may not be the ones there any longer and the buyers that followed raised a huge stink about the times of flights and the noise levels. To ensure that no housing is there it should simply be warehousing/industrial or even big box stores along the flight paths or potential flight paths.

The transportation not discussed in the article did not deal with is how to bring the workers to these industries near the airport at times they need to be there, but not using personal vehicles. Another important link that would be of great use is to have a rapid passenger link between Pearson and Munroe airports thus releasing the stranglehold of passenger traffic from Toronto Pearson. The Toronto Island airport and Hamilton already have an almost complete passenger link using the GO train between the cities. Buttonville is not a factor with its limitations on size of aircraft and the amount of housing being built near it.

To quote a dreamer Daniel Burnham 
"Make no little plans. They have no magic to stir men's blood and probably will not themselves be realized."

This is the vision still needed for Hamilton.