[ShonTron]

At least now, with the Kennedy and McLaughlin options off the table, there might be time to resurrect the original Brampton Gateway Terminal platform on the north side of Steeles, no longer requiring a tunnel and elevators to connect the bus terminal to the LRT. That would make connections easier and less convoluted (transferring passengers would have to cross the southbound lanes of Main Street at the crosswalks at Steeles or the north end bus-exit signals).

I don't think a tunnel is necessary - it's too expensive for the need. It does narrow the options back to a single route, and it got the project back on council agenda, with a narrow majority now in favour. I really wish Jeffrey was re-elected though.

 

[Bureaucromancer]

I don't think a tunnel is necessary - it's too expensive for the need. It does narrow the options back to a single route, and it got the project back on council agenda, with a narrow majority now in favour. I really wish Jeffrey was re-elected though.

The thing about a downtown Brampton tunnel, especially now that Brampton is on it's own timeline from the rest of the project, is that it's a project that can REALLY be left to local need. As in it doesn't mess with anything else, and is of a scope where it become reasonable and feasible, either way, to tell Brampton that if they want it they can pay the cost difference.

Do I think Brampton should spend their own funds on a tunnel? Not really. But do really think there's a legitimate regional interest in preventing it? Not at all.

This is what we should have told them years ago - LRT is happening, and it's happening on Main. You can fund doing pretty much whatever you want in design terms you don't get a veto on a regional service.

 

[TOareaFan]

Brampton politics is funny and confusing......the entire municipal election was trying to weed out the candidates that did not support this Vision 2040 thing.....if you did not fully support vision 2040 you had no chance of being elected for any position above dog catcher.......you know what was a hugely important part of Vision 2040? Yep, LRT on both Kennedy and McLaughlin.....but particularly Kennedy which was to see the current Brampton Golf Course lands and Powerade Centre lands redeveloped as a hub of commerce and entertainment. What words are contained in the first motion passed by the new council? Yep, you got it:

 

[robmausser]

At least now, with the Kennedy and McLaughlin options off the table, there might be time to resurrect the original Brampton Gateway Terminal platform on the north side of Steeles, no longer requiring a tunnel and elevators to connect the bus terminal to the LRT. That would make connections easier and less convoluted (transferring passengers would have to cross the southbound lanes of Main Street at the crosswalks at Steeles or the north end bus-exit signals).

I don't think a tunnel is necessary - it's too expensive for the need. It does narrow the options back to a single route, and it got the project back on council agenda, with a narrow majority now in favour. I really wish Jeffrey was re-elected though.

Can we also pass a motion that the crotchety old geezers who were the ones that spoke out at the council meeting that cancelled the LRT down Main Street are forced by law to come and watch the ground breaking when this project happens?

 

[robmausser]

Brampton politics is funny and confusing......the entire municipal election was trying to weed out the candidates that did not support this Vision 2040 thing.....if you did not fully support vision 2040 you had no chance of being elected for any position above dog catcher.......you know what was a hugely important part of Vision 2040? Yep, LRT on both Kennedy and McLaughlin.....but particularly Kennedy which was to see the current Brampton Golf Course lands and Powerade Centre lands redeveloped as a hub of commerce and entertainment. What words are contained in the first motion passed by the new council? Yep, you got it:

View attachment 166420

Regardless of how we got here its a good thing.

 

[raptor]

Regardless of how we got here its a good thing.

"Regardless"? They had a funded LRT going on Main st., they rejected it and lost funding. Now they want it back but there is no way the Province will pay for it.
As long as Patrick Brown is the mayor of that city, the Doug Ford conservatives will not give a penny to Brampton.

 

[Hopkins123]

"Regardless"? They had a funded LRT going on Main st., they rejected it and lost funding. Now they want it back but there is no way the Province will pay for it.
As long as Patrick Brown is the mayor of that city, the Doug Ford conservatives will not give a penny to Brampton.

We don't know this for certain. Tunneling through the downtown core fits with Ford's "subways, subways, subways!" agenda and is less logistically complicated than dual tracks up McLaughlin and Kennedy. I also don't buy the narrative that Brown is mortal enemies with everyone at the party he was just at the helm of less than a year ago, no more than I buy that Tory and Ford are truly foes. You think that Brampton would be looked at more favorably with former Liberal MP Jefferies at the helm? Let's get real here.

 

[TOareaFan]

We don't know this for certain. Tunneling through the downtown core fits with Ford's "subways, subways, subways!" agenda and is less logistically complicated than dual tracks up McLaughlin and Kennedy. I also don't buy the narrative that Brown is mortal enemies with everyone at the party he was just at the helm of less than a year ago, no more than I buy that Tory and Ford are truly foes. You think that Brampton would be looked at more favorably with former Liberal MP Jefferies at the helm? Let's get real here.

a) Linda Jeffrey
b) the candidate who's campaign and fundraising was all run by Ford folks? the same people who ran his campaign for Premier?

 

[Bureaucromancer]

I'll put it this way: Brampton is likely to get funding if and when the Tories have a close campaign looming in the area.

 

[TOareaFan]

I'll put it this way: Brampton is likely to get funding if and when the Tories have a close campaign looming in the area.

As a Bramptonian, I can tell you that as important as transit funding is....there is at least one other area where we have a much bigger and more critical shortfall that only the province can fix......so if funding is short, I don't think LRT (or any transit project) should be at the front of the "we need provincial help" list.

 

[ShonTron]

Brampton politics is funny and confusing......the entire municipal election was trying to weed out the candidates that did not support this Vision 2040 thing.....if you did not fully support vision 2040 you had no chance of being elected for any position above dog catcher.......you know what was a hugely important part of Vision 2040? Yep, LRT on both Kennedy and McLaughlin.....but particularly Kennedy which was to see the current Brampton Golf Course lands and Powerade Centre lands redeveloped as a hub of commerce and entertainment. What words are contained in the first motion passed by the new council? Yep, you got it:

View attachment 166420

The Brampton Vision was ridiculous. Who really thinks that the 410/407 interchange should be the urban “Uptown” (never mind it was south of and downstream of Downtown Brampton). It’s a bloody interchange without local road access or east-west transit. It just throws more money that was the mistake the OHL arena was at that lousy location. Redevelopment of Shoppers World, Downtown development (along with the Riverwalk) and intensification of the Queen Street corridor all make a hell of a lot more sense.

 

[TOareaFan]

The Brampton Vision was ridiculous. Who really thinks that the 410/407 interchange should be the urban “Uptown” (never mind it was south of and downstream of Downtown Brampton). It’s a bloody interchange without local road access or east-west transit. It just throws more money that was the mistake the OHL arena was at that lousy location. Redevelopment of Shoppers World, Downtown development (along with the Riverwalk) and intensification of the Queen Street corridor all make a hell of a lot more sense.

Don’t mistake me for a vision 2040 fan.....it was seriously flawed and was the equivalent of the “fantasy” sections of this board.

My point here is that I bet each of these councillors spoke in glowing terms about it during the election......and the first motion they vote on essentially kills it ......and it passes unanimously without the words “vision 2040” coming up in the debate.......Brampton politics is a strange and funny world indeed.

 

[rbt]

That's all great, but good luck getting funding from Dougie. The train has left the station.

I'd be surprised if Doug didn't give them business case & EA money (particularly if the feds cover 40%) which would keep them busy for a minimum of 4 years. That's a pretty cheap offering to help lock in a few seats and with BRT on the table he can state he supports transit but still dislikes LRT. Brampton won't be asking for construction funding until after the next provincial election.

I bet Doug likes winning elections more than he dislikes the suburban LRT.

 

[drum118]

City spending millions going in circles over Hurontario LRT line in Brampton

 

[W. K. Lis]

Meanwhile, in Phoenix, Arizona...

from this link.

...Light rail has more than delivered on that promise in the 10 years since. More than 35,000 new jobs, tens of thousands of students and tourists and more than $11 billion in public and private investment have transformed the 26-mile corridor.

Phoenix, Tempe and Mesa are more tightly linked than ever, with greater incentives to collaborate. More people can reach their destination in a single trip, with time saved, compared to transit travel before Dec. 27, 2008...

...Connecting communities. The light rail corridor generally follows the old Red Line bus route. In the year before light rail opened, the Red Line carried 2.8 million riders. In 2017, light rail had 16.5 million riders. Commutes have become easier for workers and students. Twenty-five percent more high schools are now within an hour’s travel to Gateway Community College. City leaders talk to each other more. Where once they would have gone separate directions, Phoenix, Tempe and Mesa coordinated on adding GRID bike stations adjacent to light rail.

Enhancing customer experience. Light rail carries twice as many people per hour on Central Avenue compared to automobiles. During rush hour, light rail cuts 15 minutes off travel time, which may be why 81 percent of customers said they were very satisfied with Valley Metro’s service. On-time performance has improved by 14 percent. Residents also benefit from a safer and more accessible corridor with the addition of 43 new crosswalks and 70 pedestrian crossings.

Driving the economy. These numbers are impressive. We mentioned the 35,000 new jobs and $11 billion of investment along the corridor. That investment added 50 million square feet of new construction in 344 projects. Many of those filled in eyesore vacant lots that had sat untouched for years. Light rail has brought new life and vibrancy to the downtowns of Phoenix and Mesa, including college campuses and students. ASU’s downtown Phoenix campus and Benedictine University in Mesa would not have been as successful without light rail.

More than 25,000 new residential units have been built along the line. People once again live in downtown Phoenix. The Central Avenue corridor has 20 percent more jobs today, compared to 2005. And more than $400 million in new projects have been built or are planned in downtown Mesa.

Light rail has also provided a big boost to tourism. Light rail was central to bringing both Super Bowl XLIX and the 2017 NCAA Final Four to the Valley. Ridership for Super Bowl weekend was 390,000, including a single-day record of 126,000 on Saturday. In addition, more than 300 special events, from concerts to arts festivals, were directly served by light rail last year.

Improving community health. Over the past decade, light rail has reduced 27,000 car trips daily, which saved more than 60 million gallons of gas over a decade and kept more than 19,000 tons of pollutants out of Valley skies.

People who live along the light rail corridor spend 39 percent of their household income on housing and transportation, well below the 53 percent average for Maricopa County. More than 2,200 affordable housing units have been built in the corridor. Food deserts are greening; grocery stores have opened up within walking distance of half of the rail stations...