Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Letter of the (2-way) Day

John, James conversions a blessing

Main Street West remains a traffic "sewer" on one-way traffic, not a place for walking or cycling
Two-way conversions a waste of money (Letters, Hamilton Spectator Aug. 18)

Converting James Street South and John Street South to two-way streets is the best thing the city has done for the surrounding neighbourhoods.

Contrary to the letter writer’s statement, it is now much easier and safer for seniors to cross these streets. As a longtime downtown resident, I, and many other seniors I know, walk and/or drive on these street daily. How can it be more dangerous when the traffic is now travelling at a more civilized rate of speed? When they were one-way streets, they seemed more like speedways with traffic going ever faster to avoid red lights.

Gone, thankfully, are the four lanes of traffic rushing madly by so that the drivers could return to their own neighbourhoods, which undoubtedly do not contain any one-way streets.Cities like Toronto have maintained extremely busy two-way streets like Yonge, Bloor and Dundas because they recognize the value of healthy and vibrant neighbourhoods.

Thank you to the councillors who voted to reconvert James and John back to the way they should always have been.

Barb Allen, Hamilton

Monday, August 06, 2012

Bike Parking: North Side of King between Bay and James

A quick tour of the bike parking on this downtown stretch of King Street in Hamilton ON (click on map below for overview of placement). 

Why so few places to securely lock a bicycle along this busy commercial area in the city's core?
Lots of room but no bike parking King at Bay 
A rack outside the Sheraton Hotel
A new "Sandanista" rack outside RBC at King across from MacNab

No racks between MacNab and James

New rack on James North at King Street

View Bike Parking, North Side of King Street between Bay and James in a larger map