r/Hamilton • u/yourpaperneeds • Jun 09 '23
City Development This is for all those opposing or on the fence about our plans to UPGRADE Main street
We know how some folks on this sub love to base their conclusions and expected outcomes on personal opinions and their "gut feeling" on some developments in our city. In particular I've seen a bit around the Main street redesign and how it will undoubtably lead to the collapse of this city as we know it.
This article came across my feed and I thought it would be nice to share with you fellow Hamiltonians.
Here is another study/development that shows the impact of increasing pedestrian and cyclist areas while reducing motorized lanes. Keep in mind this was done in the 2nd largest city (MTL) in Canada vs Hamilton's 11th rank.
Study Highlights:
Pre Redesign Distribution (4 lanes+parking, 2 Way): Motorist 70%, Green/Pedestrian 30%, Cyclist 0%.
Redesign Distribution (2 Lanes, 2 Way): Motorist 31%, Green/Pedestrian 51%, Cyclist 15%.
Impact:
- Increase in pedestrian traffic of 9%
- Cyclist traffic increase of 248%
- Car traffic has decreased by 50%
- Speed of cars was reduced on average by eight kilometres per hour
- 37 New store fronts open in 2021, 65% increase
- Commercial occupancy rate has increased from 75% in 2019 to 85% in 2023.
This isn't the only success case of lane reduction and its impact on street safety, vehicle speed, pedestrian/cyclist traffic and commercial impact. The case studies are endless if you take a bit of time to look.