From the LFP (May 23)
City hall recommending pair of corridors to serve as spines of London's proposed rapid-transit system
In a city with about 40 transit routes, the future may be built around two main corridors.
London’s $380-million vision for a rapid-transit system is coming into sharper focus, with city hall set to announce a pair of L-shaped routes that would be the heart of the massive overhaul, The Free Press has learned.
The so-called “preferred corridors” — recommended over several options after city officials gathered input from thousands of citizens — would run:
From the Masonville Place area along Richmond St., past Western University to the core, and east to Fanshawe College.
From the White Oaks Mall area along Wellington Rd. to the core, and west to the intersection of Wonderland Rd. and Oxford St.
So-called transit villages, areas where more intense development is planned, would pop up along those routes.
Other traditional routes would be designed to feed those two main paths, so even commuters not along them would have quick access.
The system would run along King St. in the core, making the downtown stretch of Dundas St. bus-free.
A focus on feeding into downtown London is a key part of the proposed transit blueprint, which Mayor Matt Brown says is the lifeblood of the vision for targeted growth outlined in the London Plan.
“There is no London Plan without rapid transit,” Brown said.
And there’s no rapid transit if it isn’t rapid — a challenge created by the level rail crossings that have long frustrated city drivers and snarled traffic.
So the transit plan’s next phase offers another new option: a transit-only tunnel that could be dug under the tracks cutting across Richmond St. just north of Richmond Row.
The tunnel would run from Central Ave. to north of Oxford St. Cars would veer around its openings and remain on Richmond St.
As these plans develop, they do so in the shadow of a massive price tag, in the hundreds of millions of dollars. About $100 million of that would be needed from city hall, with much of that coming from development charges.
The rest would be sought from the provincial and federal governments — both of whom have indicated money for these kinds of municipal projects will be available. The Ontario government, for example, has earmarked $15 billion for transportation investment outside Toronto, its suburbs and Hamilton. So securing the money is a reasonable possibility, at this point, for London.
But the creation of the plan is just like a cross-city commute: faster is better.
In January, the mayor announced the start of Shift, an environmental assessment that sets the stage for rapid transit. Its early priority has been gathering citizen input.
In five months, 6,500 people have weighed in. While making people less car-reliant and aiding the environment are important issues, the feedback suggests the top priority for Londoners is creating a faster, more comfortable service.
Shift’s second stage of public consultation starts next week, with public meetings at which the two recommended main routes will be made public.
The proposed rapid-transit system may include light rail, rapid bus routes or a combination of both. City hall is expected to recommend which technology to use by year’s end.
patrick.maloney@sunmedia.ca
twitter.com/patatLFPress
PUBLIC MEETINGS
City hall wants to hear from Londoners as the second stage of its public consultations on a proposed rapid-transit system ramps up. Two meetings are slated for next week:
Thursday, 4:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Western Fair Agriplex
Saturday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Goodwill centre, 255 Horton St. E.
Go to shiftlondon.ca for details
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