Transit Complaint

[ldoto]

Developer Would Like to See Buses Relocated

A London developer has a plan to revitalize the downtown core, and Schmuel Fahri is putting his money behind it.
But he says the plan to take th downtown core around Dundas and Richmond Streets upscale is jeopardized by the congestion caused by having the main stop for city buses at the intersection.

Fahri wants to attract retailers and customers but thinks the amount of Transit in the area discourages people from using the area.

London Transit boss Larry Ducharme says he is welcome to suggestions for change, but says they have to go through established process to be fair



Watch Video
http://www.atv.ca/london/news_72252.aspx

[ForestryW]

London must be the only major city in Canada without a downtown consolidated transit terminal.

But we'll never get one.

[MolsonExport]

Those damned busses block the roads around Western when passengers are embarking/disembarking. I am pro-transit, but come-on! You play russian roulette with your lanes when driving (if I stay in the left lane, what is the chance that some asshole will suddenly decide to take a left-hand turn into the beerstore, vs. if I stay in the right lane, goddmammit, the bus will stop every 12 feet, and take an unbelieveably long time to get rolling again, whilst I have to stare at the centretown pawnbrokers ad on the back of the bus).

[sparky212]

i say burry that part of the public transit make a tunnel for busses starting at colbourn and ending at ridout, and anuther starting at horton and ending past oxford and when the time is right turn it into ligh rail

[SlickFranky]

Fahri wants to attract retailers and customers but thinks the amount of Transit in the area discourages people from using the area.

What a bizarre statement....I guess transit riders don't count as people, or at least not as customers.

[manny_santos]

Originally Posted by SlickFranky

What a bizarre statement....I guess transit riders don't count as people, or at least not as customers.

I will give Farhi one thing on this - The area around Dundas and Richmond where many of the buses stop is infested with welfare bums yelling at each other including with profanities (often in front of their kids in strollers), and that makes the area less desirable. Several times a week I walk through there in order to get my bus home from work, but I get really tired of listening to many of the other transit riders yelling at each other, seeing drug deals, and getting into fights. And it's often the same people, waiting for the same buses. I once called the police on my cell phone when I saw someone pummel another person into a phone booth outside McDonalds - which is in one of the buildings Farhi now owns.

I don't have much money at all, and my family has very little as well. I know what it's like not to have much money. But that is not an excuse for the behaviour that goes on around Dundas and Richmond. Something has to be done about some of the people downtown waiting for buses. If it takes moving the buses off Dundas Street, then I'm for it.

I believe a vibrant downtown is important to the city. It doesn't need to be affluent (I do have a problem with the other extreme of people marching around with their noses in the air), but it needs to have at least some class.

[SlickFranky]

Oh, don't get me wrong...that place is a mess, and a lot of those 'eccentrics' do take the bus. But that doesn't mean you should blame the bus. That corner is a gathering place for the city's weirdos. They hang around there all day regardless of transit connectivity, so I'm not convinced shifting the routes would have much impact.

Can you imagine your urban-chic DT, with cool shops and restaurants, and vibrant nightlife...and a wal-mart sized parking lot. Farhi should be begging for more transit.

A few months back I heard mention of BRT/LRT/streetcars getting involved in LT's future planning. Guaranteed Farhi would shit his pants if they routed that around his buildings.

[manny_santos]

Originally Posted by SlickFranky

Oh, don't get me wrong...that place is a mess, and a lot of those 'eccentrics' do take the bus. But that doesn't mean you should blame the bus. That corner is a gathering place for the city's weirdos. They hang around there all day regardless of transit connectivity, so I'm not convinced shifting the routes would have much impact.

I find a lot of the weirdos are there waiting for buses, particularly the 2 Dundas (eastbound). I once got on that bus when I had to go out to the Argyle Mall area (don't ask), and the weirdos and yelling just migrate onto the bus. Men swearing at their wives on their cell phones, in front of children, for example.

When I briefly worked for Starbucks, I filled in several times at the Dundas/Richmond location. We got clever ripoff artists, and homeless people who came in to drink water. Needless to say we did whatever we could to keep cops close by, including giving them free coffee.

Some sort of balance needs to be found - balancing Farhi's vision for the area with a good transit system. And please, keep the parking lots hidden. They are ugly.

[manny_santos]

I just realized...MolsonExport has mentioned Centretown Pawnbrokers three times in two different forums I read in the past week.

[sparky212]

he must have a real hate on the place. did you get ripped of there or somethin molson?

[vid]

Thunder Bay is about to remove its downtown terminal, and someone actually pointed to London's current set up as a role model for us.

Why is it even necessary for this city to have downtown bus terminals? I spent years taking buses across the cities of Winnipeg, Ottawa and London. None of these cities had downtown terminals.

http://www.chroniclejournal.com/stories.php?id=252152

Business people here don't consider transit riders as customers either. Almost every business in our downtown is against a terminal near them, and some are opposed to the existence of public transit altogether. Our city council decided on Monday to stick the buses on a street surrounded by abandoned buildings for a couple years before public transit focal points in the two downtowns are removed entirely.

[MolsonExport]

Originally Posted by sparky212

he must have a real hate on the place. did you get ripped of there or somethin molson?

No...it is just the faces of the guys running the place. They are everywhere. Back when I first moved to London, I had to take the bus (no car), and it seemed that every second ad was for CTP.

[manny_santos]

Surprise, surprise, I was walking along Dundas near Clarence this afternoon, and a young woman across the street is screaming profanities at a guy in front of TD Canada Trust.

Mr. Farhi, please help us.

[MolsonExport]

That Dundas/Richmond corner needs to be completely cleared out of vomit-smelling detritus (human and otherwise).