Transportation

Proposal to Improve HSR Service in Hamilton

By Jason Leach
Published June 03, 2005

Objectives

Plan

  1. Buses # 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 33, 35 are removed from the south side of Gore Park.
  2. Buses #2 and 3 are re-routed off Hughson St. and moved to John St., where they can continue their northbound route.

This enables the south leg of King St. to be closed to traffic permanently, as well as enabling the city to hold numerous festivals and events in this area by closing Hughson St. at King St. without disrupting HSR service in any way.

The remaining buses will continue up John St. Some will head all the way up to Guise, where they would take a left, then a right into the Marine Discovery Centre site, which has a well-designed loop right at the front door for buses to come back out to Guise and head back up James Street to the Mountain.

I would suggest the following buses use this route to the Discovery Centre:

The above routes serve a large population base in different geographic locations of the Mountain, as well as various hotspots where transit use can be maximized – Mohawk Sports Park, Limeridge Mall, Mohawk College, Chedoke Arena, and Columbia College residence.

Folks who live, work, play or attend school in the aforementioned areas would now be one bus ride away from the water's edge as well as an easy trip back home or to school.

The remaining routes, #22, 23, 24, and 27, should head north on John St., turn left at Burlington St. (still close to the water without jamming the Marine Discovery Centre lot buses), then left at James St. before heading back up the mountain.

Of course, these routes could also be divided so that half come down the Mountain and use James St. to go north and John St. to go south so that all the buses aren't forced to use the same lanes of John St. and James St. This would also enable the city to do a proper two-way conversion of James and John South, but may result in a loss of parking.

Conclusion

The HSR has a mandate to serve the people of Hamilton and provide a good alternative to the private automobile. Very few improvements have been made in recent years, despite the growing popularity of transit use in Canada once again. It's time for the HSR to link the city to our waterfront and take a small step forward in becoming a more viable transportation option in Hamilton.

Jason Leach was born and raised in the Hammer and currently lives downtown with his wife and children. You can follow him on twitter.

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