Comment 94867

By JayRobb (registered) | Posted November 19, 2013 at 12:24:17

Has anyone talked yet with the small business owners along King St. West with the "no more bus lane" and "bus lane = bankruptcy" signs in their windows?

Counted 15 businesses with these signs last night. It's not one or two outliers or a handful of new, undercapitalized businesses struggling to find customers. There are well-established restaurants and stores in the mix.

Before the signs went up and the Queen St. Hill reopened, nixing parking along King during rush hour seemed like an idea worth considering if it would diffuse opposition to a dedicated bus lane.

But with the signs up in pretty much every small business along those three blocks of King West, keeping 24 hour parking with far better promotion to shoppers and diners may be the best route to take.

At the same time, ignoring, discrediting and throwing these small biz owners under the bus will do nothing to build broad support for dedicated bus lanes or LRT.

If tweaks are coming to the transit lane, the concerns and ideas of folks who've got a whole lot of skin in the game should be heard and considered.

And complete street / transit advocates may want to stop by these businesses and spend some cash in a show of support and solidarity.

Permalink | Context

Events Calendar

There are no upcoming events right now.
Why not post one?

Recent Articles

Article Archives

Blog Archives

Site Tools

Feeds