City Centre/Young Condominiums | 17, 25 & 6 fl | U/C

[panamaniac]

Covering King St in DTK was a proposal, never a plan.

[dtkvictim]

On a related note, does anybody know what traffic is like on King St. in downtown lately, with it closed between Francis and Water?

I ask because one alternative to full closure is to close a block at each end of the proposed closure zone. This eliminates through traffic and therefore has a possibility of enormously reducing motor vehicle traffic without actually banning it. I know that I used to regularly drive on King  St.; but now I use Charles. This is somewhat similar to King St. in Toronto, where a long segment through downtown requires non-streetcar motor vehicles to turn at most intersections, eliminating through traffic (and freeing up the street for the streetcars).

As much as I would love pedestrianizing King St (as someone who lives on it), I think this is the better solution for now. Or a hybrid were the roads belong to the pedestrians (make it visual with some cobblestone looking road and a 15kph limit), but cars are allowed for 5-10 minute stops. 

Outside of the pandemic I've noticed a number of restaurants here that are 50%+ delivery by food couriers, and during the pandemic some are closer to 90%. Until the downtown population can sustain these places, removing car access may very well kill these businesses (I'm not sure if the delivery apps would delist them for being inaccessible?).

I'm also dependant on grocery delivery since I don't have a car, which would become way more complicated if King was closed. Of course, if this building has a grocery store like it seems so perfectly designed for it would solve that problem. But otherwise losing delivery would probably push me over the edge and I'd purchase a car, and if I have one, I'm going to use it for other trips too... So at least for me, closing King would add another car to downtown.

[Momo26]

That's a good point. Ontario to Francis is 75% delivery traffic right now...one has to snake through Uber Eats and DoorDash cars on each side. If delivery isn't an option for them during COVID, you can kiss these small businesses goodbye.

There's a lot that can and needs to be done to bring DTK into the vision many on this board, myself included, have. Are Kitchener reps actively and aggressively seeking out businesses (meaning jobs and people) to Kitchener in general? I hope this isn't limited to the folks who wear those DTK shirts walking around handing out the magazines haha

[panamaniac]

Kitchener works to attract business/investment to the Region. They are not fussed by where in the Region new businesses establish themselves.

[plam]

That's a good point. Ontario to Francis is 75% delivery traffic right now...one has to snake through Uber Eats and DoorDash cars on each side. If delivery isn't an option for them during COVID, you can kiss these small businesses goodbye.

There's a lot that can and needs to be done to bring DTK into the vision many on this board, myself included, have. Are Kitchener reps actively and aggressively seeking out businesses (meaning jobs and people) to Kitchener in general? I hope this isn't limited to the folks who wear those DTK shirts walking around handing out the magazines haha

Montreal was talking about establishing lots of ebike deliveries, although for cargo, not food:

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/...-1.5282124

These deliveries would ideally be less by car and more by smaller vehicles.

[jamincan]

Couldn't delivery companies use rear entrances?

[kitborn]

The King Street pedestrian mall idea was tried back in the 1960s / 70s timeframe. I don't recall the official verdict but it seems to me that if it had been successful, it would still be in place.

Are you talking about the "King Street bubble" concept they had back then? I don't know the city history completely, so I'm unaware of King Street being pedestrian at any point.

Here is a photo from the 60's King Street. Partial closing except for buses. Taken at Young and King.

   

[panamaniac]

Couldn't delivery companies use rear entrances?

Are you talking about the "King Street bubble" concept they had back then? I don't know the city history completely, so I'm unaware of King Street being pedestrian at any point.

Here is a photo from the 60's King Street. Partial closing except for buses. Taken at Young and King.

Except for the trolleys, iinm.

[ijmorlan]

Couldn't delivery companies use rear entrances?

Here is a photo from the 60's King Street. Partial closing except for buses. Taken at Young and King.

Except for the trolleys, iinm.

Trolleybuses, I believe. The streetcar closed in 1946.

Anyway, what we have now is basically that, except we have parking lanes, and implemented permanently rather than using paint and planters to mark off some of the former traffic lanes.

[tomh009]

Anyway, what we have now is basically that, except we have parking lanes, and implemented permanently rather than using paint and planters to mark off some of the former traffic lanes.

The parking spaces can be "turned off" by using the bollards.

[Spokes]

Lets bring it back to this project please.

[tomh009]

I think this is the right project!

   

[ac3r]

Front:



Back:

[Acitta]

I noticed today that they have reached ground level on Duke St.    

[Spokes]

I always forget how much of a grade difference there is between King and Duke