08-17-2017, 11:02 PM
(08-17-2017, 09:55 PM)Pheidippides Wrote: I actually thought the number of property owners for running a trail straight along the north side of the CN/GWR/GEXR line from the IHT to the hub is pretty small; 4 I think.:
Catalyst137,
Airboss,
the parking lot owner,
and MetroLinx.
If you try and do it along the south side is something like 15 owners, much more built up, and more difficult terrain/grading.
Despite their new +1,000 space parking lot Catalyst137 is making a connection to the IHT so they seem open to supporting active transportation and would only need to sever a small swath.
The parking lot parcel would require minimal preparation, no demolition, little grading. So mostly the costs of a 5m silver along the edge of the property.
The MetroLinx siding is only temporary until the Shirley facility is up and and they support active transportation (e.g. funding the spurline trail). They could just give up the land in kind. The land is already graded; only the siding tracks would need to come out.
So really it would come down to Airboss. How much does their little siding actually get used? Even if they still use it there is no reason a simple crossing could not be put in like the new one near Victoria Park.
This really does seem to be the path of least resistance. I really hope what some said earlier about current proposed trail becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy of "well we built it and no one uses it so we aren't going to try building another trail!"
That’s what I was thinking. Thanks for working it out in more detail — in particular I wasn’t as clear on how the property ownership worked west of Strange. In addition to what you say, partial trail implementation would be useful. For example, if Metrolinx gives up the land currently occupied by the northernmost siding, you get a trail from Park St. Then add in the bit through the parking lot to get to Strange. Then people can use Gage/St. John’s field to deal with the gap until a plan for getting the trail through the Airboss property can be found.
Also, if it comes down to it, we shouldn’t be afraid to expropriate. If the region or city needed a 5m strip of Airboss’ property to widen a road, there would be no question of not doing it just because they don’t like it. So frankly I don’t care whether Airboss wants a trail running between their factory and the railroad: it should happen regardless. The only real problem I see is that I’m not sure where the boundary is between their property and the railroad right-of-way. If the path actually needs to occupy some of the railroad right-of-way then we’re into that difficult discussion.