So, I have some opinions.
TLDR; Add stations at River Rd/King and the 401 and move the route off Hespeler Rd and onto Coronation Blvd.
![[Image: GiDwgBt.jpg]](http://i.imgur.com/GiDwgBt.jpg)
Of the available alternatives within the study area, I believe the preferred route option is the best option. However, given costs and constraints of this option, I believe it would be prudent to expand the study area while constuction and upper level funding are still a few years off.
Given the extensive amount of property acquisition required on Eagle St, cost associated with the CP grade separation, and difficulties associated with converting a busy truck route along Hespeler Rd into a string of livable communities, it may be preferable to avoid serving Hespeler Rd altogether. Alternatively, routings paralelling King St through Prestion and along Corontation Blvd should be re-considered and costed.
I do understand that proposing a Phase 2 routing along Corontation Blvd route would significantly change the council-approved route, run contrary to the existing plan for Preston Towne Centre, and that any potential for re-urbanization on Hespeler Rd would be diminished or deferred until the ION bus corridor is upgraded in a later phase. However, the endorsed route was approved before we knew that running the LRT via the CP ROW between Kitchener and Cambridge was infeasible and the necessity of a CP grade separation at Eagle Street and associated costs were known.
Starting and ending at common points, an LRT route beginning at Eagle St and ending at the Delta folowing Queenston/Coronation would be roughly 4.8km vs 7.4 km following Eagle St, the rail spur, and Hespeler Rd. The amount of property impact through Preston would be roughly equal. A shorter and more direct route would have the potential to reduce end-to-end travel times and reduce overall project cost and property impact while still acheiving many of the instensification objectives of the Hespeler Rd alignment.
An LRT right-of way could feasibly be constructed within the existing road envelope along Coronation Blvd with very little property impacts outside of a station and development node at Cambridge Memorial Hospital. A Coronation Blvd route also has the advantage of avoiding almost all existing rail corridors except for at Dundas St where grade separaion already exists and could be modified to run LRT.
While it is likely not feasible to run a dedicated right-of-way along King St E given current streetscape plans, a route running the length of Preston paralell to King St E would still have good potential to bring new life and interest to an existing urban core. Potential development nodes could exist around stations in the vicinity of Eagle St, Downtown Preston (Westminster), and near King/Bishop.
Property impacts through Preston could be further mitigated if the light rail route were split (not preferable), or if the road LRT was travelling on was converted to a one-way operation. There are more than enough other paralell streets that would be able to absorb the traffic impact that one-way operation cause and if designed with appropriate corner radii, could actually assist in calming traffic on the street.
TLDR; Add stations at River Rd/King and the 401 and move the route off Hespeler Rd and onto Coronation Blvd.
Of the available alternatives within the study area, I believe the preferred route option is the best option. However, given costs and constraints of this option, I believe it would be prudent to expand the study area while constuction and upper level funding are still a few years off.
Given the extensive amount of property acquisition required on Eagle St, cost associated with the CP grade separation, and difficulties associated with converting a busy truck route along Hespeler Rd into a string of livable communities, it may be preferable to avoid serving Hespeler Rd altogether. Alternatively, routings paralelling King St through Prestion and along Corontation Blvd should be re-considered and costed.
I do understand that proposing a Phase 2 routing along Corontation Blvd route would significantly change the council-approved route, run contrary to the existing plan for Preston Towne Centre, and that any potential for re-urbanization on Hespeler Rd would be diminished or deferred until the ION bus corridor is upgraded in a later phase. However, the endorsed route was approved before we knew that running the LRT via the CP ROW between Kitchener and Cambridge was infeasible and the necessity of a CP grade separation at Eagle Street and associated costs were known.
Starting and ending at common points, an LRT route beginning at Eagle St and ending at the Delta folowing Queenston/Coronation would be roughly 4.8km vs 7.4 km following Eagle St, the rail spur, and Hespeler Rd. The amount of property impact through Preston would be roughly equal. A shorter and more direct route would have the potential to reduce end-to-end travel times and reduce overall project cost and property impact while still acheiving many of the instensification objectives of the Hespeler Rd alignment.
An LRT right-of way could feasibly be constructed within the existing road envelope along Coronation Blvd with very little property impacts outside of a station and development node at Cambridge Memorial Hospital. A Coronation Blvd route also has the advantage of avoiding almost all existing rail corridors except for at Dundas St where grade separaion already exists and could be modified to run LRT.
While it is likely not feasible to run a dedicated right-of-way along King St E given current streetscape plans, a route running the length of Preston paralell to King St E would still have good potential to bring new life and interest to an existing urban core. Potential development nodes could exist around stations in the vicinity of Eagle St, Downtown Preston (Westminster), and near King/Bishop.
Property impacts through Preston could be further mitigated if the light rail route were split (not preferable), or if the road LRT was travelling on was converted to a one-way operation. There are more than enough other paralell streets that would be able to absorb the traffic impact that one-way operation cause and if designed with appropriate corner radii, could actually assist in calming traffic on the street.