LRT plan must help suburbs, too

RE: LRT

With Andrea Horwath following Doug Ford’s lead and announcing that the NDP would support Hamilton using LRT money on other projects, the tide has turned. LRT was never popular with the suburbs, and with their density of votes, astute politicians are crafting a story that appeals to suburban voters.

It is a shame that LRT was never given a real chance here, but the idea was doomed from conception. LRT supporters are right, LRT would be a benefit to the city, but it was always a poisoned chalice. The plan we were presented would make getting downtown a traffic nightmare and almost guarantee conversion of Main to twoway traffic. This was always going to be too much for Hamiltonians to swallow.

Now as we watch LRT slip away, we should ask ourselves why we were not presented with an idea that we could all get behind. Realpolitik demands that LRT give something to the suburbs.

The 403 and the Redhill are a nightmare every commute. How about an LRT plan that moved people up and down the Escarpment and took people off the highway? Once here, LRT would prove its benefits, and in 5-10 years, we could build the rest of the network.

Our geography here is unique. For LRT to work, we need a mix of creative thinking on the route and astute politics. We did not need a plan that pits downtown against the suburbs. It’s a democracy after all.

Simon Gautrey, Hamilton