Sheppard is a suburban street, not comparable to Eglinton.
Most of the people living in those condos drive, especially if they are not commuting for work. I live close to Leslie station and if I have to visit Sheppard & Yonge, I drive instead of using the subway. No way I would do that if I was visiting Yonge & Eglinton from Leslie & Eglinton.
Sheppard is a 6 lane highway with ultra long left turn lanes at some places.
If you go west on Sheppard from Yonge, it is even more suburban after a few km.
Okay, let's analyze these points then.
Sheppard is a suburban street, not comparable to Eglinton.
Here are 5 other suburban streets/Roads with good, or decent transit:
1. Gerrard (A streetcar suburban street is still a suburban street)
2. Lawrence
3. Finch
4. Allen Road
5. Eglinton (Yes it's suburban along most of its length).
Streets are dynamic and vary significantly in design, geometry, and use based on what section you're on. Classifying them as "urban" or "Suburban" is pointless. What matters is how it's used, and how things can be improved for the masses.
Most of the people living in those condos drive, especially if they are not commuting for work. I live close to Leslie station and if I have to visit Sheppard & Yonge, I drive instead of using the subway. No way I would do that if I was visiting Yonge & Eglinton from Leslie & Eglinton.
Most of the people living on Eglinton (hell, even any street outside of downtown) drive to some extent. Your personal preference for where you'd choose to drive is based on your experiences and needs. When I was living at Leslie, I'd take the subway even if I was just going to Fairview mall, despite having a car. I know people that will drive down the street 500 meters while living downtown. I personally have had to take car trips to Yonge and Eglinton despite living just a short bus and subway ride away now.
This is a moot point.
Sheppard is a 6 lane highway with ultra long left turn lanes at some places.
So is Yonge Street in many areas, namely North York Centre, which has some of the highest ridership stations in the system.
The same can be said about Dundas Street (Line 2), University Ave (Line 1), Eglinton (Line 2, and Line 5, Scarborough/Etobicoke).
This is a moot point.
If you go west on Sheppard from Yonge, it is even more suburban after a few km.
After a few Km you're at Sheppard West, which is where the line would end. It has always been, and will continue to be a very important station in the network. Sheppard Ave West is also a 4 lane road, so...yeah, so much for your previous point.
It's suburban, but keep in mind, you're next to an airport and a ravine. Development in these areas was not possible for the longest time. There is potential along the corridor, and there are areas that have and can be further developed. That being said, given the political climate that led to Sheppard, there's no denying that things probably would have ended up the same way if Eglinton was built instead of Sheppard.
Again, sounds a lot like Eglinton. The comparison is fair.
