He's not using reason. It's a knee jerk reaction. It's armchair quarterbacking. He's not waiting for facts.
You're missing the point. A lot of what he states is unsubstantiated nonsense, which is exactly why I took effort to post what the *doubters* will seize on, because that part is *highly logical*...whether you or I or anyone agrees or disagrees.
My wish is to see a European or US style (I haven't seen the Calgary one) transit mall. In fact, as stated even by the City itself, the Bourke Street Mall is a prime comparator (a work *still* in progress, btw, they're doing a third upgrade to the traffic signals).
But this is far from being a slam dunk! Hype besides. IF shops along there start closing en masse, this is sunk, *no matter the cause of their closing!*.
Make no mistake, the Bloor Cycling Lanes would not have survived if there had been a major retail hit along it. By not listening to Luk, and not *using* his rational case for signals, this project is sunk no matter how you cut it. It was a failure up until now, mostly due to the lack of advanced world signal priority.
So work *with* Luk, get him onside, and use him and the others as allies instead of enemies. Do I have to quote Winston Churchill on this? "The enemy of my ene.. Look! Squirrel! On the Spadina Extension!...
Do not dismiss the weight of and power of forces who don't want this to work. Luk does want it to work. He brings a lot to the table, even if you don't like his cooking.
There's enough failed transit malls for the haters to point to, Buffalo's being the latest. We've got to get this right.
