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+--- Thread: General Urban Kitchener Updates and Rumours (/showthread.php?tid=8)
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RE: General Urban Kitchener Updates and Rumours - kalis0490 - 03-01-2023
I found this nice image of the old transit mall in the 60s (courtesy of Michael Druker). Notice the trolleybuses and the nice greenery. Here's a Modern street view image of the same location.
https://twitter.com/m_druker/status/1179023560591003648/photo/1
RE: General Urban Kitchener Updates and Rumours - panamaniac - 03-01-2023
The film dates that photo to 1967. Earlier than I thought.
RE: General Urban Kitchener Updates and Rumours - ijmorlan - 03-01-2023
(03-01-2023, 04:55 PM)danbrotherston Wrote: Are there buses on King St. now? I can't remember.
The 7 runs right up there.
I think in the modern context with mapping applications on all our phones, the re-routing and disappearance of traffic when a route goes away should happen even more smoothly than it might have in the past. Previously, people would need to learn new routes. Now, anybody who uses a mapping application will just take a new route and might barely notice anything has changed.
RE: General Urban Kitchener Updates and Rumours - SF22 - 03-02-2023
(03-01-2023, 06:06 PM)danbrotherston Wrote: Fair point...
It was business owners who killed the Ontario section of the Downtown Grid, something that NIMBYs on the other side of King couldn't achieve.
This one particularly irritated me, because Legacy Greens is lovely but also getting to Legacy Greens is kind of a pain for me, so I don't go very often. Having that bike lane right outside their door would have been A-plus.
I've started asking small business owners about their bike parking when I go into their stores. Like, "Hey, I noticed there's not really any bike parking close to your store, have you considered adding some? I visit on Sundays when parking is free, but I'd come WAY more often if I could ride my bike down and not have to hunt for a parking spot." Just straight-up telling them that there's more business to be gained from supporting bike infrastructure. I don't know how much it helps, but I figure if they start hearing it repeatedly from different people, they might eventually clue in. (I mentioned bike racks to my therapist back in the fall, and she said I was the second person that week to ask her, and that she will get something installed for the spring. It can work!!)
RE: General Urban Kitchener Updates and Rumours - Chris - 03-02-2023
Every time this topic comes up I reference the 16th Street Mall in Denver. No reason we can't do it here.
The only issue I see is the food delivery services picking up at the restaurants but as a King St pedestrian they are just a dangerous nuisance.
RE: General Urban Kitchener Updates and Rumours - danbrotherston - 03-02-2023
(03-02-2023, 10:45 AM)SF22 Wrote:(03-01-2023, 06:06 PM)danbrotherston Wrote: Fair point...
It was business owners who killed the Ontario section of the Downtown Grid, something that NIMBYs on the other side of King couldn't achieve.
This one particularly irritated me, because Legacy Greens is lovely but also getting to Legacy Greens is kind of a pain for me, so I don't go very often. Having that bike lane right outside their door would have been A-plus.
I've started asking small business owners about their bike parking when I go into their stores. Like, "Hey, I noticed there's not really any bike parking close to your store, have you considered adding some? I visit on Sundays when parking is free, but I'd come WAY more often if I could ride my bike down and not have to hunt for a parking spot." Just straight-up telling them that there's more business to be gained from supporting bike infrastructure. I don't know how much it helps, but I figure if they start hearing it repeatedly from different people, they might eventually clue in. (I mentioned bike racks to my therapist back in the fall, and she said I was the second person that week to ask her, and that she will get something installed for the spring. It can work!!)
That one hurt a lot. Yes, because they were successful in killing part of the downtown grid (which directly inconveniences me and my ability to get to their business), but mostly because it felt like quite the betrayal. They know cyclists frequent their business. Same with the others on the block.
In any case, I was a frequent customer, but I haven't been back since. I feel like I should tell them WHY I am unwilling to patronize their business, but I doubt I would be effective (or polite) in doing so. But honestly...I expected this from almost every business downtown except theirs (and probably Full Circle). It was hurtful.
RE: General Urban Kitchener Updates and Rumours - ac3r - 03-02-2023
(03-02-2023, 11:01 AM)Chris Wrote: The only issue I see is the food delivery services picking up at the restaurants but as a King St pedestrian they are just a dangerous nuisance.
Ugh these people are the worst.
RE: General Urban Kitchener Updates and Rumours - SF22 - 03-02-2023
(03-02-2023, 04:18 PM)ac3r Wrote:(03-02-2023, 11:01 AM)Chris Wrote: The only issue I see is the food delivery services picking up at the restaurants but as a King St pedestrian they are just a dangerous nuisance.
Ugh these people are the worst.
There's only one reasonable answer: bike couriers!
RE: General Urban Kitchener Updates and Rumours - plam - 03-02-2023
(03-02-2023, 10:45 AM)SF22 Wrote:(03-01-2023, 06:06 PM)danbrotherston Wrote: Fair point...
It was business owners who killed the Ontario section of the Downtown Grid, something that NIMBYs on the other side of King couldn't achieve.
This one particularly irritated me, because Legacy Greens is lovely but also getting to Legacy Greens is kind of a pain for me, so I don't go very often. Having that bike lane right outside their door would have been A-plus.
I've started asking small business owners about their bike parking when I go into their stores. Like, "Hey, I noticed there's not really any bike parking close to your store, have you considered adding some? I visit on Sundays when parking is free, but I'd come WAY more often if I could ride my bike down and not have to hunt for a parking spot." Just straight-up telling them that there's more business to be gained from supporting bike infrastructure. I don't know how much it helps, but I figure if they start hearing it repeatedly from different people, they might eventually clue in. (I mentioned bike racks to my therapist back in the fall, and she said I was the second person that week to ask her, and that she will get something installed for the spring. It can work!!)
Yeah! Definitely helpful to do that I'd think. The downtown place I go to most often is Banh mi Givral and my bike is kind of prominently outside while I wait though maybe I should explicitly mention it.
RE: General Urban Kitchener Updates and Rumours - nms - 03-03-2023
(03-01-2023, 07:16 PM)kalis0490 Wrote: I found this nice image of the old transit mall in the 60s (courtesy of Michael Druker). Notice the trolleybuses and the nice greenery. Here's a Modern street view image of the same location.
https://twitter.com/m_druker/status/1179023560591003648/photo/1
This photo also shows types of businesses that are no longer there and that likely won't return. Those businesses would attract a wide variety of foot traffic rather than a very narrow clientele. Two theatres are there (Lyric and Capital) and I think I recall correctly, there may be been 2 or 3 others further north. Goudie's department store is further south (I believe with the flags on the left). Eaton's was further north (where the Shopper's Drugmart is now); Budd's was also nearby. Woolworth's was also in the vicinity. Simpson's-Sears was likely nearby too. About the only recognizable type of business in that photo that is still downtown the Loans business.
Movie theatres offered a wide variety of programming at various times of the day which attracted the full range of ages and demographics. The only 'theatre' space left is the Conrad Centre for the Arts which offers limited programming (vs a theatre that might daily have had 4-5 screenings) (and a little further afield, the Apollo). The department stores carried a wide variety of goods, again that catered to various ages and demographics, and that also had relatively deep pockets for advertising and stock selection. I would argue that the presence of the larger department stores likely supported the smaller stores, much the same way that a marquee vendor at the St. Jacobs Market allows smaller vendors to have a small table selling niche goods.
I wonder with this 1960s transit mall idea, were they able to convince the larger stores that it was a good idea, and then the smaller stores agreed to it as well? At the moment, I'm not aware of any business in the Kitchener BIA that might have the same influence as Goudie's or Eaton's.
RE: General Urban Kitchener Updates and Rumours - ac3r - 03-03-2023
Now we've got a weed shop + take out food joint on every block and zombies roaming around. Have you any spare change, sir?
It would be neat if GRT held on to a few of those buses and ran them on some routes every so often (I know the one in the picture is electric, but we also had some old school diesel buses for a while). TTC still has (had?) a few of their real old stock and would use it on routes every so often just for the novelty factor.
RE: General Urban Kitchener Updates and Rumours - CedarHillAlum - 03-03-2023
(03-03-2023, 08:58 PM)nms Wrote:(03-01-2023, 07:16 PM)kalis0490 Wrote: I found this nice image of the old transit mall in the 60s (courtesy of Michael Druker). Notice the trolleybuses and the nice greenery. Here's a Modern street view image of the same location.
https://twitter.com/m_druker/status/1179023560591003648/photo/1
This photo also shows types of businesses that are no longer there and that likely won't return. Those businesses would attract a wide variety of foot traffic rather than a very narrow clientele. Two theatres are there (Lyric and Capital) and I think I recall correctly, there may be been 2 or 3 others further north. Goudie's department store is further south (I believe with the flags on the left). Eaton's was further north (where the Shopper's Drugmart is now); Budd's was also nearby. Woolworth's was also in the vicinity. Simpson's-Sears was likely nearby too. About the only recognizable type of business in that photo that is still downtown the Loans business.
Movie theatres offered a wide variety of programming at various times of the day which attracted the full range of ages and demographics. The only 'theatre' space left is the Conrad Centre for the Arts which offers limited programming (vs a theatre that might daily have had 4-5 screenings) (and a little further afield, the Apollo). The department stores carried a wide variety of goods, again that catered to various ages and demographics, and that also had relatively deep pockets for advertising and stock selection. I would argue that the presence of the larger department stores likely supported the smaller stores, much the same way that a marquee vendor at the St. Jacobs Market allows smaller vendors to have a small table selling niche goods.
I wonder with this 1960s transit mall idea, were they able to convince the larger stores that it was a good idea, and then the smaller stores agreed to it as well? At the moment, I'm not aware of any business in the Kitchener BIA that might have the same influence as Goudie's or Eaton's.
Small correction - Eatons was where Eaton Lofts is. Kresges was where Shoppers Drug Mart is. But your overall point is the main thing - these retailers aren't coming back, transit mall or no transit mall.
RE: General Urban Kitchener Updates and Rumours - panamaniac - 03-03-2023
Re department stores, there was no Simpson Sears in DTK. There was Walkers, next to where the Dolly Parton tower now stands. Woolworths was where the Dollar Store is now, and Zellers was next door to that. Later, of course, there was Robinsons in the King Centre.
P.S. "East" and "west" on King St in DTK, not north and south.
RE: General Urban Kitchener Updates and Rumours - ac3r - 03-03-2023
(03-03-2023, 11:01 PM)panamaniac Wrote: Re department stores, there was no Simpson Sears in DTK. There was Walkers, next to where the Dolly Parton tower now stands. Woolworths was where the Dollar Store is now, and Zellers was next door to that. Later, of course, there was Robinsons in the King Centre.
P.S. "East" and "west" on King St in DTK, not north and south.
A very OG term for that building haha. Few people refer to it these days. It's a bit like Mount Trashmore. You can tell someone is new when they call it McLennan Park.
RE: General Urban Kitchener Updates and Rumours - Acitta - 03-04-2023
(03-03-2023, 11:49 PM)ac3r Wrote:(03-03-2023, 11:01 PM)panamaniac Wrote: Re department stores, there was no Simpson Sears in DTK. There was Walkers, next to where the Dolly Parton tower now stands. Woolworths was where the Dollar Store is now, and Zellers was next door to that. Later, of course, there was Robinsons in the King Centre.
P.S. "East" and "west" on King St in DTK, not north and south.
A very OG term for that building haha. Few people refer to it these days. It's a bit like Mount Trashmore. You can tell someone is new when they call it McLennan Park.
I have lived in Kitchener for 21 years, but I don't know what building is "the Dolly Parton tower".