King Street Pilot - transit options for King Street

A King Street Pilot Study Public Meeting was held on February 13th. 
​To access all the slides presented at that meeting, click HERE.
The crux of the meeting was the staging of three creative options designed to achieve these goals:

• Improve the transit experience
• Provide safe, comfortable and accessible sidewalks, road crossings and streetcar boarding facilities
• Transform the public realm experience for pedestrians
• Reinforce King’s diverse neighbourhood identities

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The "Separated Lanes” option dedicates the centre lanes to streetcars, and gives the remaining one lane in each direction to car and truck traffic, forbidding left turns and stopping, but allowing through traffic.
Analysis:

• Where would delivery/trade/service and taxi/Uber/Wheeltrans/EMS vehicles stop? 
• Right hand turning vehicles can back up traffic
• Nearside boarding of streetcars from street level could endanger/challenge passengers
• Cyclists would share vehicle lanes with cars and trucks 

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The “Alternating Loops” option allows a single lane of one-way car traffic, to facilitate local access to driveways and deliveries, with the direction alternating each block, preventing through traffic. Only right hand turns are permitted with the right hand turn lane isolated from the streetcar lane.  Centre lanes prioritize streetcars but permit moving vehicles to circumvent delivery vehicles.  The fourth lane can be used either as public realm space (option A) or as a dedicated bike lane (option B). Streetcar patrons board from height of curb rather than height of roadway.
Analysis:

• Streetcars can be blocked by vehicles circumventing stopped or waiting vehicles
• Cyclists would share lane with cars and trucks (option A) or with boarding streetcar riders (option B)

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The “Transit Promenade” option sees the sidewalk extended into the road on both sides for public realm improvements and accommodation for delivery/trade/service and taxi/Uber/Wheeltrans/EMS vehicles. Moving vehicles share the centre lanes with streetcars except at farside boarding zones they are forced to turn right and prevented from driving straight through intersections
Analysis:

• Streetcars are given “priority” but how is that possible given that moving vehicles share the same lanes?
• Cyclists would share public realm space with pedestrians and boarding streetcar riders
• After making accommodation for stopped or waiting vehicles, how much public realm remains?