Fellow Toronto businesses are extending words of wisdom to those on King St.
In November, the King Street pilot got officially underway, and since then initial data has been released as to its success. The data showed that streetcars were running quicker during rush hours and spacing targets improved dramatically, all with little hold ups to those traveling by car. Seem like the pilot is moving along swimmingly, right? Well, there are some who are not too happy with the changes, and those would be King Street business owners.
Business owners on St. Clair West, who went through a similar situation when their streetcar project concluded back in 2010, have offered warnings and words of wisdom to those situated along King St.
Rose Signorile, a St. Clair W business owner said that her 45-year-old shop, Quality Paint, has yet to recover from the streetcar restructuring that finished 8 years ago. Signorile expressed her ongoing frustrations regarding her own situation, and concerns for those along King St.
"When I saw that on the news, I felt sorry for them," she told CBC Toronto. "They're never going to get this fixed. They can put clowns, they can put warming stations and all that — it's not going to recover."
The issue these business owners are experiencing lies in the fact that car access to their stores is now restricted, bringing in less business. The city has spoken to the fact that they are looking at options to combating this problem. In the mean time, the city is urging business owners to embrace and adapt to the changes.
"Change is hard,” said Councilor Joe Mihevc at city hall. "But at the end of the day, why are we doing this? We're doing this to improve King Street. And that includes the business environment. And I'm convinced that over time the businesses will do better."