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News and Articles>
ST. CLAIR, WE'VE SEEN YOUR FUTURE
Toronto Star --
May 5, 2004 --
JOE FIORITO
The notion of a raised barrier along the St. Clair streetcar line makes some sense for public transit.
But it also brings back plenty of old memories for the men and women who do business along Spadina, and the memories are not pleasant.
Nick Dimitropoulos at Alex Furs:
"Construction was a mess. For about a year, it was awful. We lost money. I would say we lost 10 to 20 per cent of our business over the year. Not as bad as after SARS, but bad.
"You know what? I like the streetcar in the middle. It makes the street look better. But it also makes jaywalking easier. It's just three hops across the street, instead of one long run. I've actually seen people trip over the barriers. One guy, he wasn't a schmo, he was a guy in a business suit — boom, he did a nose-dive. Still, I think for safety, barriers are a must.
"My advice to people on St. Clair? Try to get a break on taxes. Otherwise, you just have to suck up your losses." And then he talked about the Leafs.
Next stop, Barry's Office Furniture.
Barry Einhorn said, "The mayor is such a Richard-head."
Actually, he used a familiar diminutive of Richard. He continued, "There are accidents on the street all the time, even now with the barrier. The TTC drivers are cowboys. They keep running into everyone. Including my truck. A TTC guy hit my truck. They use the excuse it's railway property."
He tucked into a cup of mushroom barley soup and said, "Construction hurt business, sure it did. But the people on St. Clair? I could see them being bigger victims. There are a lot more mom and pop stores up there. You know what happens. People will come to shop on one side of the street in their car but they won't go to the other side of the street because there's no place to turn around. My advice? If there's some way to avoid a dedicated lane ..."
He finished his soup.
Vik Gulati, of Canadian Watch Imports:
"First of all, construction took forever. They started work at 9 a.m. They finished at 4 p.m. They never worked on weekends. They didn't do it in short segments. They should have fixed one part, let the traffic flow, then fixed the next part. They strangled us.
"I think they treated the Chinese people like second-class citizens. I'm not Chinese. I have no vested interest except in my business. But they took their time to build. They didn't build it fast like they do in other places.
"During construction, people didn't come. They were afraid to come. They didn't come for a year. We were making $30 a day in sales. I could show you receipts. We laid off three workers. Some days we just closed. No business.
"And that barrier. There are still more people killed along this line than any place else. People jaywalk. Here, here, come to the window. Look at them. You can see them. They're like fleas, hop, hop.
"I'll tell you something else. They also said people would flood back into Chinatown when it was over. It never happened." And his clocks continued to tick.
Tai Duong, of Sun Photo:
"I would say I lost 30 per cent of business during construction. Business has slowly come back. I think the street is better now. The streetcar helps people come from far away to downtown. But no matter what, when they do construction, business slows down." And he sold a camera lens to an old man.
Susan Lau of Hair Design 88 is a stylist in a small commercial building just off Spadina on D'Arcy St.:
"The streetcar? Construction was really bad for business. Now it's very difficult for the cars. It's very difficult turning on the street. During construction I lost 75 per cent of business. It's still not as good as it was before. Lots of people don't like to come down any more." And she trimmed the hair on a young man's nape.
The man who makes the best Vietnamese soup on the street said, "During construction business dropped 25 per cent. After that business became normal for me. But I am on a corner. Up the street, where I used to be? It's dead. You don't see this raised barrier anywhere in the world. There's still too many accidents. If I was on St. Clair, I'd say no." And he tallied his month-end receipts.
Johnny Pacheco, of Sea Kings Fish Market, just off Spadina on Baldwin: "It's better like this. Before, it was a big mess. Now it looks beautiful."
Tom Mihalik, of Tom's Place in Kensington Market, agrees in part with Johnny, but only in the smallest part: "Spadina has never looked so clean. But the streetcar has taken the charm out of the street. The money they spent on that line, they should have spent on storefronts. I don't see the benefits. Bring me back my bus so people can get off on the sidewalk. Give me left-hand turns. Give me an entrance and an exit on Baldwin. Give me a traffic light." He gave a woman a discount on some clothes.
So there you have it, residents of St. Clair: Prepare to tighten your belts.
And what I don't understand: If the city is going to harm local business with what is, all things considered, an optional construction project, then why on earth doesn't the city find a way to ease the pain with some kind of tax break?
Just asking.
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