{"id":5617,"date":"2009-07-21T16:13:18","date_gmt":"2009-07-21T20:13:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/spacingtoronto.ca\/?p=5617"},"modified":"2013-01-21T15:16:41","modified_gmt":"2013-01-21T20:16:41","slug":"one-way-to-go-visiting-milton","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/toronto\/2009\/07\/21\/one-way-to-go-visiting-milton\/","title":{"rendered":"One way to GO: Visiting Milton"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Yesterday, I wrote about a poorly designed pedestrian connection<\/a> between the YRT\/Viva bus terminal and the Langstaff GO Station.<\/p>\n

But there are examples of how a very suburban GO station can be designed to coexist with big-boxes and connections with local transit. Milton demonstrates a very pragmatic (though still far from an urban TOD ideal) way to do this.<\/p>\n

The GO Station in Milton, once located at the far end of town (where I am sure, land for parking was essential), now finds itself in the centre of what in 2006 was Canada’s fastest growing municipality (53,000, up 71.4% from 2001). Milton held that distinction because in the decade before that, the town had zero growth. The construction of water mains from Lake Ontario has allowed the quick growth.<\/p>\n

There are three big-box complexes in Milton, two next to the 401 near Steeles and James Snow Parkway, and one next to the station, whose primary tenants are a LCBO and a Loblaws Superstore.\u00a0 The new commercial complex was built in a field next to the GO station<\/a>, with a new circular road providing local access to both. Two sets of traffic lights provide safe pedestrian crossings between the two (with very short waits for a walk signal). A new bus loop connects the recently improved local transit system<\/a> and the GO Transit 401 and “Train-Bus” routes, with a minimal walk between train and bus. Here, there’s a potential to minimize unnecessary trips. One actually could walk over, grab some groceries or booze, and go back to the parked car (having waited out the mad rush out of the lot) or ride Milton Transit (whose hub is the GO station) home.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Train platform right next to bus platforms and bike shelter.<\/em><\/p>\n

Here’s what GO Transit could do with its huge, suburban parking lots: as it builds parking garages, replace surface parking with complementary retail, like grocery stores, a Tim Horton’s, a dry cleaners (the kiosk in Brampton’s station is an example) even provide space for a daycare that busy commuters could drop their children off and pick them up without an extra car trip. It would make transit more convenient and reduce extra car trips, a practical and pragmatic solution. There’s some lots, like Guildwood<\/a>, that would also be suited to high density housing, perhaps even affordable homes. <\/p>\n

I explored Milton a bit, the sprawl, and the charming downtown. While the Milton Mall (since semi-converted to big boxes) and other “power centres” have become the places for most local retail, there are some smaller, independent stores and restaurants that appear to be healthy. The presence of a cluster of mid and high-rise apartments adjacent may also help. The ride from the station was 50 cents on Milton Transit, and all GO buses loop around the downtown core at the start of the route, rather than force riders to the station.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Downtown Milton<\/em><\/p>\n

On the other hand, the new sprawl , mostly to the east of the older parts of town, is incredible. With some distant family in town, remembering what Derry Road was like a mere five years ago, and what it looks like now still comes as a shock, and I come from Brampton. Though one can see the changes in suburbs that have come — 30 and 36-foot lots (the house I grew up in was a 50-foot lot), lots of townhouses, and street patterns that at least no longer line the arterial roads with backyard fences, but with side streets and houses facing the road.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Derry Road at Thompson, all farmland less than a decade before.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Yesterday, I wrote about a poorly designed pedestrian connection between the YRT\/Viva bus terminal and the Langstaff GO Station. But there are examples of how a very suburban GO station can be designed to coexist with big-boxes and connections with local transit. Milton demonstrates a very pragmatic (though still far from an urban TOD ideal)Continue reading “One way to GO: Visiting Milton”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4030,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8,20],"tags":[143,12765,457,12767,9265,1349,3505,12770,1182,12754,7432,12764,12769,5865,12,12766,2426,12768,75,57],"class_list":["post-5617","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-transit","category-urban-design","tag-brampton","tag-bramptons-station","tag-canada","tag-car-trip","tag-car-trips","tag-cent","tag-go-station","tag-james-snow","tag-lake-ontario","tag-langstaff-go-station","tag-local-retail","tag-milton-mall","tag-milton-transit","tag-parked-car","tag-planning","tag-pragmatic-solution","tag-retail","tag-steeles-snow","tag-suburbs","tag-the-905"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nOne way to GO: Visiting Milton - Spacing Toronto<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/toronto\/2009\/07\/21\/one-way-to-go-visiting-milton\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"One way to GO: Visiting Milton - Spacing Toronto\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Yesterday, I wrote about a poorly designed pedestrian connection between the YRT\/Viva bus terminal and the Langstaff GO Station. 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