The Cambie Village area will be bookended by two Canada Line stations, at Broadway and King Edward Drive respectively. Will the Canada Line significantly benefit those local businesses which are now disproportionately bearing the costs of construction? At a press release yesterday on the occasion of the Don Don Noodle House's closure, struggling local business owners did not express much optimism.
A business located at 17th and Cambie such as Jack hair salon will be an 8-block walk from either station. Neil Barkey, the owner of Jack, was doubtful that his business will ever feel much positive impact from the Canada Line. He predicted that the end of construction would see many Cambie Village businesses struggling to recover from debts incurred during this downturn.
An underground rapid transit line is quite different from a streetcar or trolley bus line in the way it brings people to a neighbourhood. Passengers on a trolley bus can disembark at any block, and can view destinations along the route as they travel. On the other hand, an underground railway provides increased accessibility to specific nodes where stations are located.
Neil Barkey hopes that the saving grace for his business will be the estimated 40% of his client base who are local residents. They are regular customers who know their way around today's changing construction, and who will likely remain loyal to their favourite neighbourhood businesses in the future.
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