A little over a week ago, friend and fellow transit blogger Herbie Markwort over at Gateway Streets wrote about BJC’s desire to move Central West End station from Euclid to Kingshighway. If you have yet to read it I highly suggest it.
Essentially Markwort reports that BJC has desired since before MetroLink began running in ’93 that CWE station be located on Kingshighway rather than on Euclid. BJC’s reasoning for moving the station is two-fold, first that the hospital’s front door opens to Kingshighway rather than Euclid and that the MetroLink platform at its current location is too “industrial”. Markwort continues that BJC holds on to their specious rational despite pedestrian access into the hospital from Kingshighway begin severely limited while an urban oasis exists atop the current MetroLink platform.
Courtesy of http://stayinginstl.com
Now, I don’t believe for a moment that moving the station is a good idea, nor do I think it will ever come to fruition. Bending public transit to the will of a single entity is never productive to the urban landscape. Central West End Station is the most heavily used MetroLink station because it provides connection for a diverse spectrum of destinations to diverse array of riders. One – albeit it large one but one nonetheless – of those destinations is the hospital complex.
So what if a large employer wants to move a station to better meet their needs? Barnes-Jewish employees 9,300 people, how could they not be an invaluable asset to the St. Louis community. Make no mistake about it, BJC is a boon to the St. Louis community but are they truly more valuable than the many, many small and locally owned businesses with prime transit access from CWE’s current location?
It’s the diverse business landscape many up of both small and large businesses that makes the Central West End a thriving neighborhood, not just the hospital complex.
