Good, Better, Barrie?

Yesterday, I decided to take a quick day trip up to Barrie, where I hadn't been in quite a while. The trip was my first experience of Barrie being a lively, fun city, and I think things are only looking up.

In this blog post, I will take a look at some of Barrie's positives, and what they can improve upon to make the City that much better.

The Good

Good Geography

Barrie is situated on Lake Simcoe's Kempenfelt Bay, and the City wraps cleanly around it. This helps the City's focus point be towards the water. Any city that has a downtown closely integrated with a major body of water is a city I want to go to. The presence of water allows for additional activities: Barrie has a beach, boating, and fishing, as well as an inflatable water park in the bay. I saw a pirate ship doing boat tours, and people actually catching fish, right downtown.

Additionally, downtown's centrality in the City makes it close to every part of the City. Nowhere is truly 'far' from downtown and the water.

Great Transit Access

Downtown Barrie Terminal is located just north of the Spirit Catcher sculpture, and every Barrie Transit route (aside the new 400) services it. Because of this, transit is a reasonable option to get downtown from everywhere in the City, limiting the need for parking on prime land (in theory; there is still quite a bit). The terminal also serves Ontario Northland motorcoaches on route to North Bay and Sudbury.

Further south, the Allandale Waterfront GO Station provides access from the Greater Toronto Area. Much of the waterfront is accessible from the station, and it is a short bus ride to downtown. Yesterday, this was an incredibly popular option, as my train into Barrie had very few seats remaining.

Great Public Access to the Waterfront

Between Minet's Point and Johnson Beach, the entire waterfront is publicly accessible. That's 5.86 km of 5.89 km! The waterfront feels like a public asset through downtown, because it is. Maintaining access to the water is important, and I think Barrie has done a good job of making sure that the shore does not become privatized.

Public Parks and Public Art

Barrie's downtown parks are numerous, but they feature lots of seating, as well as shade. Many people yesterday weren't even heading to the beach, but were just reading, or having a picnic. A singer was also doing an impromptu (?) performance from Heritage Park!

I also have to shout out the Spirit Catcher sculpture. It was designed by Ron Baird, and was installed in Vancouver in 1986. The design was based off Indigenous oral traditions of the Pacific Coast, and was styled with reconciliation in mind. Eventually, the sculpture moved to Barrie, sitting right on Kempenfelt Bay. The size of the sculpture and its location are so impressive to see in person.

An Interesting Downtown

The commercial strip downtown sits on Dunlop, extending on both sides of the five points. It is a bit small for the size of the city, and traffic was a bit heavy, but that was likely traffic detouring due to nearby construction. The mix of business were interesting, the architecture was cool, and the patios were quite busy on a Saturday midday. Memorial Square acts as a default public square, and, while small, it is also a through connection between Simcoe and Dunlop. Special shout-out to Bohemia, a cafe downtown, which was really impressive. 

City Hall is located just a block north of Dunlop, and the downtown library is just two blocks north. 

There are some new buildings coming up as well. In particular, the Debut Waterfront towers, which are currently under construction, will each be 33 stories tall. New growth is required to sustain the downtown core, especially outside of summer, so is good to see things happening. 

What Could be Better?

Actually Getting to the Waterfront

Allandale Waterfront GO is also home to a marshalling yard, yet the yard means that there are no places to cross the tracks between Essa and Minet's Point. A pedestrian tunnel near the end of Cumberland Street would cut walking distances in half.

Less Parking

You already know how I feel about this. I think the City should gradually reduce the amount of parking, especially within the waterfront parks. The lots on the outside of Lakeshore Drive and Simcoe Street can stay. This would open up land for programming and additional seating, allowing for opportunities such as the Farmer's Market being moved to the Waterfront.

More GO Service

Not really something the City of Barrie can fix, but GO service at every three hours needs to improve. The demand was there, especially on a beautiful Saturday like yesterday.

Not Really a Gateway

I think what Barrie is really missing out on is its ability to act as a gateway to Simcoe, Muskoka, and further north, since most travelers pass through here. I'm not quite sure what exactly is needed to attract people off the 400 and to downtown, but I think it is something that the City should explore.

As well, there is an existing rail corridor between Barrie and Collingwood that is underutilized. Add tracks back in, build some stations, buy some Stadler FLIRT trains, and you have a shuttle service that will be popular instantly. Not only would it provide an option to get to Collingwood without a car, it would help reduce traffic on Highway 26, and also make Angus and Stayner destinations as well. Most people just drive right through them now.

Conclusion

Barrie has a negative reputation. The City has had its challenges over the years, but I think, like many other 'challenged' cities like Hamilton, things are looking up. While growth will be slower because of the City's location in relation to the rest of the GTA, I think Barrie has a clear path to make the right choices and make their city even better than it already is.