The latest monthly update from the City about the King Street Transit pilot project shows spending at businesses in the neighbourhood has actually increased since the start of the pilot last November.

(CBC)

The city says preliminary numbers indicate customer spending since the pilot began’s in line with seasonal spending over the past three years.

The value of spending in the pilot area increased 21% from October to December, which was in line with seasonal growth for the city as a whole of 20%.

Spending surrounding the pilot area remained flat.

Other highlights:

—  All-day weekday streetcar ridership is up 16% in the King Street Pilot project area 

—  Up 25% during the morning eastbound commute

—  27% higher in the afternoon westbound commute

—  Slowest streetcar travel times have improved by as much as 5-minutes in each direction during the afternoon commute

—  85% of streetcars arrive within 4 minutes westbound during the morning commute

—  Average vehicle travel times on most streets downtown vary by (plus or minus) less than one minute compared to before the pilot; indicating neighbouring streets have been able to absorb and respond to the changes motorists have made