Or vice versa! In Pro Tools, I can right-click a stereo track and “split to mono” with one click. It’s all about workflow and speed.
As for the stereo plugin issue, it’s plagued me for years. I don’t want to route to a stereo buss and then put the stereo plugin on that buss. I want to load a stereo plugin on a mono track and have the track “appear” to be stereo, just like Pro Tools does. Then if you remove the stereo plugin, the track appears to be mono again. Again, it’s about workflow and speed. Less messing around and more getting down to business.