Monday’s headlines

15 comments

1. I think you missed one…
   “Poll puts Ford in 3rd Place”
   http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/poll-puts-ford-in-third-place/article1451434/

2. Here’s another one that was missed from the Toronto Star in which Mayoral Candidate Councillor Giambrone struggles valiantly and heroically (trying to say something ‘positive’ about him for Mathew’s sake) to distance himself from the public discontent with the TTC:

   http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/torontomayoralrace/article/758527–adam-giambrone-has-bumpy-ride-in-run-for-mayor

   Councillor Giambrone for Mayor — almost as funny as Rob Ford running for Mayor.

3. As a reader samg it’s not your criticism of Giambrone – I’m no fan of his – just your unrelenting single issue harping on it. It stifles discussion. If you can’t get pick up on your ideas (like that other guy here with this taxes thing) by mentioning it reasonably, here and there, when appropriate, you sure aren’t going to by repeating-repeating-repeating. It’s disrespectful.

   I see “samg” now and instinctively skip to the next comment. I probably agree with you a lot, but I just can’t read you anymore.

4. Why does Giambrone/Miller get credit for the increase in TTC ridership? Rising fuel prices have been implicated for increasing ridership across NA. Many cities have had increases far greater than the TTC’s.

5. Glen: I admire your research and knowledge about the budget, but at time you are quite disingenuous.

   In a previous thread you took Miller/Giamrbone to task for St Clair because it was under their watch, yet when they get credit for ridership increase (the Ridership Growth Strategy is working by all intents and purposes) you bash them. Yes there are other factors in play, but TO’s ridership is high compared to most NA cities so an increase in riders means we will not have *as high* increases as other cities.

   All I suggest for is consistency and not blind opposition. You can’t pick and choose.

6. I appreciate what you are saying Victor. I think I missed the word ‘all’ (should have read “all the increase”) when I typed that post. The point I was trying to make was that there are numerous factors that effect ridership. I do not doubt that increased service will increase ridership. So on that count Giambrone/Miller can take credit. What remains to be proven is if the % increase can be attributed (or to what extent) to service improvements, and to what expense.

   Here is a good look at the issue of factors effecting ridership…

   http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6VG7-4T7W3DT-1&_user=10&_coverDate=01%2F31%2F2009&_rdoc=1&_fmt=high&_orig=search&_sort=d&_docanchor=&view=c&_searchStrId=1189132369&_rerunOrigin=google&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=609083f9d0eb32b53892d0f39517de04

7. Lansdowne… You are entitled to your comment.. but Councillor Giambrone isn’t the only issue I comment on… It’s just that he happens to be the big joke of the day, ie. a less than mediocre Councillor being taken as a serious Mayoral candidate. But feel free to skip my comments if you like, because I certainly will feel free to post something when I think it’s appropriate.

8. For some perspective, in the US PT ridership increased 32% from 1995 to 2008. Using what stats I have available, in 1996 the TTC ridership was 372 million. A 32% increase from that would give us ridership of 491 million.

   As the paper I linked to above notes: “most of the variation in transit ridership among urbanized areas – in both absolute and relative terms – can be explained by factors outside of the control of public transit systems”. Toronto needs to focus, if not more, at least somewhat on these areas.

9. It’s clear that you don’t like Giambrone, but your constant catcalling is beginning to veer into lunacy. If he is “less than mediocre”, could you please provide an example of who you think is a good councillor as a point of comparison?

   I’m not sure if Giambrone is quite ready for the big chair, but his campaign is being taken seriously because he has a strong political network, high visibility, and a record of accomplishment to run on. The fact that he didn’t kiss your ass to get things done doesn’t mean they didn’t happen.

10. In “Despite blitz ..” we have yet another telling interpretation of events as described by police. “Although the woman was crossing the street legally, Const. William Wang said she should have been more aware of her surroundings.

    “It’s an unfortunate situation,” he said. “Even though the pedestrian had the right of way, she still has to pay attention.””

    Let me see. Bus stopped waiting for traffic to clear. Pedestrian enters intersection. Bus operator concentrating on motor vehicles neglects to see pedestrian. Bus begins accelerating at pedestrian. Pedestrian has nowhere to go and is struck.

    A big piece of the problem here is collectively the police and media are focusing on blaming the victim rather than holding motorists responsible for their actions. Other motorists note this and recognise they are likely to get off or face reduced charges.

    The police and media are very much parties in this circus and should be held accountable.

11. Paul, let me counter with … it is clear that you do like Councillor Giambrone and your constant support for him might look like lunacy to some (not to me since I think you are entitled to your opinion) given that the man has a less than stellar track record. You might want to label me a nut but I’m hardly the only one thinks Councillor Giambrone is a case of the Emperor with no clothes. That doesn’t mean I don’t think he doesn’t have a shot — but he is definitely an instance of style over substance. As Diebel’s article in today’s Star makes clear, he either believes that his duties as TTC Chair do not involve oversight (oversight as distinct from management) or that he can make people believe governance does not involve oversight. That is chutzpah of the first order.

    As for who I think is a good councillor… I don’t think there are many around but I would include Michael Walker and Saundercook… I don’t always agree with all their positions but these individuals, more often than not seem to exemplify respect for principles of local democracy, responsiveness to concerns, and an equitable approach to community consultation (rather than just in the trendy or affluent areas of their ward as tends to happen in Ward 18).

12. Hahahaha! SamG states that Walker and Saundercook are good examples of councillors?!?!? This exlains everything!

    Saundercook is the most disorganized, pandering councillor in the old City. He has little political principle and is one of those fly-under-the-radar councillors. Try not to be seen or heard.

    Walker? Where to start! Than man live 4 km from City Hall and proudly drives his Cadillac to the office. He has been very good on election finance, but is only ever effective in opposing stuff and has almost never put forth his own ideas (again, only in election reform has he showed ANY leadership).

    Wow, Samg. wow.

13. Re: Mary’s comment on Saundercook and Walker… these two individuals are not my councillor’s but I do admire some (not all) of the initiatives they’ve been reported to be involved in… particularly Saundercook’s focus on pedestrian safety. I’m not pretending I know everything about them so I won’t discount all of what you are saying… but I also don’t see many (any) facts supporting your claims about these individuals in what you said. What you’ve written is basically a put-down without anything to back it up. (As for Saundercook being the most disorganized, there’s more than a few people who think Councillor Giambrone would win that title.)

    Maybe you’d also willing to go on record regarding who you think is a good Councillor and provide your REASONS. I and others might agree with you or maybe not.

    Hmmm… comments from Mary and from Paul… can Peter be far behind?

14. I have been watching with keen interest how the City has dealt with the pedestrian deaths issue as I work for a municipality in the GTA as a traffic planner but live in High Park. I have to say that I’ve been very impressed with the knowledge of Mr Reid and Spacing and have been exasperated by Councillor Saundercook. All the councillor has done is ask to lower speed limits on residential streets. That’s like getting a cut on your knee and the bandage is applied to your elbow.

    While Mr Saundercook is a decent man, he is next to useless as a councillor. He has absolutely nothing to show as an accomplishment in his ward besides keeping traffic patterns status quo (South Kingsway, Annette fiasco of bike lanes) or across the city (as Ped co-chair). Now as someone who talks to other people in the City departments on issues related to walking, I can confidently say that staff and most people involved in urban design regard Saundercook as an obstacle, not as a helping hand on council.

    This is a shame since, as I said, I think he is a decent man with good intentions. He is just not good at his job.

15. Samir.. Regarding pedestrian issues, I’ve been impressed with what I’ve read from Dylan… but certainly not with some comments by Blackett.. I wouldn’t want to suggest that Saundercook’s call for lowering speed limits is the only solution… but if you are suggesting that it isn’t an important strategy that enhances the ability of motorists (and cyclists) in manouvering road space, then I don’t think the research supports what you are saying. If speed wasn’t a critical factor in pedestrian safety, why do you suppose that so many people lobby for speed bumps (devices which force vehicles to slow down)…because they are status symbols? At least Saundercook is getting this issue some profile… whereas the Mayor seems to have gone completely AWOL on it.

    Also, I don’t see his record on Kingsway and Annette as fiascos as you claim (a claim likely based on you not supporting his position although I’m sure some of his constituents did)… but rather as efforts to acknowledge that their were significant differences of opinion within the ward as to what should happen. I think his approach to process is a hell of a lot more responsible than just ramming something through, as tends to happen parts of Ward 18. Of course that approach doesn’t always make the technocrats happy — but implementing change in a community should involve more than just trying to identify the best technical solution (and this is never an exact science no matter how often technicians want to claim they know best) and pushing it through. Ideally it should also involve engaging the community, providing opportunities for input or feedback, and, at the very least, addressing concerns in an open and transparent manner. The truth is that many technocrats simply don’t understand these elements of change — but politicians should.

    That said, I’m not going to pretend I see Saundercook as a model councillor. (Was a bit puzzled on the daycare situation.) Still haven’t heard from ‘Mary’ yet on who she thinks is a good Councillor.