Thursday’s Headlines

8 comments

1. There seems to be an omission in your election section. Pantalone’s parking in the bike lane is like kryptonite for bike lane supporters like myself.

2. Surprise.. Surprise. There’s actually a great article in NOW regarding the benefits of reduced speed limits. One of the first stretches I can identify for such a proposal would be the stretch of Lansdowne between College and Bloor which has become a highway with vehicles speeding along at 60km/hr plus since Councillor Giambrone decided that narrowed the street but WIDENED the travelling lane. And as anybody with an ounce of understanding about traffic engineering knows, widening the travelling lane encourages vehicles to go faster. Oh, and on the east side, he also placed the travelling lane right next to the sidewalk… with no protective buffer between pedestrians and traffic (unlike the stretch south of Dundas). So much for pedestrian safety. The only benefit is that those walking north get a very noticeable breeze when the bus or any other large vehicle zooms up the street. Just make sure you don’t have small children or frail adults with you.

3. I was very disappointed to hear Rob Ford’s vision on Transit this morning on the CBCs Metro Morning. While I respect the fact that he drives, and sees things through the eyes of a driver, shouldn’t he – especially as a politician – be a little more inclusive?

   Rob said that the people he talked to didn’t want bike lanes on Jarvis. As a result, he thought it wasn’t fair that their voices weren’t heard. Well Rob, what about the people who wanted bike lanes on Jarvis (me and thousands of others included)? Should we not have a say? If so, would you even listen? As a driver, listen to this: You of all people should be encouraging and promoting bike lanes across the city. Why?

   1. Cyclists take a tenth of the space as cars. Encouraging more people to ditch their cars and take bikes will only free up more space on the roads for drivers like you.

   2. Cyclists don’t contribute to air pollution, alleviating environmental illnesses. This not only saves companies productivity time, it also saves the health care industry a myriad of money! It might even save your life one day: 1700 people die (yes, die!), while 6000 people are admitted to hospitals in Toronto each year from Air Pollution. Are you invincible to this? Are your friends, family and loved ones too? Sorry Rob – unless you live in a glass bubble – you could be the next statistic!

   3. Cyclists don’t contribute to global warming. Challenge: Stand close to a car at a red light on your bike one day (Watch out for traffic of course! I recommend you be in a bike lane at the time. Perhaps try the new one on Jarvis?) and feel the heat emanating from a car. Global warming is right, huh?! Unfortunately, with their air conditioners blasted on high, drivers are usually completely oblivious that they are contributing to this tried and tested real phenomena!

   4. Cyclists pay the same taxes as drivers yet only have 100 kms of bike lanes in Toronto. You say you and other drivers pay more taxes? Not so. Studies prove that car, gas and other vehicular taxes are spent on highways – not city roads, which are mainly paid for by property taxes! Since cyclists don’t use highways, that argument is now moot. Cyclists deserve the same amount of road space as drivers. Fair is fair.

   I hope this helps change or shape your future Transit vision Rob. It’s amazing what we can learn from others if we really care to listen.

4. “Studies prove that car, gas and other vehicular taxes are spent on highways – not city roads”
   I’d like to see these studies. As far as I know, most of the vehicle related taxes collected go into the “general coffers”–to help fund things like the provincial govt’s $1billion e-health boondogle for instance.
   The $60 PVT alone was supposed to go towards city roads (I don’t know if it actually does or not) which in turn, I hope, helps all modes of travel.

5. Samg, I hope that when Councillor Giambrone finishes his term in council you will be able to divert your obsession to something more productive.

6. Vince,

   I don’t know about how money like PVT is used, so I cannot really comment on it, But I am a cyclist, as well as a driver (most cyclists I know are drivers too). So I have paid PVT and everything other drivers are paying. And I drive much less because I ride my bicycle, so I actually use much less road space and cause much less damage to the roads. So should I pay something extra (bicycle registry fee, or whatever that is), for using less road space?

7. Yu,
   I don’t drive that much either as a personal choice and yet I have to pay for fixed costs associated with owning a vehicle,even though it sits in my garage most of the time. If you’re asking me if you should pay a bicycle registration fee then I would have to say yes…not $60 but $20 is a good start and it should go towards providing safe,efficient bike lanes in appropriate areas.
   Personally, I think the whole notion of municipal property taxation is antiquated. There should be a form of income tax instead. That way everyone contributes based on income like other levels of government.

8. Paul,
   I comment on various things not just Councillor Giambone… also, when he is gone, I hope you will find someone else to blindly “rah-rah” for.