Comment 108626

By RobF (registered) | Posted January 31, 2015 at 11:21:10

Frances, great essay. I hope all councillors consider the message. There is too much it's better to be conventionally wrong than unconventionally right floating as practical (political) wisdom at our city hall. I see this in the speed at which the bus-lanes were removed ... days literally to do it, because it's easy to understand how the status quo works and should look like. Contrast this with the caution and foot-dragging that occurs around bike lanes and one-way street reversions back to two-way. Cost is not the issue, political will across council is (hence, the sudden claims of congestion the minute any attempt to change our streets is made ... common-sense logic - less road space for cars, more congestion - vs. what we've learned since the 1960s - more road space for cars generates more demand for driving and makes other modes of transport less appealing and/or viable).

Incidentally, for those that like political satire watch old episodes of the BBC comedy "Yes Minister". The surest way for senior staff to stop Minister Hacker from doing something is to tell him he's making a courageous decision. Sad, but true. It's why it's so hard to break the cycle of poor decision-making at council vis-a-vis a road diet, complete streets, and enhanced transit ... it's easy to complain about congestion than make decisions that cause short-term disruption (for some) for long-term benefit (for many).

Comment edited by RobF on 2015-01-31 11:23:08

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