Raise the Hammer

@ Ryan and Jason, while I agree that the city should demonstrate that the RHCE is doing what it's supposed to with data, I live next to Centennial and I feel the difference both in the air and in the neighbourhood. Every urban center needs it's ring roads, we got them (whether it was done right or not is a useless debate now) and now it's time to get rid of the highways in between. For a purely visual representation of the change, visit the intersection of the northbound off ramp and Barton Street at about 8 in the morning and you'll see the traffic that was once driving down Centennial making it hard for school kids to cross the street queuing there. I love it.

I don't hate cars, I own one, I don't hate highways if they're needed and I feel this one was. Jason comments regulary about the York highway that goes by his house as well as the Main Street highway...I had the Centennial highway and by putting in the RHCE, it's made my community much more liveable.

I know the argument you'll repeat is that when you increase highway space, you increase the amount of driving taking place, and my response is that regardless of the increase, the pedestrian safety and liveabiity in the area is a HUGE improvement and in my perspective (and I'm sure you'll find it the same opinion as the vast majority of residents in the area) it outweighs this negative. I also don't believe that the answer to congestion or liveability issues is to create more highways willy nilly, I believe that it's necessary to give through traffic a place to go before changing the neighbourhoods themselves into places where less driving is necessary.

So regardless of the method, a two pronged approach is necessary, there has to be a place for through traffic to go and better planning and land use and improved transit options have to take be in place in order for the desired effects to be attained. In my opinion doing one without the other is counter productive and doing the latter first is a much more difficult approach.