Raise the Hammer

Good Luck in trying to move away from a car accident involving a driver having a heart attack at the wheel and having a violent accident. Personally I do not believe you, or I, can do that. But if you think then all the power to you.

Let's just have a referendum and when you lose please stop talking about it for at least 50 years.

One way streets did not lead to the cores demise. I vividly remember the core in the 60's and 70's being a busy vibrant and thriving area, long after we had one way streets. The change occurred with a change in society. Today's average new house is twice the size of it's 50's older sibling. People with means, and I do not mean independently wealthy but people with a decent job and a decent income moved with the times into nicer bigger homes. All of which of course are everywhere but downtown. I remember the North End being full of men who worked at the steel companies, and Firestone and P&G and National Steel Car and on and on. Those places, with all the well paying jobs they had have shrunk or disappeared. The well payed employees that remain live in Stoney Creek, Ancaster, Dundas, Waterdown, or someplace on the escarpment. The life and times of well payed wage earners with disposable incomes have changed. Not one damn thing to do with one way streets. Conversion back to 2 way streets will not return the core to it's glory times, unfortunately. If it did, if it could I would be the first to demand it but it is just a pipe dream. Look across the continent, Hamilton is not in a unique position the same thing is happening to many other cities. Our good neighbours to the west the city of Flint has had to raze neighbourhoods, formerly the homes of well payed auto workers lie abandoned. Not a damn thing to do with one way streets.

On and on it goes the nonsense that one way streets caused the downfall of our core. The nonsense that two way conversion will rejuvenate our core. Want to make our core pertinent again knock it down and rebuild it in a modern relevant way. Not a damn thing to do with one way streets.