Raise the Hammer

Hi ScreenCarp - I'd like to address a few of your points, which I think are very valid, and we are going to hear a lot throughout this campaign.

First off, King Street is really not on the table for Bike Lanes. With the LRT plans coming into focus, there's really nothing that can be done on either King and Main right now, because it could all get torn apart with the LRT. Wilson Street ends at Sherman, so it's not a viable East-West route for cyclists either. Cannon Street is identified in the City's Cycling Master Plan (2009) as the preferred location for Bike Lanes - we just want to see that happen sooner rather than later.

As for getting out of the City quickly - we have King Street and Burlington Street mere blocks from Cannon - both of which can carry you out of the City quickly, and both of which are designed, much like Cannon, to carry more cars than they currently carry. The moral of the story is that there are other streets that can absorb the excess capacity from Cannon.

The other point you make is that it is a "pretty drive". And I agree with you 110%, except I would say it's a beautiful bike ride. It takes you from Hamilton's historic East end through the thriving Ottawa St BIA, to James St. North and then on to the Farmer's Market and Central Library only a block away. These are the kinds of rides we need to highlight to visitors - to bring them into our neighbourhoods and show them what our city has to offer them, not to encourage them to get out of Hamilton as fast as humanly possible.

I also appreciate the challenges that must come with living in Stinson and working in Toronto - that is a nightmarish commute, and I do sympathize with you. We think that by creating a City that is more liveable, however, that we can draw more jobs to Hamilton, and potentially create a job for people like you here in the City so that you don't HAVE to suffer through that commute every day. What's more, while you may be able to afford to drive to Toronto every day for work, many of your neighbours cannot. We want to make sure that the roads work for them as well, and that the infrastructure in their neighbourhood doesn't rob them of their choice to use active transportation to get to school, work and their local shops. Right now, things are working pretty well for you to get to your job, and I admit that there is likely to be some adjustment for you in your daily commute if this all goes as planned, but at the same time, things are working TERRIBLY for those who can't drive (children, the elderly, people with disabilities, people who can't afford a car) and people who choose not to drive, or who would like to choose not to drive. I ask that you think about them as well. You sound like a reasonable, reflexive individual, so I would ask you to examine the sacrifice that you might have to make vs. the sacrifices that the status quo FORCES others to make.

Thanks for engaging productively, and not just with a "NO WE CAN'T SLOW DOWN CARS" type answer - it's refreshing to see!

Cheers