Raise the Hammer

I have a #11: Convert to something useful the City staff and councillors car parking at City Hall and other City facilities. I would be willing to bet that when staff and councillors are using the HSR and cycling facilities that they will miraculously undergo a sudden and remarkable improvement.

Change #3 into #1 nothing can happen until area rating ends. Next, make it a matter of civic policy that all gas tax money must be spent on transit unless, there is an emergency situation. Which is how it is done most Ontario cities. Do not bother with the old 10 year transit strategy it was hopeless and far far removed from a real functional operational plan. Just a list of whishes and would like to have's, designed to make people and other governments think they gave a dam about transit. A real transit growth strategy has goals and concepts that would address and improve conditions in points 4 through 8. #9 is a staffing issue. Now #10, as a resident of Ottawa, a city that is putting $2.2 Billion of our own cash into our $5.8 Billion LRT plan, including both Stage 1&2, it is a really nice sentiment. This however doesn't include the $400-500 Million we will be spending on new BRT rights of way by 2031. However, if you can get the cash for free don't be stupid, take it!

Now the lawyers are seeing a cash cow. http://bayobserver.ca/pushing-back-again...

OMG Fred got his job at CUI because his squash buddy Terry Cooke was the Chairman.

This is hopeful. I'm writing a letter to council on behalf of BRT. Fred and Sam only want rail because they will have to rip out the sewers and replace with brand new.

With the same money as a dinky Thomas the Train LRT we could have a BLAST BRT network or at least close to it. A Mountain connection. Since most of those government workers downtown live on the mountain and want nothing to do with downtown.

But you claim not even to live in Hamilton any more ... why are you so vindictive and angry? Can you explain why BRT is so much better than LRT (proper BRT costs one third to one half of LRT, the stops aren't any closer, it's more expensive to operate, not scalable as ridership grows and attracts less investment ... and it takes just as much space from cars)?

You've posted five times today without contributing anything but insults and bile.

You wrote dozens of articles for Raise the Hammer between 2004 and 2011 that contributed something positive and thoughtful to the discussion about how the city is developing and the challenges it faces. Now all you want to do is attack and insult. What happened?

Comment edited by kevlahan on 2017-07-12 20:07:07

Glad you're counting. Make sure no one posts a counter position or else it is 'vindictive and bile'... typical lefty. I'm a property owner in Hamilton. Live in Buffalo. I don't need to live in Hamilton to be a stakeholder. Yeah I'm a little ticked off at trying to fit a square peg LRT in a round hole...just because.

Comment edited by TreyS on 2017-07-12 20:07:53

Do you even read your posts? Replete with references to 'snowflakes' and unjustified claims. It's your attitude that's the problem, not your position or (lack of) arguments.

What is it with the 'lefty' put down? You don't even know my politics ... apart from supporting LRT and complete streets, which are hardly 'left wing' issues. I guess left wing is just a generic put down as far as you're concerned.

'Just because' seems to about sum up your attitude and level of debate these days.

Comment edited by kevlahan on 2017-07-12 20:14:37

I apologize to everyone. Just a little disappointed with the lack of discourse on RTH now and how any (not just me) with a different view with the majority on here are treated...this minority just goes away. And the readership and authors have no become so insular which I don't think the editors of this site wanted to happen. It started with some very divisive issues no doubt and how they are treated by and with the members of council's lack of vision and leadership for decades, the RHVP, the Casino, the City Hall marble, the Stadium and now LRT. It's very frustrating to watch.

For the record I was for and still am for LRT, but it should be on Main (IMO, it just seemed like a no-brainer choice) that way another bridge over the 403 isn't needed and the money could go to realigning the off ramps and finally making Main St two-way. The way 403 is aligned now seems to be the sticking point with making Main two-way, and not even discussed because the City can't control the 403, but finally you have Metrolynx being a facilitator between the City and Province, and it doesn't seem to be a going well. Instead it's jammed down King Street, wiping out sections of the streetwall for stations, and eliminating busses. It's a mess and frustrating, and obviously that frustration is coming through. Some just want LRT so bad that they're ignoring some obvious problems. For this I am sorry, I am done.

Comment edited by TreyS on 2017-07-12 22:20:36

Thanks, Trey, for explaining your frustration and engaging positively again. I appreciate it. It would be great if you would start writing articles again to develop your ideas more fully.

Reasonable people can disagree on whether LRT should be on Main or King, but I think LRT can be a success with either alignment. But I do think it is too late at this stage to revisit this decision. I would also have supported LRT on Main.

One of the major arguments for not using Main is that it would be better for maintaining motor vehicle traffic flow (since Main has more lanes and no pinch points). Other arguments in favour of King are that Main connects directly to the escarpment accesses, there are no arterials south of Main as alternate routes, and there is more potential for economic uplift along the King route.

From what I saw on the RTCAC, 2-way Main conversion was rejected out of hand by staff simply because it would be too politically controversial, even though the 2010 Metrolinx BCA recommended it. To this day Metrolinx and the City's Rapid Transit team have been effectively forbidden from even considering two-way conversion of Main because it is too politically controversial. This is not helping, since staff should be free to look at all alternatives. It makes sense to convert Main to make provide more westbound lanes, especially during the construction.

Local bus service will continue along the Main-King route and we don't actually know yet how much street wall will be affected (there is a lists of properties that may need to be expropriated, but in many cases this is just a sliver and doesn't affect a building structure).

The City (i.e. Council) should be working with the Province to identify and solve problems optimally rather than stoking controversies and constantly revisiting their decision to pursue LRT each time there is a big or small decision point.

Comment edited by kevlahan on 2017-07-13 06:32:04

Kev sorry for the rants. You got your shit obviously. It is frustrating to see Hamilton always go sideways. As a property owner in Hamilton and living in Metro Buffalo, I think Hamilton can learn from the maniac madness that is happening in Chatt County, living in Williamsville, it is like looking at Locke Hamilton via Elmwood Buffalo.

It would be really interesting to hear about what's happening in Buffalo (I don't know much about the city except that it lost about half its population from the 1950s to 2000s but is attempting a revival, and its got a great art gallery, Albright-Knox). Would you be willing to write something about it?

Get a room guys, geez...