Raise the Hammer

Looks like Victoria Ave, except Victoria is RESIDENTIAL!!!!!

That portion of Main carries enough traffic daily to warrant 2 lanes of traffic.

This is based on the city's own traffic data.

The fact that Main still looks like this, despite the data shows where the priorities are at city hall.

People in Hamilton don't realize how lucky we have it. Traffic is horrid in Mississauga.

We have a chance here to make Hamilton great and more livable.

except we aren't. We're leaving our streets and neighbourhoods dangerous and the absolute worst place to raise a child.

I love how the second lane from the curb has an arrow.

I'm assuming that's to discourage all the crummy drivers from turning left from the second lane.

Something I see all too often on Main Street. It's like people have tunnel vision and are riding the green wave and then suddenly realize at the last moment they are at their turn.

I know what you mean - I got into an accident last year when a guy tried that stunt.

That's right. We have an opportunity here to make Hamiltom better.

Hamilton is Canada's leading producer of unrealized potential. I'm betting we'll keep on manufacturing that at an industrial scale for decades to come.

this was what I was getting at above. R-B is right: the opportunity is slapping us in the face. But we won't do anything with it, because city hall doesn't care.

I did too.

That photograph of Main Street looks like the way Potterstraat in Utrecht used to be. Needless to say, it was improved. We can do the same here in Hamilton. Take a look at this video of what the exact same part of Main Street could look like:

http://bicycledutch.wordpress.com/2011/1...

It might interest you to know that this is a common stunt in New Haven, CT. They have a similarly hostile one way street grid downtown, and people drive accordingly. You get used to covering the brake when someone passes you on the right, because you know they might do a left hook and cut you off. Another personal favourite in that town is the jack rabbit left that people do on the 2 way streets when they know there is no advanced green. It occurs with such high frequency that in order to avoid collisions you yield when going straight even though you have right of way.

Wow...fantastic.

Very cool.

Snap a picture here at 5:00 pm Monday-Friday and see if you are having the same conversation

I think this is a major reason why dt is so bad. This street makes the dt look empty, dark and lifeless in the evenings. Who wants to be associated with that?

Convert Main to two way traffic. Two lanes each way with a centre turning lane. And do the same for King already.

So we should design our city to allow free-flowing traffic at peak times, even if it means that the roads are empty 80% of the day?

Hey, it's money well spent so Terry Whitehead doesn't have to endure any push back from his constituents.

There are very few cars in your picture and that is why you want to eliminate lanes. Yet there are even fewer pedestrians than there are cars and you want to increase the width of sidewalks. Can you say double standard? Can you say war on cars? Can you say NONSENSE?

I'd say the same about bike lanes.

It's the typical 'do as I say, not as I do' mentality. Gimme gimme gimme for my pet projects, but at the expense of the ratepayer - ie. you and me, the driver.

So glad to be moving out of the core. So glad. The nonsense about bus lanes, 2 way conversion and bike lanes has finally given my family the reasons to get out while we can.

Gonna call BS on you living in the core all these years and only now deciding you don't like it. I've been downtown for 2 decades and I've never been as optimistic as I am about new development and improvements.

I have lived downtown for over 5 years. And, I'm relatively young. And, I drive. And, I come from the suburbs. I really, REALLY wanted to be a part of the change but it's just not a change that I can agree with (the change I was looking for was gentrification, not pet projects that benefit the few at the expense of the many). I wanted the night life to get better. And on Augusta, it sure has. But, everywhere else it's stagnant. Sure, we go to the monthly art crawls, buy some stuff here and there, but it's just not worth it to someone who commutes and has family spread out across the GHA. So, we're moving out to the east end and will hopefully be happier out there.

sounds like you moved downtown but brought your suburban mentality with you. you really really don't get urban living if what you were looking for was gentrification.

i feel really sorry for you.