Raise the Hammer

Actually, I am aware of those numbers they are not standards, they are suggestions. There are no standards that are universally accepted here in North America regarding non physically segregated transit lanes (painted lanes) minimum passenger capacity operating requirements, other than minimum width requirements. Those can be found in several locations including the North American edition of the International Traffic Engineers Guidebook and the OPPI/CIP land traffic norms guide (I have an older edition it may go by a different name now). The point is that, its the common positive transit and traffic effect that these bus lanes have had in no less than 30 North American cities were they have been used. The resistance to them is common but, this eventually dies out as drivers get used to them.

Many people still hold the opinion that a clear nearly empty road is the ideal in road/highway planning, engineering and operations. Many experts still believe it as well. They are blinded by that big and wide nearly empty road because it allows a maximum speed to be easily used by the driver. They don't know or care about what the effects are on pedestrians and or street life in those areas. They also don't realize that these streets should be busy with people and businesses not empty. They totally accept the complete segregation of uses in modernist planning of the 40's, 50's and 60's and believe that the sterile single use environment that it produces is positive.

The concept that a healthy city can be "messy and non uniform", very busy, have a multiplicity of uses mixed together, including housing as well as a transport system that caters to more than just road based transport, is quite alien to them. The fact that, you can read people's comments on this site saying that, being able to drive across a city the size of Hamilton in 20 minutes at rush hour is a good thing. Not evidence that your city is serious trouble and needs some big changes right now (considering its location in the Greater Toronto Area). You have a serious problem when you have an ex mayor who believed that, all day GO Train service was more important to the development of your city than a rapid transit line (LRT or BRT) serving its downtown core! A sitting mayor actually thought it was more advantageous to have public transport that leaves your city to go somewhere else, than to develop rapid transit actually serving inside your city. Your Councilor Whitehead I believe is a product of that environment and this overly suburban lifestyle. I have seen many like him and they will fight any change, even mundane and moderate ones to maintain that lifestyle until, a crisis point is reached. The crisis could be environmental, like really bad traffic or it becomes personal, such as he can't afford it any longer and or his literal life may depend on the need to change.

Until people like him reach some kind of forced or unforced realization the same thing will continue to come out of him. He is comfortable in his lifestyle and will fight to maintain it. He is probably actually confused by people who think that, living in a urban environment by choice is a positive thing. Why walk or for god's sake bike to a street market to buy fruit and vegetables 2 or 3 times a week when you can get in to your car and drive to a large comfortable store and get a week's worth of groceries and just drive home (some even deliver to your house). He probably thinks people like that are just a little crazy.

Why have a sidewalk in front of your house, all it does is add to your tax bill, disturb the site lines on your pretty front lawn and garden thereby, lowering potential property values. Worse of all people you may not now or trust can actually walk in front of your house and potentially attempt to communicate to you. If I want to talk to them I will, now, go away! Unless its election time then he will talk your ears off. I wish I was being overly dramatic and sarcastic but, my professional experience in the urban planning field with this is more common than uncommon unfortunately.