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By schmadrian (registered) | Posted February 22, 2010 at 17:44:01
While I think anyone paying attention knows where I stand on vehicular traffic, I do have to point out realities...even when I'm on the side being touted:
"If there was a user-pays principle to driving east on Main, then each driver would have to pay a $5 toll each time they inflict their vehicle on Hamilton."
Oi vey... I honestly don't know where to start. I get the idea behind this thinking, I get the pedestrian-friendly mindset, I get all that... But seriously; no politician is going to touch this. Not in a kajillion years. (I'm not saying that the proposal would ever even get introduced, I'm commenting on what amounts to naïveté regarding just how entrenched the car mentality is society-wide. Yes, it's me, the Broken Record again.)
Look; this afternoon, I walked across Aberdeen at Kent. You know, where they now have the sign 'requesting' pedestrians cross at Locke or Queen. If THIS is the sort of mindset government has...and remember, this is government that's probably representing the wants/needs of its many car-driving constituents...then what makes you believe that trying to 'attack' drivers with a 'we don't want you here' approach would even get past the protest march stage?
It's one thing to chat within a like-minded group about 'ideal circumstances' down the road, but when you start throwing around references like "...people who mess up the quality of life of others..." you're not only playing with fire...you're going to be grouped by the general public in ways you're really not going to like.
Let me reiterate, before Ryan breaks out his metal ruler: I want not only a pedestrian-friendly downtown, I want a pedestrian-WELCOMING downtown. I'm not the enemy here, I want what most of you want. But some of the ways to present -and fight- this fight are better than others. I don't see 'congestion' charges (as in London) ever coming here. Different environment entirely. So let's look at another approach, shall we? (OK, Ryan; now I'm ready.)
Comment edited by schmadrian on 2010-02-22 16:45:22
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