Raise the Hammer

How to re-use the knitting mill building. 1. The rule about parking spaces can and should be changed based on circumstances as it was for all of the new Condominiums in the core. I helped pass that rule for the "core" and would support it again. See the comments in several places about Tax icrimental financing on my web site in several places. As well, non on site parking was used for a condo on York St. I am proud to say it was my idea on how to solve the problem. Happy to explain how when time permits. There are other inducements that can be used if they can be done in such a way thet the Province does not consider them "bonusing."

1. How will you ensure that the Hamilton Downtown Mosque is able to acquire the land behind their current building in order to construct their proposed school, housing complex, and mosque expansion?

All city depatments and the School board are circulated before the Province or city sells off property. When the first discussions with the Mosque were held the Police decided they "needed" the space. The police can use other similar space including a City Owned Parking lot across King William st. Negotiating with the police is never easy, but with enough support it can be done. It is difficult to arrange enough community support to engineer sufficient pressure to help the police do the "right" thing. So you know those backroom deals every-one hates? All decisions must be made in public. Negotiations and making babies are best done in private. The question is how to make it easy for the police to say yes. They won't get there in public meetings.

If elected, and even if I'm not I will be happy to help the mosque buy, and develop an expansion.

1. Will you work to enact the measures listed below in order to make our streets safer and more liveable? If not, then what other measures do you propose?

Pedestrian activated traffic lights where they don't belong can be more dangerous than leaving things alone. Traffic engineers recommendaed against a pedestrian activated signal on Cootes drive because it was too close to a lit intersection a few hundred meters further up the highway. Neighbours insisted one was needed and another study agreed to put one in. Within a year, a Mac student was killed crossing against the light. It may well have been a coincidence. No other accident had ever occured there. Care and common sense are as important a safety measure as any other. Not having had the opportunity to look at the suggestions below, and being a decade out of date on what the current warrents are for pedestrian activated signals I would like to arrange a meeting on the issue with Hart Solomon. He is the city "expert" on this sort of issue.

Four way stops are intended to controll, not slow traffic. When used to slow traffic they often have the opposite effect. Jack rabbit starts and excessive speed between stop signs are often the case. Humans often use their own common sense rather than the posted speed limits and four way stops where they often "roll through."

I do like the suggestion of wider sidewalks on Wilson. We did try adding parking on Main West to slow down traffic. Cars rarely take advantage of them, and I have always felt wider sidewalks were an excellent traffic calming method.

Some cities (New York is one) use wider sidewalks in order to keep one way streets. My former understanding is that one way streets are safer for pedestrians. I will continue to examine and discuss traffic matters with both engineers and planners as well as communities.

I hesitate to take stands (in private or in public) that can later cause me to regret having taken a position. So rather than promise to state "that two-way conversion and desynchronization is one of his or her political goals, and to engage in the necessary deal-making to see that it happens" I would rather say I will do all I can to make Hamilton a more pedestrian and bicycle friendly city.