Raise the Hammer

It is important to recognize that in spite of the misguided 'clamor' surrounding the disbanding of the LRT team - important planning work (which has direct bearing on the LRT if/when it comes), continues to be done by the council and staff with fair amount of scrutiny and diligence.

And even if the LRT fails to materialize on account of cost or lack of funding - this on-going work would clearly assist in intensification of urban areas.

A detailed read (pages 16 to 22) of this Planning Committee Report of July 05, 2011: -- would bring about a better appreciation of the different stages involved in urban intensification and LRT planning.

The snarkiness shown towards Councillors Clark and Collins and the Council here -- was so unnecessary given that it was based on an yet another newspaper story -- just as the original call for clamor was based on the 4 lines of a newspaper story pushing a totally different issue.

Comparing these two article above, to the questions posed by Councillors in the above Planning Committee report -- will help an average Hamiltonian in separating 'media spin' from the genuine concerns and diligence exercised by Councillors.

Councillors and staff working on such complex ventures with uncertain funding conditions surely deserve more than such baseless accusations of being rudderless and adrift.

Mahesh P. Butani

(this comment was originally posted -here- on the Hamiltonian.)

update: One fatal flaw in the RTH/LRT lobbyist thinking is that they assume intensification/development growth is only possible with LRT. One needs to visit Sao Paulo or Curitiba, Brazil to understand how intensification really happens and how transportation needs are met with what types of systems, at what stages in a city's growth.

To truly understand the deep politics that is being played with this LRT issue - one needs to see what is really going on behind the scenes in Toronto with its LRT/Subway debate. See Fenton Report on Transit www.gettorontomoving.ca/uploads/Fenton_Report_on_Transit.pdf

Comment edited by Mahesh_P_Butani on 2011-09-19 14:41:52