Raise the Hammer

Thank you Ryan for your article supporting the idea that we don't need to lose curbside parking.

Our petition has always been pro bike lane, but more specifically it's pro parking, which so many people seem to have a problem with. My apologies if the text on the petition didn't make that clear. Like it or not, people are still going to drive. In a perfect world, we would all ride our bikes or take public transit.. we have both a bike rack and a bus stop outside of the salon for those reasons. We didn't state the idea of taking Hunter down to one lane on the petition because there were quite a few alternative ideas being considered at that time. We just wanted to get it out there as soon as possible and let others have a say and be informed as to what is going to happen in their neighbourhood. Isn't that what a petition is for? To call my stance on the issue "nimby" is ignorant. I've never once said "no bike lanes here, please". I've simply stated that there has to be a better alternative. Is it wrong for me to defend the livelihood of the business that I've worked so hard for the past 7 years and the livelihood of the people that work here? It's not the bike lane that will affect our business negatively, it's the parking. Also, it's not 16 spaces that are at risk, it's 27. I checked at noon and 23 of the 27 spaces were full. We have 7 stylists here and see hundreds of people a week. Sean when you opened your business you were fully aware of the parking situation around your space. When I bought this building I did so knowing that I had access to close street parking. To take that away and risk the success of a local small business is not a "progressive" move. If business decreases and we lose clients, I don't have the option to just move. I own this building and to pick up and move to a place with better parking isn't an option.


30-40% of our clientele come from out of town. They need a place to park, and many of them are elderly or mobility challenged. Many of our clients would have no problem with walking a city block to visit us but many simply can't. Many won't do it after dark and many won't do it in the dead of winter. Not to mention the lots on Hunter and Catharine and Walnut and Jackson are often full, the one on Walnut is Imperial so very expensive and so quick to ticket. Many people coming into Hamilton already complain about parking issues, and this won't help. I would love to just do the hair of Hamiltonians, because we are, after all, the coolest, but you have to consider the idea that we bring people to the hammer from Barrie, Toronto, small town Ontario, even as far as Vancouver and England. Isn't that a great thing? A small business bringing in people to check out our beautiful city? For us to recommend restaurants, galleries and events to?
The comment about Walnut being "an oasis of free parking" is a fantasy. There are 5. They are used by the residents and they are used for overnight parking. I've spoken to them. I went door to door when I was first informed of the project. Sara saying that the resident parking argument is overstated couldn't be further from the truth. I urge you to talk to them first before making assumptions. Most of the residents I spoke to said that this would negatively impact their lives (losing parking) and many came into the salon to sign our paper petition (which now has over 350 signatures). I've just been informed that there will be a community meeting with Mr.Farr to further discuss the residents disapproval with losing parking.

Changing Hunter to one lane seems so be a great alternative, as it will slow down traffic. It's not a busy street but when the traffic does flow, it's way too fast. This corner is dangerous and even has a high-crash zone sign to prove it.

When I first started this petition and argument to keep the parking on Hunter I thought it was a no-brainer; a bike lane, parking and traffic could live cohesively on one street as it does in so many other urban cities. I thought that the City of Hamilton could do better for us. That's all. No anti-bike lane, no anti-cyclists.

I'll be sure to post the date of the community meeting if anyone should choose to come.