Scaledown Radio Followup
July 22 noon on CJAM you can listen to our scaledown show
After speaking with Shane from Cambridge who is there getting his PH.D. we asked what he made quality of life so much better in Kendall Square. We talked about
- the mass transit system which could take him virtually anywhere within a 2 hour drive.
- cafe culture and local support for arts and culture. Lots of live music venue’s with earlier start times than windsor
When asked about the one thing Shane would like to take home to WIndsor, he said the policy of heritage preservation which Mike then repeated below.
Mike Beauchamps wrote his own conclusions
Thanks for the opportunity guys.. there was a lot that I wanted to talk about, but didn’t have the chance to touch on. Admittedly, I was half-asleep still during the interview.
So here are a fewthings from my notes that I might not have got to mention.
About Public Transportation…
- “around 90% of the regions residents within 400 metres (approximately 5 minutes walk) of a bus stop or station.” (http://www.metlink.org.nz/)
- Bus system maps available at many stores, theatres, etc. Maps posted on a lot of stops.. schedules posted on all stops.
- “Metlink txtBUS” allows you to text message your bus stop number, and receive the next 3 departure times.
- Half of the bus trips are on electric trolley buses.
- Innovations coming include real-time information signs at bus stops, giving exact times buses will arive, updated by GPS data. RFID card to pay for bus trips (http://snapper.co.nz/)
- Green cab company operates hybrid cabs and hopes to plant 1 million trees.
Keeping Active…
- City runs http://feelinggreat.co.nz , listing activities to do
- endless KM’s of Walkways, mountain bike paths all mapped out, signed and easily accessable.
- Multi use waterfront trails.. rental of bicycles, etc, etc.
Adaptive Reuse…
- Wellington railway Station (1937): New includes grocery store and administration for Victoria University
- Old Piers: Now apartments
- Old Warehouses: Now Downtown office space
- Old Bank Shopping Arcade (1901): old bankt urned into a shopping arcade with 26 shops and underground foodcourt. (http://www.oldbank.co.nz/)
Pedestrian Friendly…
- Main streets have zebra crossings, pedestrians able to cross without waiting for a light.
- Most buildings/stores have a large overhang that shelters pedestrians on the sidewalk from the elements
- Intersections have covers, so people waiting to cross the street are sheltered.
- Most bus stops have shelters.
- Work places encourage cycling by offering places to lock bicycles and showers for employees to use.
The big thing I notice here is that the city seems to care about the quality of live of the people living here. Being active is very encouraged.. and many people take advantage of all the hiking and biking and public pools and facilities. Everything in the city seems to be designed with people in mind. Even big box stores aren’t that bad here.. a nearby electronics store for example has self contained parking (and only a small amount of spaces), a women’s gym above it, and 3 levels of apartments above that.
Anyways, cheers!
Mike
Post Feedback
Good show guys! Now do you offer a wake up service?
I, UrbanRat am not the mayor of Windsor as stated on your show! Do you think that our mayor has time for any type of conversation with the citizens of Windsor, let alone time to write long replies to your blogs? Ah! I see it was a test to see if I listen to your radio show!!!! LOL
On another thought that Shane mentioned, wouldn’t be great to go to Leamington and Point Pelee on a short bus ride from Windsor’s new downtown terminal or out to Amherstburg to visit Fort Malden or to Kingsville or Leamington connecting to the ferries to Pelee Island for a day trip, without having to use your car!!! Or imagine a direct route to Point Pelee for birding in the spring!
I don’t know why anybody has thought of the above, for me it is a no brainer! Imagine all the day trips that could be available!
Urbanrat. I think its a no brainer too. I think the towns you mention would also like to see some sort of transit linkage too, but dont have the nads to make it happen and so it has been put to the county level where it has yet to be addressed - no nads at county level either apparently. I don’t see why any one of these towns can’t find a 20-30 passenger vehicle, a driver and just make it happen. Our leadership fails us yet again…
When I was a pre-driving teenager living in Amherstburg I would have loved to see some sort of inter-county transit system in place. Even post-driving I would love it.
Mike’s experience is a common one throughout Europe as well.
We toured Europe for 5 months mostly by bicycle and other than knowing what cities we wanted to visit, we did not pre-plan our route. Every day that we did not cycle, we were able to use public transportation easily, even without finding someone who spoke English or French. We didn’t have just us to move when we covered long distances, we had our bikes and packs too but we ran into very few problems. In Ireland we went from Dublin to Galway (3 hours) for $10; this was a flat rate that the one coach company had going at the time…5 pounds (roughly $10) from major city to city.
This was almost 15 years ago and we saw energy saving things that we had never seen. In one rural French town the lobby that held the bank machine had automatic doors. The overhead lights, ceiling fan, and ATM screen did not turn on until you walked in. After your transaction, everything shut off when you left through the doors. I can’t even imagine what technology they are utilizing now.
Cardiff City in Wales has undergone many transformations and some of the buildings / areas have been repurposed. Empty office space in the downtown was converted to a Hilton where the artwork in the rooms are photos of the region. The old library is now a community and arts center and the neglected docks have been transformed into a hip and desirable area now known as Cardiff Bay.
Windsor needs to do more than talk, they need to plan and start moving forward as implementing changes like this will take a long time.
Actually Urbanrat and Sporto some of these towns do not want our transit cystem there. Tecumseh in their long running feud between mayor McNamara and mayaor Francis has stated there is no linkage between Tecusmeh and Windsor because they don’t have a need for it. Remember folks these are sprawl induced communities with 3 cars in the driveway. Why would they want buses?
That is not to say they shouldn’t be utilized but some towns just don’t give a crap.
Until the province (and the feds) wake up and realize that mass transit is the key to sustainability (and yes they have to use tax dollars to do it) things aren’t going to change. And surely you can’t expect a city to cover all of the costs. But then again they could help it they put their priorities straight. Would you rather improved bus service or an arena? A tunnel deal or greener buses with more routes? Let your mayor and council know where you stand. But that doesn’t mean they are going to listen…
It certainly doesn’t help having somebody like Postma behind the wheel either! In Gords article today - She’s still not sure if it poor ridership because of poor service, or, poor service because of poor ridership!!! ???
If she only read what TW had to say in any of their reports - It’s density! The city is simply not dense enough to be efficient and, as a result, the routes have to reach out to a sparsely laid out population so anyone making a transfer loses 3 or more hours of their life for a return trip anywhere in the city! Nevermind fuel costs!! Everytime Postma votes for sprawl she herself is gumming up the works at TW.