A Victory for Windsor’s transportation system and overall liveability!
Aaaaah! The Riverside Drive Vista Improvement Project (RDVIP). Remember that plan to turn Windsor’s “Scenic Drive” into a pedestrian/cycling paradise? It seems like it’s been ages since we’ve heard about it, even though some of the residents still have their protest signs on their lawns, until now. This is taken from Councilor Alan Halberstadt’s blog…
Great news for Windsor cyclists, and I would suggest Windsorites of all stripes. John Gerretsen, Ontario’s Minister of the Environment, has at long last ruled against further delay of City Council’s Riverside Drive Vista Improvement Project.
A group of residents asked the minister 19 months ago to require the city to prepare an Individual Environmental Assessment for the project. I won’t go into the grisly technical details of Gerretsen’s decision to reject the request. Suffice to say that the city can now proceed with the project in the fashion that it was developed and designed under the Environmental Assessment Act.
When infrastructure money is unlocked, hopefully in the upcoming 2009 capital budget deliberations, the city can begin widening the Drive in certain narrow areas to provide an unbroken ribbon from the Ambassador Bridge to the Ganatchio Trail. Cyclists and environmentalists have been waiting for this moment for a couple of decades.
This route, once complete, will slam the door on many complaints about Windsor’s checkered bike route network, where bike lanes end abruptly with no seeming rhyme nor reason. In the case of Riverside Drive, Windsor’s most scenic road, the bike lane presently ends at Strabane as the road narrows all the way to Ganatchio.
Unless Council stalls this project with a dearth of budget money, this could be the start of the transformation of the city into a world-class cycling network, as promised in the BUMP study some nine years ago.
If Council really wants to push the cycling envelope, it can also move ahead in 2009 with an Environmental Assessment on what is known by the engineers as the Dougall Box. This is the spagetti-like Dougall Avenue Corridor which includes the Ouellette Place/Dougall viaduct.
This is a route unsafe for both pedestrians and cyclists, which was unwittingly worsened by the recent landscape beautification along Dougall. The city effectively improved one impression of this gateway and weakened another. The Bike Committee has long coveted a tunnel through the viaduct to open up South Windsor for cyclists. It could cost up to $1-million, but I have this giddy feeling that the timing is right to get started.
As the Windsor Star letter writer suggested today, the Dougall bottleneck makes the Tecumseh Road East corridor I braved last week on my bike, look like Copenhagen’s Tivoli Park.
Copenhagen, Denmark is probably the best cycling city in the world. I invite bloggers to google it to find out how 40 percent of this ubber healthy Danish population rides a bike every day.
Councilor Halberstadt sums it up better than I could have. This has been a long process (the folks behind the “Save Our Scenic Drive” campaign, whether you agreed with their stance or not, have done a good job archiving a lot of the media attention on their site) and it is wonderful to hear that Ontario’s Minister of the Environment could see through the emotional reactions and recognise a good plan. As Halberstadt said, thank you Mr. Garretsen.
This battle may be won, but the war is far from over. (I apologise for the violent analogies, but I couldn’t come up with an alternative without a few more cups of java) Windsor got the OK to move forward with the RDVIP, but whether they will or not is yet to be seen. We are all way too familiar with the shelf in City Hall that has all the plans gathering dust on it, and we must keep the pressure on so the RDVIP isn’t included in that stack.
The 2009 Budget must include something that will bring this plan forward. It’s time, again, to let your councilor know that this is important to you and your community and you must demand it be addressed and funds allocated to its implimentation.
Once again, the ball is in our court, folks! We can’t lose focus now…
Tags: Alternative Transportation, City Council, mobility, pedestrian, Riverside Drive, Urban Design, walkable
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That`s good news. Also, hope everyone at your blog is following this
http://quickrelease.tv/?p=667 The book looks fantastic.
Maybe they’re finally listening!
Ain’t gonna happen in this budget. In fact expect a large increase due to falling MPAC assessments. Someone needs to pay and we have an arena to pay for, legal fees, consultants Eddie jetting off all over the place, development commision that hasn’t given anyone 1 job yet but has been around for a few years already gobbling up tax dollars, canal visions of stupidity, tunnel purchases….it is endless.
Too bad because this is what should have been done years ago when we had the money. Now, we don’t have a penny left for the quality of life investments that most cities understand are needed. Nope! Not here! Not Windsor. Our elected officials know better than us mere taxpaying peons. We need to put up AND shut up! Change the conversation? Only when Eddie allows you to speak and speak about what he wants to talk about. 2010 truly can’t come fast enough!
If by “large increase” you mean a higher tax rate, then yes. But that does not necessarily translate into paying more taxes. You only pay more in taxes when Council decides to raise the tax rate beyond what is necessary to make up the decrease in assessment.
Skate to where the puck is going not where it is!
Governments are going to be spending huge amounts of dollars on infrastructure and economic development over the next few years to cushion the fall of this mess.
http://watch.bnn.ca/clip114335#clip114335
We really need to get together to make sure that here in Windsor we use this money wisely. Not on industries and projects that will be obsolete as some as we are done. We need to skate to where the puck is going not where it is!
I for one owe it to my kids to make sure we do so. They are the ones that will have to live with the Windsor we leave behind. They are the ones that will be on the hook to pay it back.
I say let’s get together and create a shared vision of our rose city and demand our politicians deliver.
Vincent, yes that is exactly what I meant. Overall, we “may” not pay more but with this mayor and council and all of their pet projects, I am not holding my breath.
They have already laid the ground work to let us peons…err, taxpayers know that new contract neogtiations are coming up and “if we want to continue to have the levels of service we currenty receive we may be looking at an increase.” I translate that into more money paid out by us.
Edwin, demand all you like but if they jsut ignore you what can a person do? Over-run city hall? That wouldn’t do anything and I dont advocate violence or breaking the law. If they can do that to the DWBIA (ignore)imagine what they can (or won’t) do to the average taxpayer?
ME, unite, organize, educate, empower. Basically make some noise for the things we want. Remember council is coming up on elections soon.
This is the most important time for our city in the many decades. We will be spending the money to build the foundations for the next 50 years. Let’s have our say on the city we build; we will have to live in it and pay back the money we borrow now.
Truly I have little to no faith in our current elected officials. N.America seems to have swallowed a few idiot pills over the last decade. Either that or stupidity is contagious and Bush jr spread it to all politicians.
I am looking forward to 2010. I just hope our lazy, ill-informed electorate will make the right choices.
Blaming the “lazy, ill-informed electorate” is a cop-out, ME. I view the lack of citizen involvement as a symptom of an apathetic, disenchanted group that has all but forgotten what power they have and need to believe in a new vision of what is possible.
Citizens get the goverment they deserve, and if our current elected representatives are what we deserve then it is up to us to change that collectively.
I have taken it as a personal challenge to bring that vision to as many people as humanly possible in the hopes that we can effect a positive change in this city come 2010. We also need to make people believe that the issues we are championing here on SD are actually possible, hence my current infatuation with the media. Unless we “become the change we want to see in the world” by eliminating as many negative feelings and accusations and replacing them with visions of positive alternatives and images of the life that is possible if we all work together, then we’re just feeding into the apathy and disenchantment as well and can be considered part of the problem.
I have a very good feeling about Windsor’s future, regardless of how the mainstream media paints our current economic situation. They are in the business of selling papers/advertising space, we are in the business of selling hope.
I know it sounds cliche and corny, but believe it or not - I actually believe it!
…or at least the 1/3 of the electorate that exercises their vote on the big day in 2010
Eventually the city will have to realize that listening to its citizens will be necessary to keep the city thriving (and keeping all those city workers in their jobs). Say what you want, ME, but I think that some of these things will happen and some of them HAVE to happen. It won’t just be residents making a push, it will be the government pushing to support issues like cycling as other countries force Canada to follow suit in some way, even if it is minor. You don’t want a massive outflow of citizens moving to Britain because you can apply for up to $400 to help cover the costs of a new bicycle (right now they’re averaging 35-48% return when you prove that you’ve invested in a new bike and all the gear…my aunt spent $800 total and got $400 back…not only is this encouraging cycling, getting that chunk of cash back will give you the opportunity to go and buy a real bike and not the Canadian Tire special…helps the independent bike shops). Things will happen…and the more people that support it (and not just bitch about the city), the faster and easier the transition will be. Education and communication will help this city…
So now the Riverside residents are threatening legal action against the RDVIP! Hilarious! Here’s the link the the video from ‘A’ News. Thanks for letting me know about this broadcast, John!
Yep, when faced with a a meter of lost grass what better way than to use your failed husband’s name in a lawsuit all for the betterment of what may I ask?
This is true NIMBYism at it’s finest. Windsor’s best kept secret is that we are the NIMBY capital of Canada.
No wonder so many citizens are thinking of lawsuit after lawsuit when our own elected officials think the exact same way.
Vicky, you are correct. I just don’t have that much faith in Canadian politics at any level anymore. Just look at the joke the federal opposition is pulling right now.
But the joke’s on all of us because it means your vote doesn’t amount to shit in their eyes!
Just the typical “power” mentality of the opposition. As if having more than 40%+ of the time in power isn’t enough, they pull a revolutionary tactic such as this. How about the citizens of Canada REVOLT and take back the power that is rightfully ours!
I’ll take the bate ME. I’m proud of our parliamentary democracy system. It has checks and balances that prevent wild ideological swings like the bush experience in the US. So, unless a government’s policies our palatable to a majority of Canadians they must work together. Harper forgot that in his mean spirited update. So, if a coalition that represents the majority of our views can work together, that is democracy in action.
Suspending parliament and the urgent work that needs to get done for a blitz of political spin is the joke.
There was no bait Edwin. I just spouted off on why politics in Canada has become a joke.
What was mean spirited in the update? I sure as heck don’t want my dollars going to political parties I don’t support. In fact I don’t want my $$$ going to any party. If I want to give my money to them I will.
But this just reeks of ego’s and grabs at power. Especially when we are hit with the worst economic crisis since the depression we need stability not some joke of a coalition with a used car salesmen, a has-been that never was and a traitor to the nation that birthed him. This is third world political maneouvering without weapons and nothing more.
The whole situation sickens me too. The proposal to eliminate public funding for political parties was a mean spirited power grab that would have bankrupt the other parties. It is the force that forged the unlikely coalition. It was a colossal political blunder that will likely cost Harper his political career.
Edwin, that recommendation has been pulled off the table as late as Sunday. So why do these buffoons continue to move forward? Lack of action on the economy? They too don’t have a plan and haven’t shown anyone so what gives? A power grab and nothing more.
This shows disdain for the voter and complete and utter disrespect to the population of Canada.
Disdain for the voter and the population of Canada? You mean the 62% of voters who DIDN’T vote for him? You’re confusing me, ME.
This situation is exciting as hell! I can’t remember the last time Canadian politics was this cool.
People have to remember that when you go and vote you aren’t voting for a government, you’re voting for a parliament. By voting for a party, you are hoping that party gets enough members to actively pass legislation through parliament. Harper didn’t. If these protesting
Cons (ever see rich white guys protesting ANYTHING before? Me neither - it’s kinda weird) could have only packaged their policies a little better and mixed in a bit o’honey so the electorite would have swallowed what they were saying, they might have elected more members so they could pass their shit through parliament. They didn’t.
The constitution makes room for this situation (it’s not illegal, immoral, a “coup”, no matter how spinsters want to market it), and now the power shifts back to our Governor General, Michelle Jean, who will make the decision to prorogue the government because Harper is afraid to lose control of this parliament, or allow the coalition to govern because she has a signed document stating that the coalition guarantees control of parliament for 18 months.
Bring on the coalition!!!!!
(ED: this “federal” rant is the last one coming out of Holt’s mouth (for now). His decision to remain non-partisan was a strong one and he will now step foot back into the cone of silence that is Windsor politics)
Chris Holt, give them a chance to bring out the budget in January before attacking them wouldn’t you say?
As for percentages they don’t mean anything because our parliamentary system is not based on percentages it is based on the number of seats. To court the traitors means they too have become traitors to this nation.
Besides, it has nothing to do with throwing the average guy a bone because neither party in the “coalition” has any platform for the economy themselves (unless you like higher corporate taxes ala the NDP?).
As for the stance that we are voting for a parliament, I agree. However, these same “coalition” parties also said they would work with the conservatives…they sure did, for less than 6 weeks.
By the way, the GG can also dissolve parliament and send it back to the Queen who would then choose British members to serve until an election could be called which is what happened in Australia in the 1970’s. She also has the power to dissolve the opposition believe it or not or she could very well change the constitution as the Queen has the final say in all laws in Canada!
Either way Canada now looks foolish not only to other countries who admired Canada for it stability of late but we look even worse to business who may want to invest here…or maybe not.
Anyway I will leave it at that and get back to what Scaledown is all about; Windsor and scaling down our massive sprawl issues.