Originally Posted by Daradon
That's a pretty simplistic view of looking at it. Yes, everyone should be that responsible, but a lot of people aren't and it just isn't as simple as thinking of HOW one will get home. The transit doesn't run that late either and not everyone can get someone to pick them up. Cabs are often the ONLY option. So I guess you would argue, stay home then. Fair enough, but like I said, not everyone will. And is that really a good solution anyway? (It is for fixing drinking and driving, but just continue for a moment...)
The problem is not just for the people who want to enjoy themselves. It's for the merchants, the city's nightlife and the vibe of the city itself. How often do we hear that the city wants to encourage people to spend time and money downtown? How often do we hear that Calgary is dead downtown at nights and weekends? If the city really wants to promote things like that, especially in a healthy and fun fashion, it needs to give these people a way to get back home safely.
For something that seems to have such an easy solution, it sure seems like someone or some organization is making it difficult. And even if your feelings are as you mentioned, you have to know that a lot of people, especially young people won't act the same way you do. They might have done everything right up to the point of wanting to go home, including bringing extra money for cab fare, (and when it costs you an extra 40 bucks, planning like that IS being responsible for many who are young) and simply not be able to get a cab. Many of those people will drive home. Now, as far as preventative measures go, and costs associated with accidents, wouldn't this be a no-brainer?
To add my own question to this topic, I remember Nenshi saying he wanted to implement all night trains at some point when it became feasible. How close are we to that? Obviously that would help immensely, but that would most likely be a cost to the city. Adding more cabs seems like a better option in the short term. (Eventually we do need to get back to all night trains)
Really something needs to be done for night travelers, it's getting worse every year and is approaching the realm of ridiculousness. And you know what, it's not even the party goers, there are people who work at night too. I highly doubt 55 extra cabs is going to help much, a lot of the articles I've read said we need over 300.
I've been very happy with how Nenshi has run the city so far, but this issue is a bit of a thorny one for me. Mostly because, as people have mentioned, it seems to easy to fix. Yes, we all want the cabbies to make a good living, but do we want it so badly we are going to inconvenience hundreds of thousands of people until we find the right balance?
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