Druh Farrell and Memorial Drive

[CaptainCrunch]

This is going to work great until some idiot parent loses track of their kid who runs out into the overpacked lane on Memorial and gets squished like a over ripened melon.

[Thunderball]

Originally Posted by Ozy_Flame

I think the closing a fabulous idea. We can get a chance for street vendors to strut their stuff off the beaten path, in a location that most Calgarians are familiar with. Besides, we close an artery like that for one day, but all the marathons and construction that take place all summer don't even raise an eyebrow for anyone? Puh-lease!

This will help local businesses, Calgarians and probably local tourism as well.

I think this is going to turn out much better than expected.

I have to add my voice to the, "its not the idea, its the road choice" crowd.

This to me is more of doing something because they can, not because they should. They are closing half of a major thoroughfare that boasts next to no commercial property. Close down Kensington Road, or 10th St NW, or 4th Street SW, hell, close down 17th Ave or 14th St NW south of 16th Ave even... it at least makes some sense. Want the river? close down Riverfront Ave.

Memorial is a poor choice, and frankly, is a safety concern. As poorly designed as it may be, its still a major E-W connector. Ambulances need that road for access to Foothills, and purposely clogging it is not wise. Its nothing but mindless arrogance.

I'm grateful Deerfoot is provincial, lest these blowhards try to prove a point with the only real freeway.

[enthused]

Its pretty funny how worked up people are getting over this. I was reading some of the comments people made on the Calgary Herald website, and you'd think the sky is falling or something. I really wonder how many of the people who are crapping the bed over this actually live near Memorial, or would be using Memorial the day of the closure? And for those who do use Memorial and are so convinced that traffic will be so absolutely dreadful that day... use an alternate route! My, what an idea!

I don't get why everyone's got such a hate-on for Druh Farrell. I admit that not all of her ideas are always well thought out or that great, but at least she's innovative and willing to try something new and step outside the grain. Everyone is so afraid of change, and how its going to personally affect them.

Anyways, I think its great that this is going to happen. I'm not sure Memorial was the best choice of location, but I still think the idea as a whole was a good one, and I'd love to see more of this kind of stuff around Calgary.

[Boblobla]

Originally Posted by Ozy_Flame

I think the closing a fabulous idea. We can get a chance for street vendors to strut their stuff off the beaten path, in a location that most Calgarians are familiar with. Besides, we close an artery like that for one day, but all the marathons and construction that take place all summer don't even raise an eyebrow for anyone? Puh-lease!

This will help local businesses, Calgarians and probably local tourism as well.

I think this is going to turn out much better than expected.

HIPPY.

I complain about marathons AND construction I will have you know. Will this be happening right around 10th street then? They would close it off from 14th - ________ or something like that?

[Cowboy89]

Originally Posted by Thunderball

I have to add my voice to the, "its not the idea, its the road choice" crowd.

This to me is more of doing something because they can, not because they should. They are closing half of a major thoroughfare that boasts next to no commercial property. Close down Kensington Road, or 10th St NW, or 4th Street SW, hell, close down 17th Ave or 14th St NW south of 16th Ave even... it at least makes some sense. Want the river? close down Riverfront Ave.

Memorial is a poor choice, and frankly, is a safety concern. As poorly designed as it may be, its still a major E-W connector. Ambulances need that road for access to Foothills, and purposely clogging it is not wise. Its nothing but mindless arrogance.

I'm grateful Deerfoot is provincial, lest these blowhards try to prove a point with the only real freeway.

I totally agree. It's Memorial drive because it's in Druh's ward so it furthers her own career and it's also a major traffic road to stick it to us pleabs who don't live the urban lifestyle that fall outside her ward.

Calgary's going to quickly become a Toronto or Vancouver or San Francisco where city council tries very hard to limit access to downtown to merely those living close enough that they don't travel by car. The big difference is that in those other cities mentioned, those living in far flung suburbs are technically part of different municipalities so that they can have local governments that allow pesticides, don't ban drive thrus, and build business parks to effectively eliminate the need to go downtown.

[Ozy_Flame]

Originally Posted by Cowboy89

I totally agree. It's Memorial drive because it's in Druh's ward so it furthers her own career and it's also a major traffic road to stick it to us pleabs who don't live the urban lifestyle that fall outside her ward.

Is it? Or is that your perception of it?

Dru Farrell's ward has already seen other festivals block off 10th street and/or Kensington Road, two of the most popular roads into downtown with relatively high traffic density. particularly, the 10th street / Kensington Road / Memorial Drive corridor is of particular concern because of it's crunch space, but every year we see things like Salsa Fest effectively shut it down, and without much inconvinience.

I really have a hard time Farrell is trying to stick it to suburbinates. She's trying to elevate her own ward (which she should be doing) and trying to give Calgary more of a community feel.

Absolutely nothing wrong with that. Nothing.

[Shazam]

Originally Posted by Bigtime

Shazam, you should write that in to the Sun. They would love it!

I hate the Sun.

Do you think there could have been a better road choice?

[troutman]

Originally Posted by Cowboy89

Calgary's going to quickly become a Toronto or Vancouver or San Francisco where city council tries very hard to limit access to downtown to merely those living close enough that they don't travel by car.

You say this like it is a bad thing.

Stay out of urban bohemia you snow-shovelling, yard-mowers.

[Shazam]

Originally Posted by troutman

You say this like it is a bad thing.

Stay out of urban bohemia you snow-shovelling, yard-mowers.

Conversely, it keeps the beggars, druggies and thieves contained in the downtown.

[valo403]

Originally Posted by Ozy_Flame

I think the closing a fabulous idea. We can get a chance for street vendors to strut their stuff off the beaten path, in a location that most Calgarians are familiar with. Besides, we close an artery like that for one day, but all the marathons and construction that take place all summer don't even raise an eyebrow for anyone? Puh-lease!

This will help local businesses, Calgarians and probably local tourism as well.

I think this is going to turn out much better than expected.

This is the part that confuses me. What local businesses will benefit from the choice of Memorial Dr over other area roads that aren't major thoroughfares? Is it the many businesses on Memorial Dr? I believe that list includes the ever changing restaurant location on the corner of 10th St. and exactly no other businesses. So why is Memorial so much more preferable?

I'm all for the idea, but the choice of location seems incredibly poor.

[Shazam]

Originally Posted by valo403

This is the part that confuses me. What local businesses will benefit from the choice of Memorial Dr over other area roads that aren't major thoroughfares? Is it the many businesses on Memorial Dr? I believe that list includes the ever changing restaurant location on the corner of 10th St. and exactly no other businesses. So why is Memorial so much more preferable?

I'm all for the idea, but the choice of location seems incredibly poor.

Actually, I think it's a little further east, so not even that restaurant benefits.

It does seem like a poor location, doesn't it?

[Shazam]

Originally Posted by Dion

I don't? We have lots of well planned events that go around this city that i think are great.

Enjoy the Lilac Festival while you can. They're being increasingly gouged by the city, so much so that they won't have enough money to keep the festival running for free.

[Muta]

Originally Posted by valo403

This is the part that confuses me. What local businesses will benefit from the choice of Memorial Dr over other area roads that aren't major thoroughfares? Is it the many businesses on Memorial Dr? I believe that list includes the ever changing restaurant location on the corner of 10th St. and exactly no other businesses. So why is Memorial so much more preferable?

Kensington will experience lots of fallout business from this festival that day, count on it.

Also, I think what Ozy is referring to are the businesses that set up shop AT the festival. If this has anything like a Lilac Festival feel to it, it should be a very fun event to attend and hopefully institutes another reason to bring our spaced-out communities closer together.

To the opposition of this proposed one-day half-road closing: I didn't know you were planning on driving down eastbound Memorial Drive in the afternoon of August 16th. Plans must be cancelled, because there's obviously no other alternative routes to go in this city, nuh uh. Might as well just cancel Christmas now, because this year is now a lost cause.

[calculoso]

Originally Posted by Muta

To the opposition of this proposed one-day half-road closing: I didn't know you were planning on driving down eastbound Memorial Drive in the afternoon of August 16th. Plans must be cancelled, because there's obviously no other alternative routes to go in this city, nuh uh. Might as well just cancel Christmas now, because this year is now a lost cause.

To those who like the idea: Funny how this started off with "part of the summer" then went to "5 sundays in August" and is now "August 16th".

It's the lack of planning, the lack of consultation, the "my way or else" approach that was taken with this that I personally hate. As Michael Platt of the Calgary Sun put it:

http://www.calgarysun.com/news/colum...30161-sun.html

Instead of bringing the idea to city council, a path followed by most aldermen wanting to try something new, Farrell just decided Memorial would close. She then discussed the street party with journalists, including this columnist, but not with city council -- which is why the debate blew up in the pages of the press, rather than council chambers.

Self-appointed poet Bob Hawkesworth can blame the media for doing its job, but asking for the opinion of both sides of an issue is what reporters do in a democracy. Sorry, Bob.

And democracies, usually, are where controversial ideas are debated, no matter how small and trivial they may seem.

In this case, there was no discussion, no vote and no possibility to hear opposing viewpoints in a public forum -- all things that would have kept tempers cool and perhaps helped to improve a good, but flawed, idea.

Not one person has argued against closing a road for a party -- it's the choice of road that has many Calgarians and a handful of politicians upset.

A city council debate, complete with input from traffic experts and the neighbouring community, would have answered all outstanding questions and made it clear whether Memorial Drive was a suitable choice.

Instead, we have a decision that was undemocratic and a city council that may now be incapable of governing without personal feelings and bitterness tainting the proceedings.

[V]

There are two things I don't understand here.

1) Memorial Drive from 3rd to 10th has been a two lane road for almost a year now. I don't drive that road, but it seems to me that you've all survived it so far. What's the deal here?

2) I can easily see this area still under construction for the next few months, and not just this area, but it will be expanding all the way to 14th street. Is this going to be ruined when the good folks of Calgary try having a festival directly within a construction site? I'm having a real tough time figuring out how this will work.

[calculoso]

Originally Posted by V

1) Memorial Drive from 3rd to 10th has been a two lane road for almost a year now. I don't drive that road, but it seems to me that you've all survived it so far. What's the deal here?

it's been a 4 lane road, 2 in each direction, any time I've driven on it...

[Muta]

Meh. I think the choice of road is being highly overexaggerated here. Eastbound Bow Trail was bottlenecked in an area to a good one lane for a half-a-year span in 2008. This was during major rush hour traffic, twice a day. Somehow, people survived.

The contractor building Jameison Place downtown next to Eau Claire has shut off both 2nd Street and 3rd Avenue, off and on, for the last year. This, of course, during rush hour traffic in the mornings and afternoons. This should be WAAAY more of an issue to the public and to the aldermen than shutting down one direction of traffic for one day on a weekend in the summer.

It's just really not a big deal.

[Cowboy89]

Originally Posted by troutman

You say this like it is a bad thing.

Stay out of urban bohemia you snow-shovelling, yard-mowers.

I would if my job wasn't downtown!

If Calgary was really like those cities, then the city of Calgary would only have jurisdiction over an area from Downtown to Glenmore in the South, to Sarcee Trail in the West, Deerfoot Trail in the East and 16th Ave in the North. The surrounding population would outnumber it and consist of many different municipalities that would compete for businesses and residents based on tax bases and services offererd. When the primary city does things like increase business tax to fund social engineering programs, other municipalities will benefit when businesses that currently operate downtown realize they can operate cheaper in other places. It's one of the reasons why Mississauga has seen tremendous growth in its commercial sector.

[octothorp]

I don't see the road closure - even a partial road closure - as being the problem. Downtown in generally dead on a Sunday; how hard would it be to route westbound traffic over the flyover, down 4th ave, and back over the bridge at 10th street? And of course, do the opposite but down 5th for east-bound. If you catch the light sequence right (and usually the lights here are pretty well-timed), it's probably only a couple minutes longer than taking Memorial along that stretch.

[V]

Originally Posted by calculoso

it's been a 4 lane road, 2 in each direction, any time I've driven on it...

We're talking about 3 ST to 10 ST NW, right? It's been under construction for the longest time, with one lane shut down in each direction.