Druh Farrell and Memorial Drive

[Muta]

Originally Posted by Resolute 14

You are aware that this was not the original plan, right?

So? This is what the plan is now, and people are still mad.

[Muta]

Originally Posted by Dion

I can understand a parade that brings national recognition to the city, or marathons that raise money for a good cause. As for a festival....no thanks!

You're right, festivals suck. Lilac Fest is terrible, and so is the Folk Fest. People don't attend those.

[Resolute 14]

Originally Posted by Dion

This wasn't about a one day Sunday event, Druh wanted it to be an event for every Sunday in August.

I can understand a parade that brings national recognition to the city, or marathons that raise money for a good cause. As for a festival....no thanks!

Actually, a large festival would be a great reason to close the road down for.

The problem was that, as usual, Druh Farrel doesn't think things through. "Hey! lets close Memorial every weekend for a month! Great idea, right?"

There was no actual plan for an actual festival. She just wanted to close the road and hope someone else did the actual work for her. Lazy, stupid, moronic, and by far the worst alderman Calgary has seen in some time.

Originally Posted by Muta

So? This is what the plan is now, and people are still mad.

Once you piss people of with a stupidly shortsighted idea, it is generally hopeless to try and salvage it. Battle lines are already drawn.

[JiriHrdina]

Originally Posted by Table 5

I hate vegan hippies as much as the next guy, but what's wrong with having festivals? Things like Folk Fest, Lilac Festival, and the Salsa one bring in tens of thousand of people together for a good time outdoors. Just take another frickin street for gods sake.

The normal way of doing things is you plan a festival with a central idea and then see what closures it requires.

It's bass akwards to plan road closures and then try to create a festival around what road is being shut down.

[Table 5]

Originally Posted by JiriHrdina

It's bass akwards to plan road closures and then try to create a festival around what road is being shut down.

I'm not disagreeing with that, the procedure here seems suspect. Dion's comment was against having a festival period, which is what I was responding too.

[Dion]

I pointed out to Ric that he was still fighting the Memorial closure when it was trimmed down to one August Sunday.

"The biggest reason was is because the proponents were still talking about expanding it to four Sundays and then every Sunday again," he said. "And you know what? There was no festival on the table when I was opposed to it. I’m sorry, we checked it, even in council. 'Is there an application, anybody actually actually asked for a festival?' and the answer was 'no.'

"So I’m all for festivals. I’m on the record for trying to support festivals in several ways. But it wasn’t a festival thing when I was opposed to it. It was shutting it down.... If you want to do that with a secondary road in a neighbourhood where the neighbourhood agrees, great. Shutting down a major road, whatever major road, just because — I’m sorry, I still oppose that. Why? Because it’s a silly idea."

http://www.ffwdweekly.com/calgary-bl...l-madness-105/

[CaptainCrunch]

To me, I have no problem with festivals, but shutting down a major roadway or reducing it by lanes is stupid. There's nothing the matter with having festivals in communities themselves using off main roadways.

Its safer and shows more common sense and its easier on city resources.

[Dion]

Originally Posted by Muta

You're right, festivals suck. Lilac Fest is terrible, and so is the Folk Fest. People don't attend those.

Hold it in an area where you're not closing down a major artery.

[Muta]

Originally Posted by Dion

Hold it in an area where you're not closing down a major artery.

It's a Sunday, in summer, for a couple hours.

Perhaps you should take issue with the marathons and the Stampede parade if that's your concern.

[Dion]

Originally Posted by Muta

It's a Sunday, in summer, for a couple hours.

Perhaps you should take issue with the marathons and the Stampede parade if that's your concern.

What's wrong with holding festivals in princess island or some other park?

[JiriHrdina]

As an example - there is a triathalon in the city's SW that is causing people to sit there waiting for 45 minutes. It's a minor closure but on a major road it's a big problem. It's easy to say a closure isn't a big deal until your are 45 minutes late getting to where you are going because of it.

[Muta]

Originally Posted by Dion

What's wrong with holding festivals in princess island or some other park?

Absolutely nothing. But, if your grief is the closure of major arteries, there are other events that do that more than a street festival on a Sunday afternoon in the summer, along a road that won't even close fully.

Seems like some of you just complain for the sake of complaining.

[Muta]

Originally Posted by JiriHrdina

As an example - there is a triathalon in the city's SW that is causing people to sit there waiting for 45 minutes. It's a minor closure but on a major road it's a big problem. It's easy to say a closure isn't a big deal until your are 45 minutes late getting to where you are going because of it.

Much to the surprise of many, there are other roads in the city that you can take.

[Dion]

Originally Posted by Muta

Absolutely nothing. But, if your grief is the closure of major arteries, there are other events that do that more than a street festival on a Sunday afternoon in the summer, along a road that won't even close fully.

Seems like some of you just complain for the sake of complaining.

My grief is closing part of a major artery when a park would have been sufficent to hold this festival.

[Table 5]

Originally Posted by Dion

What's wrong with holding festivals in princess island or some other park?

If only we had some sort of pedestrian bridge to get from Memorial to the other side in order to do that.

[Muta]

Originally Posted by Dion

My grief is closing part of a major artery when a park would have been sufficent to hold this festival.

Fine, you're entitled to your opinion. I just don't think it's really that big of deal, to be honest. If only because other events close more arteries elsewhere.

[JiriHrdina]

Originally Posted by Muta

Much to the surprise of many, there are other roads in the city that you can take.

Actually in this city sometimes there are not realistic other routes. Moreover, how should people know to avoid certain areas until they're in it.

[JustAnotherGuy]

Why is there so much anger?

To the people who are angry about this. Do you use this section of road when they plan to close it? Does this directly affect you?

[Muta]

Originally Posted by JiriHrdina

Actually in this city sometimes there are not realistic other routes. Moreover, how should people know to avoid certain areas until they're in it.

For Memorial drive, there is. You simply take 5th through downtown and then over the flyover, or alternatively, you could take 16th Ave.

There's people who get stuck because of the other events too, it happens. To boot, there's still two-way traffic open on Memorial that day. So you could still take it if you want.

[JiriHrdina]

That's not really the point - the point is that major roadways should only be shutdown for good reasons - not the whim of an alderman with no concrete plans for why she wants it done.