Rant against BestWestLRT NIMBY whiners

[Resolute 14]

Originally Posted by Boblobla

I was listening this morning and now the C-Train is going to go up the middle of Bow Trail? Sucks to live anywhere in that corner of the city for the next 3 or 4 years...

How about that it will suck to live in that area until the end of time. Every idiot who supported the idea of having the LRT go up the centre median of bow should be required to drive from McKnight to Memorial on 36th St. during rush hour.

My solution is simple: Tell them that the city will put the line underground, however the people in those neighborhoods alone will be responsible for covering the additional costs. Otherwise, shut the hell up, and accept that what the City had on the books before you moved in trumps your NIMBYism.

[Resolute 14]

Originally Posted by Boblobla

I know, I nearly drove off the road when I heard that. If I lived in that area I would hand a flag in my window out of spit. Flags are awesome.

Hang a rainbow gay-rights flag in one window, and a flag with a giant marijuana leaf in another to really piss her off...

[MarchHare]

I'm not sure if this is the same group, but I heard a crazy woman whining about the new LRT line on the CBC Radio morning show last week. She -- no joke -- broke out the "WON'T SOMEONE THINK OF THE CHILDREN!!!1" line. She wanted the City to build the line extension underground in her neighbourhood, at an estimated cost of $80 million more than the original budget for an above-ground track. When the host asked her to justify that cost to Calgary taxpayers, she said, "Can you really put a price on the safety of our children?" I wanted to magically reach through the radiowaves and stab her in the eye with a fork.

Is there any evidence that a below-ground track would be safer? How many children have even been killed since the C-Train opened because they didn't have parental supervision and didn't know how to safely cross a track? I think I was all of, oh, three years old when I learned to look both ways to make sure nothing was coming before crossing. Certainly by the time I was old enough to leave the home unsupervised my parents had taught me how to cross safely.

[Dan02]

Originally Posted by llama64

No, you do not NEED a 2000 sq ft house with a massive back yard to raise kids. Too many oil rich yuppie families are screwing over the development of this city.

Says you. I did the apartment/condo thing, and it's not for me. I enjoy my space. I look forward to in a few years, when i upgrade to a house with a slightly bigger back yard, to putting in a small backyard rink. As much fun as a postage stamp sized lot is, i prefer a functional yard rather then a decorative one.

[Cowboy89]

Originally Posted by McMack

I first visited this web site a couple of weeks ago expecting something about reducing level crossings and making the line run faster, but what I discovered instead is that all they cared about was elevated lines messing up their view in their own little tidbit of the proposed line. They even have hysterical artist mock-ups of grafitti painted concrete pillars with drug dealers hanging about. (No joke, go check for yourself.)

FYI, some of these changes would involve huge disruptions to Bow Trail and intentionally NOT making any upgrades to traffic flow on Bow at the same time. Crazy.

EDIT: This group is now proposing another $80mil in changes. That's $100 mil total and $100 for every man, woman, child and baby in Calgary.

Yeah that website is pretty terrible. I just sent an e-mail to my alderman protesting this site using the "Best West" template but changing some of the words around to reflect my view point. Here's my template for anyone wishing to do the same. The Best West LRT site has a list of all the alderman's e-mail addresses:

Attention: Your Alderman here

As a resident of Your community here in Calgary I am writing to tell you that I support the City alignment of the West LRT . Upon inspection of the Best West LRT Committee's website it is fairly obvious that this is a NIMBY group whose efforts serve only to: A) Increase ultimate cost to the taxpayers by tunneling the LRT in certain places not originally called for, B) Reduce the efficiency of transit by proposing an out-of the-way alternative alignment, and C) Massively delay a project that has been needed for a number of years already. Please do your best to ensure that this group fails to de-rail the West LRT.

Thank You.


Concerned Resident and Voter,

-Your Name Here

[The Yen Man]

Originally Posted by Boblobla

I know, I nearly drove off the road when I heard that. If I lived in that area I would hand a flag in my window out of spit. Flags are awesome.

I really dont think she could have sounded much more ignorant than she did right there unless she started with the racial slurs.

I was watching Global yesterday, and all I heard were ignorant comments from the Nimby's there. Every person interviewed kept labeling the people using the affordable housing as criminals or bums. God forbid there are decent folk out there that don't make tons of money like you rich folk. They talked about people living under the poverty line as some kind of second rate citizens. Disgusting really.

[FurnaceFace]

I live in Shaganappi, just south of the same golf course so I care about this line. Bus service where I am sucks as the buses (especially in the winter) are full to capacity in the morning or the buses which aren't full don't stop at our stop (I'm looking at you 301). I moved into my house 10 years ago and before we bought I did my due diligence on the LRT line. I knew it was proposed to go up Bow somehow, however the details were missing.

I believe a lot of the hue and cry is due to people feeling they weren't consulted on the line. The renderings of the elevated track over Crowchild available at the open house looked scary ugly to be honest. That meeting was pretty wild because it seemed full of people who were just there to complain about things that looked fine to me.

I think there are certain things which could be changed which would help ridership, traffic flow and aesthetics:

1) I don't agree with a median LRT track up Bow Trail, that to me would affect traffic capacity. It's already an extremely busy road at rush hour and the LRT taking up what could be a 3rd lane or limiting any growth is not the best approach in my mind.
2) They are tunneling it under Westbrook, I'd fully support they tunnel it all the way up Bow trail. This alleviates the level crossing issue and allows for Bow trail expansion - basically does away with the issue I have in #1. It would also improve traffic flow and hopefully result in less disruption to Bow trail during construction. I believe this was in the plans at one point but was scrapped. I also believe The City already owns a vacant lot at Bow (12th ave) and 26th St which would serve as a south entrance into the underground station.
3) tunneling would alleviate the need for the elevated track. I'm not sure if Sunalta would get a station however they don't seem to care about getting one some that's ok.

As a citizen of the area I would be quite content to pay an extra charge on my taxes for an underground line.

I would also point out those of us in the west have helped pay for the rest of the LRT lines so we should get our pound of flesh now too - within reason of course.

[Boblobla]

Stupid question. what is a NIMBY?

[WhiteTom]

Originally Posted by MarchHare

I'm not sure if this is the same group, but I heard a crazy woman whining about the new LRT line on the CBC Radio morning show last week. She -- no joke -- broke out the "WON'T SOMEONE THINK OF THE CHILDREN!!!1" line.

I heard the same kind of thing on the ride home yesterday. She kept yammering on and on about how children would be in danger of being struck by the train and how there would be transients running rampant. I've lived in the NE all my life close to Rundle station and, like you said, we were taught to look both ways and not to cross when there were giant BLINKING lights and arms coming down from the sky.

Although I can't say I really listened to her whole argument. I kind of tuned her out after she started with the child safety bit.

[Dan02]

Originally Posted by Boblobla

Stupid question. what is a NIMBY?

stands for Not In My BackYard.

[troutman]

http://www.creatingcalgary.ca/discuss/westlrtexpansion

[McMack]

Originally Posted by The Yen Man

I was watching Global yesterday, and all I heard were ignorant comments from the Nimby's there. Every person interviewed kept labeling the people using the affordable housing as criminals or bums. God forbid there are decent folk out there that don't make tons of money like you rich folk. They talked about people living under the poverty line as some kind of second rate citizens. Disgusting really.

I don't live in Springbank Hill, but I drive past this complex that they're building every day and I have to say that this is a bizarre location to put housing for low income families. There's nothing there... No transit, no shopping, nothing. A family would pretty much need 2 cars to live there.


http://maps.google.ca/maps?f=q&hl=en...59988&t=p&z=13

[Homer_J]

Originally Posted by McMack

I first visited this web site a couple of weeks ago expecting something about reducing level crossings and making the line run faster, but what I discovered instead is that all they cared about was elevated lines messing up their view in their own little tidbit of the proposed line. They even have hysterical artist mock-ups of grafitti painted concrete pillars with drug dealers hanging about. (No joke, go check for yourself.)

That website is emabarassing. I wrote them an email a while back saying that they're only hurting their cause by using those sensationalized photos.

The areas depicted in the photos don't look too spectacular to begin with. They show surface lots and freeways. How are those going to be hurt by an LRT line?

[MarchHare]

I would also point out those of us in the west have helped pay for the rest of the LRT lines so we should get our pound of flesh now too - within reason of course.

Fair enough. I don't think taxpayers in any community object to extending the LRT to your neighbourhood per se, rather, the complaint we have is that NIMBY whiners are demanding that the track be built underground at an excessive expense when it's completely unneccessary.

[Boblobla]

Originally Posted by WhiteTom

I heard the same kind of thing on the ride home yesterday. She kept yammering on and on about how children would be in danger of being struck by the train and how there would be transients running rampant. I've lived in the NE all my life close to Rundle station and, like you said, we were taught to look both ways and not to cross when there were giant BLINKING lights and arms coming down from the sky.

Although I can't say I really listened to her whole argument. I kind of tuned her out after she started with the child safety bit.

If your kid is dumb enough to get hit by a train it was their time, perhaps this lady should dive infront of one as well and remover herself from the gene pool.

[Rhettzky]

Originally Posted by FurnaceFace

As a citizen of the area I would be quite content to pay an extra charge on my taxes for an underground line.

I would also point out those of us in the west have helped pay for the rest of the LRT lines so we should get our pound of flesh now too - within reason of course.

Reason in this case is an above ground transit line. The fact the SWers have delayed the project should come out of the original budget, not taxpayers money. So basically, thanks to BestWest, you have taken the budget back to a point where your west LRT line is only going to be wooden rails and pump cars. Have a blast!!

[WhiteTom]

Originally Posted by Rhettzky

So basically, thanks to BestWest, you have taken the budget back to a point where your west LRT line is only going to be wooden rails and pump cars. Have a blast!!

Even better for the environment!

[GreenTeaFrapp]

Originally Posted by Homer_J

That website is emabarassing. I wrote them an email a while back saying that they're only hurting their cause by using those sensationalized photos.

The areas depicted in the photos don't look too spectacular to begin with. They show surface lots and freeways. How are those going to be hurt by an LRT line?

I just looked at their website and they appear to be either idiots or liars. They're crying about elevated rail lines claiming they are hated around the world. Then the examples they provide are things like the Gardiner Expressway in Toronto or a huge elevated highway in NY. There's a heck of a difference between a huge 6+ lane expressway and a two lane LRT line.

And those mockup they have? Ridiculous! They're claiming how the neighbourhood would be destroyed by an elevated line but most of those pictures have elevated ramps or other elevated transportation paths in them.

[GreenTeaFrapp]

Originally Posted by McMack

Am I the only one that is annoyed that these people have cost the city $20 million. This because the train skirted too close to a very small handful of houses...

If I was the city instead of spending the extra $20M because of the very small handful of houses, I'd expropriate the houses.

[mykalberta]

Originally Posted by Bobblehead

It is happening in the NE as well. The NE isn't getting the coverage (colour me surprised) but people are whining that their greenbelt behind their house is where the new track is going. Again, this has been on the books for a long time.

http://maps.google.com/maps?ie=UTF8&...40169&t=k&z=15

That line is pretty obvious.

What are you talking about, how is it obvious

Its the same thing with the airport and bow trail, has been on the books for a long time.

Some people just complain, no matter about what, show waiter service, lrt lines, you just have to ignore them.