2010 Calgary Civic Election issues ?

[Knalus]

One of the biggest issues I have with Calgary transit is the assumption I don't want to go anywhere but downtown. If I lice in Edgemont, or the Hamptons, and I want to go to the nearest large commercial area, crowfoot crossing, and I don't have a car, I have two options. Take transit downtown, then take it back up to Crowfoot, or walk.

And this city sure as heck isn't built for walking.

If I live in Midnapore, and I want to go to the cheap movie theaters at Canyon Meadows, and I don't have access to a car, well, I might as well admit I can't get there. Transit is now totally focused on the Train, so I would have to walk way out of my way to get to the train station, go one stop, then walk all the way back. I can see the place I want to go, but I can't get there. At one time there was a fallen tree across Fish Creek, but they tore that one down, so now if I was walking, I would have to go through Parkland, or way on the other side of Macleod trail, cross, then head back. What should be a 10 min walk has turned into a 45 min to an hour ordeal. One other option is to cross on the shoulder of Macleod. I tried that once, and took my life into my own hands. I wouldn't recommend an athiest take that route, as divine intervention is practically a requirement. When they were widening the Bridge over Fish Creek, I thought that this would be the perfect time to add a crosswalk. No dice.

It seems City Planners figure you need to buy a car in order to be important enough to consider your transportation needs. That or work downtown.


Anyone running for office should consider ensuring that everywhere in the city should be accessible by foot. No exceptions.

[kermitology]

Originally Posted by Knalus

It seems City Planners figure you need to buy a car in order to be important enough to consider your transportation needs. That or work downtown.

Planners don't decide where the train lines go. The city is supposed to ensure that there is no more than 400m (thanks frinkprof) from you to a transit stop, but that's not overly enforced because it's hard on the developers, and Bronco was all about doing everything for the developers.

[Knalus]

Originally Posted by kermitology

Planners don't decide where the train lines go. The city is supposed to ensure that there is no more than 400m (thanks frinkprof) from you to a transit stop, but that's not overly enforced because it's hard on the developers, and Bronco was all about doing everything for the developers.

It doesn't matter how far from a stop you are if the bus doesn't show for hours, then heads in the wrong direction.

[SebC]

First Lady, another issue that's not being talked about but that is an issue for me is that apartments don't get city recycling. The people who need the program most because they are the least likely to have cars and cannot get private pickup without the rest of the building are the ones who won't be getting it until a decade after single-family homes.

Originally Posted by kermitology

Planners don't decide where the train lines go.

Then who does?

[kermitology]

Originally Posted by Knalus

It doesn't matter how far from a stop you are if the bus doesn't show for hours, then heads in the wrong direction.

I understand that, but my point is more that it's not the urban planning that has that all screwed up.

But transit also has to be designed in a way that is supportable. Ultimately an LRT network is needed, something like what was displayed earlier in this thread.

Until then, we're stuck with the main usage corridor to downtown and suburbs.

[kermitology]

Originally Posted by SebC

Then who does?

Developers, city council.

Planners have these guidelines that they're supposed to enforce, but rarely get to because an ounce of pressure from a developer and they get undermined.

Someone explain how there is a minimum density requirement for the entire city, except for the region of what the city calls "East Springbank" which has a maximum that is lower than the minimum of the rest of Calgary? That's not the planners, they don't like that. They have to work extra hard to get the density down in that area.

[kermitology]

Originally Posted by SebC

First Lady, another issue that's not being talked about but that is an issue for me is that apartments don't get city recycling. The people who need the program most because they are the least likely to have cars and cannot get private pickup without the rest of the building are the ones who won't be getting it until a decade after single-family homes.

I asked Nenshi about that and he said: City Council chose to stay out of that business to save it for private operators. It was sort of a botched attempt at alternative service delivery, but the RFP was such that only the city itself made a bid.

[SebC]

Originally Posted by kermitology

I asked Nenshi about that and he said: City Council chose to stay out of that business to save it for private operators. It was sort of a botched attempt at alternative service delivery, but the RFP was such that only the city itself made a bid.

I know they did it to avoid completely putting the private guys out of business, but I still don't like it. The private guys aren't getting the job done, so maybe the city should change its mind anyways? It's not a simple matter because they have made a commitment to stay out for 10 years, but IMO the situation is sort of similar to the smoking ban. When they first put it in, they made the transitional period way too long. Eventually they realized that that was a mistake and shortened the transition.

[Bunk]

Originally Posted by Knalus

One of the biggest issues I have with Calgary transit is the assumption I don't want to go anywhere but downtown. If I lice in Edgemont, or the Hamptons, and I want to go to the nearest large commercial area, crowfoot crossing, and I don't have a car, I have two options. Take transit downtown, then take it back up to Crowfoot, or walk.

And this city sure as heck isn't built for walking.

If I live in Midnapore, and I want to go to the cheap movie theaters at Canyon Meadows, and I don't have access to a car, well, I might as well admit I can't get there. Transit is now totally focused on the Train, so I would have to walk way out of my way to get to the train station, go one stop, then walk all the way back. I can see the place I want to go, but I can't get there. At one time there was a fallen tree across Fish Creek, but they tore that one down, so now if I was walking, I would have to go through Parkland, or way on the other side of Macleod trail, cross, then head back. What should be a 10 min walk has turned into a 45 min to an hour ordeal. One other option is to cross on the shoulder of Macleod. I tried that once, and took my life into my own hands. I wouldn't recommend an athiest take that route, as divine intervention is practically a requirement. When they were widening the Bridge over Fish Creek, I thought that this would be the perfect time to add a crosswalk. No dice.

It seems City Planners figure you need to buy a car in order to be important enough to consider your transportation needs. That or work downtown.


Anyone running for office should consider ensuring that everywhere in the city should be accessible by foot. No exceptions.

The essential problem is that Calgary is very uni-centric compared to most other cities. There simply isn't the critical mass of uses, nor the density outside of the downtown core to support a lot of cross-town type transit routes. Yeah, you might want to take transit from Edgemont to Crowfoot Crossing, but there aren't enough people that could be taken by transit on a route like that to make it viable. Not to mention that once you got to Crowfoot, it is fundamentally designed for automobiles with little or no pedestrian amenity and criminally low densities.

What really is needed is the creation of major high density nodes outside of the downtown core, so it makes sense to provide transit for a critical mass of people that would travel between an intense node at say Brentwood across town to a major hub in the west end or NE of town. Then something like a circle LRT route or cross-town BRTs could serve trips like this. You could take a short feeder bus to a rapid transit line and that could connect you to more major destinations not named downtown. In fact the intent was to create a high density node at Crowfoot, but instead it just became a cesspool of big box stores and massive surface parking lots. Simply not transit-supportive development.

Of course, people like McIver love the business as usual approach to growth and planning - lock-step with the suburban development industry.

[frinkprof]

Originally Posted by kermitology

Developers, city council.

Planners play their part too. Developers create the demand for new lines and extensions, planners work to anticipate the developments and guide their configuration around and come up with corresponding plans for line extensions. Council debate, make amendments and approve planned lines. Here is the "primary network" for the C-Train as currently planned:


http://www.calgarytransit.com/pdf/ct...twork_plan.pdf

[First Lady]

Originally Posted by algernon

Any new planks, F L?

You mean in addition to the ones I released yesterday? Then no.

I will be blogging as the campaign goes on and getting deeper into the issues.

I'm sure, much to Fotze's disappointment, I won't be campaigning on CP.

Any CP'ers who live in Ward 4 are welcome to contact me off forum at info@janemorgan.ca

[First Lady]

Originally Posted by SebC

First Lady, another issue that's not being talked about but that is an issue for me is that apartments don't get city recycling. The people who need the program most because they are the least likely to have cars and cannot get private pickup without the rest of the building are the ones who won't be getting it until a decade after single-family homes.

Yes, very good point. Ironically, I have a family member who just moved out here from Ontario and she has been giving me an earful on how far behind we are on this front.

[firebug]

A few more issues that should be addressed.

Eliminate the prayer before Calgary City Council meetings (Policy cc013)

Reduce CPS enforcement of Marijuana possession. Ideally, allow legal sale of cannabis in City approved locations allowing collection of tax (I recognize that this will likely be difficult with provincial and national laws).

~bug

[CaptainCrunch]

The city has nothing to do with deciding which laws can be and can't be enforced.

They also can't legalize it.

[algernon]

Originally Posted by First Lady

You mean in addition to the ones I released yesterday? Then no.

I will be blogging as the campaign goes on and getting deeper into the issues.

I'm sure, much to Fotze's disappointment, I won't be campaigning on CP.

Any CP'ers who live in Ward 4 are welcome to contact me off forum at info@janemorgan.ca

What is campaigning? Isn't it discussing the issues?

Are you saying you won't be discussing your stance on issues?
What fun is that? *grimace*
BTW, I don't live in your Ward, and have no axe to grind with you or your politics. I just like a lively debate.

More opinions = less apathy.

[Arsenal14]

Originally Posted by Knalus

One of the biggest issues I have with Calgary transit is the assumption I don't want to go anywhere but downtown. If I lice in Edgemont, or the Hamptons, and I want to go to the nearest large commercial area, crowfoot crossing, and I don't have a car, I have two options. Take transit downtown, then take it back up to Crowfoot, or walk.

Just because this is the part of the city I know, I'll point out that your other option is taking the bus to Dalhousie station and then taking the train one stop to Crowfoot. Not sure why you would go anywhere near downtown.

[First Lady]

Originally Posted by algernon

What is campaigning? Isn't it discussing the issues?

Are you saying you won't be discussing your stance on issues?
What fun is that? *grimace*
BTW, I don't live in your Ward, and have no axe to grind with you or your politics. I just like a lively debate.

More opinions = less apathy.

What I meant by campaigning in this context was posting press releases, notices of events, etc. (in other words self-promotion).

I have no problem with discussing issues. I do know from past experience though, time is limited. Bulk of my time will be spent at the doors and events. Generally my discussion of issues will be limited to my blog.

[pepper24]

Originally Posted by Muta

Tax neutral incentives in the inner-city need to be adpoted in order to have greater, and denser, amounts of people living closer to the core. The way it's set up now is that people pay more taxes, given property values, in the inner-city. This is ass backwards.

There's also an issue with low supply of housing in the inner city. Once the supply of properties goes up, property values come down (as do taxes), and people will move closer to downtown. Supply and demand. Developers should be highly, highly encouraged to build medium to highrise towers in the core and the surrounding perimeter. The City of Calgary would have a vested interest in this as well, as it works within the frame of Plan It, and reduced the long-term stress caused from the ever-expanding infrastructure in this city.

I do agree whole-heartedly that people have a right to live in a huge house on the perimeter of the city. Whether they should, is the question they everyone has to answer. I made the choice to pay more to live downtown, yes, but at the same time, I also incur faaaar less transportation costs (and associated costs), as things are more readily available to me (retail, LRT, buses, parks, etc.). I rarely drive my car anywhere, my carbon foorprint is tiny, and all my amenities are within walking distance. Including getting to work, and using the fantastic park system already in place (who needs a backyard when I have Prince's Island - for free??). And, I use existing infrastructure which has likely been paid for long ago. This is why I am an advocate of the new pedestrian bridges. It's an upgrade to inner city infrastructure with a minimal cost when you compare them to the massive, massive other infrastucture projects that are always being built just to support the outward expansion of this city.

The new mayor needs to adopt a platform of encouraging / supporting high-volume urban development in order to sustainably carry our city into the future (which is a green one, by the way, no matter how you look at it), and bring our city into the upper echelons of great metro areas with 1 million+ people. Once property prices inner-city are manageable again, people will migrate back downtown and infrastructure demand will be lessened. Existing infrastructure will be upgraded, and subsequently used more efficiently.

Imagine an even further expanded LRT network (multiple locations within downtown), and bike lanes on every road to encourage more bike traffic as opposed to car traffic. With less cars on the road, traffic goes down, bike usage goes up, people are able to move around more effectively, our polluting levels reduce, and the social benefits of human relations goes up as well (people living and commuting closer together means greater communication and social interaction between residents).

If any candidate for mayor repeats what you said, they get my vote. Well said.

The biggest issue in Calgary is unattainable, short-sided urban sprawl. I am sick of Calgary being modelled after car-loving cities like Houston with a sprawling area and a dead downtown. Calgary is still at a premature growth stage that needs to be modelled after world-class metropolitian cities in North America like New York, Chicago, Montreal and Vancouver to name a few. Cities where the heart is the downtown core. It's not too late to move away from the model of Houston, Dallas, Phoenix and Los Angeles. Cities with dead downtowns, tons of unfriendly freeways, traffic and mainly suburban living.

Calgary's downtown has amazing potential. It has a large workforce and has the 3rd most commercial office space in North America (after New York and Chicago). It has all the vitals to be great such as the C-Train, shopping districts (17 Ave, 8th Avenue/TD Center), culture (Chinatown, Glenbow Musuem, Calgary Zoo), restaurants, sports venues (Saddledome, Stampede Park), bars/pubs, great parks (Prince's Island, Olympic Plaza) etc. City council needs to build off of this to attract more people after 5 pm. Enough people work downtown but more people need to live/play downtown. Besides more condo towers, we also need more urban developments like Garrison Woods.

Having answers to these issues is what will get my vote.

[kermitology]

Originally Posted by pepper24

If any candidate for mayor repeats what you said, they get my vote. Well said.

The biggest issue in Calgary is unattainable, short-sided urban sprawl. I am sick of Calgary being modelled after car-loving cities like Houston with a sprawling area and a dead downtown. Calgary is still at a premature growth stage that needs to be modelled after world-class metropolitian cities in North America like New York, Chicago, Montreal and Vancouver to name a few. Cities where the heart is the downtown core. It's not too late to move away from the model of Houston, Dallas, Phoenix and Los Angeles. Cities with dead downtowns, tons of unfriendly freeways, traffic and mainly suburban living.

Calgary's downtown has amazing potential. It has a large workforce and has the 3rd most commercial office space in North America (after New York and Chicago). It has all the vitals to be great such as the C-Train, shopping districts (17 Ave, 8th Avenue/TD Center), culture (Chinatown, Glenbow Musuem, Calgary Zoo), restaurants, sports venues (Saddledome, Stampede Park), bars/pubs, great parks (Prince's Island, Olympic Plaza) etc. City council needs to build off of this to attract more people after 5 pm. Enough people work downtown but more people need to live/play downtown. Besides more condo towers, we also need more urban developments like Garrison Woods.

Having answers to these issues is what will get my vote.

In my opinion, Calgary will always be a far cry from being a world class city until this type of thing is in place.

[stampsx2]

I don't work downtown, I don't live downtown. Not much of a downtown person.

When crime is reduced and it becomes more of a family friendly place then I will make somewhat of an effort to visit more often. But I have to say, it seems to be getting better and better.

Hats off to whoever is making it happen.