Ongoing Calgarians complaining about pedestrian bridges thread

[burn_this_city]

Originally Posted by SebC

Yeah, but subsidizing public transit gets cars off the roads that you use, so there's a benefit to you. What benefit does someone living in Kensington get from a new police station in Copperwood?

They capture those bloodsucking suburbanites before they move inland and start taking over your neighbourhood.

[MarchHare]

Originally Posted by Rerun

True. My wife and I never ride the bus or c-train. But our tax dollars still goes towards subsidizing those that do.

My wife and I never drive, but our tax dollars still goes towards subsidizing those that do.

At least with transit, there are user fees to recoup some of the costs. Roads have no user fees at all -- you pay for them whether you use them or not.

[burn_this_city]

Originally Posted by MarchHare

My wife and I never drive, but our tax dollars still goes towards subsidizing those that do.

At least with transit, there are user fees to recoup some of the costs. Roads have no user fees at all -- you pay for them whether you use them or not.

They're called gasoline taxes, and license and registration fees

[Bill Bumface]

Originally Posted by calculoso

Yup I do. Some of it is that my family is still in the middle of being trained about recycling (man.. what a battle), but even still there wasn't a lot that could have been recycled. Used kleenex, used pizza boxes, plastic covered paper, etc... stuff that can't go in there anyway.

I was shocked to find out those can actually go in there, right on the quick reference sheet. It's actually pretty crazy how little can't go in there.

[Barnes]

Originally Posted by burn_this_city

They're called gasoline taxes, and license and registration fees

I only huff gasoline and burn things. Why should I be subsidizing roads?

[burn_this_city]

Originally Posted by Barnes

I only huff gasoline and burn things. Why should I be subsidizing roads?

Haha well why should my provincial taxes pay to hospitalize you in the burn ward?

Its interesting theres a lot of these, why should I pay for these things with our taxes. Like people who smoke, why should we pay to treat them when they get cancer?

[Muta]

Originally Posted by SebC

Yeah, but subsidizing public transit gets cars off the roads that you use, so there's a benefit to you. What benefit does someone living in Kensington get from a new police station in Copperwood?

Or as another example, Rerun has the option of taking a bus if he wants to. There's a reason to; that is, if his car breaks down or whatever the case, he can use the bus.

Me, I have no reason to head out in that direction and use interchanges, simply because I have no reason to go out there for anything. So I understand why Rerun subsidizes the bus system, but why should I subsidize the interchanges I'll never use? There's no reason for me to go out there, while there is more reason for Rerun to come in.

[SebC]

Originally Posted by calculoso

Neither do you, and yet you're assuming that you're right. I'm not making that step.

Let me refer you to post #69... not all suburbanites are as delusional as you are. You latched on to one post about costs being partially paid by developers, and decided that your taxes are fair.

Originally Posted by calculoso

Suburbia doesn't get the service.

Which makes capital costs irrelevant? I'll give you that the feeder bus network in Calgary is terrible, but the interchanges, LRT expansions, police stations, fire stations, libraries, parks, rec centers etc. that are constructed for the suburbs aren't exactly cheap.

Originally Posted by calculoso

The inner city has higher property values, based on many things including these better services, so have to pay higher property taxes based on it.

Yes I understand property taxes are based on property values. They're also based on what the city decides needs for revenue, an amount of which is spent on the suburbs disproportionately to propoerty values, which creates a subsidy.

I'm done with you.

[MarchHare]

Originally Posted by burn_this_city

They're called gasoline taxes, and license and registration fees

Which one of those taxes is collected by the municipal government? AFAIK, gasoline taxes are federal and provincial, and licensing and registration is provincial. The bulk of the money spent to build and maintain roads in Calgary comes from the municipal government, so I'm paying just as much as anyone else for them even though I don't use them.

IIRC, Calgary Transit must make 60% of its annual operating budget back from user fees. The other 40% is subsidized by taxpayers, whether they use transit or not. On the other hand, 100% of the municipal roads budget is covered by the taxpayers.

[burn_this_city]

Originally Posted by MarchHare

Which one of those taxes is collected by the municipal government? AFAIK, gasoline taxes are federal and provincial, and licensing and registration is provincial. The bulk of the money spent to build and maintain roads in Calgary comes from the municipal government, so I'm paying just as much as anyone else for them even though I don't use them.

IIRC, Calgary Transit must make 60% of its annual operating budget back from user fees. The other 40% is subsidized by taxpayers, whether they use transit or not. On the other hand, 100% of the municipal roads budget is covered by the taxpayers.

Its hard to say who pays more. The province/ottawa pays the most for major roads, the city for side streets. As for transit the stat I saw earlier this year said every ride costs $7 and that taxpayers pay the majority of it.

[You Need a Thneed]

Originally Posted by fotze

On a semi-related note I heard from a birdie in the waste department that 70% of the crap that we are now recycling is ending up in the landfill because there is no market for it and this controversy will be coming out in the next while. This is an E3 rumour.

Which will change again once the economy picks up again.

[burn_this_city]

Originally Posted by fotze

On a semi-related note I heard from a birdie in the waste department that 70% of the crap that we are now recycling is ending up in the landfill because there is no market for it and this controversy will be coming out in the next while. This is an E3 rumour.

Haha thats hilarious if true. What a colossal waste of money putting a goofy blue bin on every driveway.

[burn_this_city]

Originally Posted by fotze

I have to admit as much as I am for them, they are real real ugly all scatterred in the back alley, I can't imagine in the neighborhoods how it looks.

I bet their will be a bylaw requiring them to be pulled inside the garage at some point really pissing people off.

We had the pay for service recycling for years and I supported the initiative to make it citywide. But I had invisioned something similar to what we had before, just a small blue bin the size of a laundry basket.

[Muta]

I don't find them bad-looking. If people put their garbage out for pickup, what would you rather see... a blue bin or someone else's garbage?

[Bigtime]

Calgary council decides new pedestrian bridge will be called the Peace Bridge

By Jason Markusoff, Calgary Herald July 27, 2009 4:49 PM

CALGARY - The Santiago Calatrava-designed downtown pedestrian bridge will be called the Peace Bridge, Calgary aldermen decided today in a closed-door hearing.

Mayor Dave Bronconnier announced the name after the session and and a pro forma council vote, as part of his efforts to brand the controversial bridge in tribute to Canada's soldiers, alongside Memorial Drive.
It's perhaps better known now to Calgarians as the $22-million pedestrian span that represents city council's bold attempts to beautify Calgary -- or to spend taxpayer dollars to excess.

The bridge design will be revealed this week, before it goes before Calgary Planning Commission next week. The Herald has learned that famed Spanish architect Calatrava has crafted a 128-metre-long helix-like bridge with a red exterior and white platform inside.

Bronconnier has said the bridge project has from the start been intended as a military tribute. Ald. Andre Chabot argued on the weekend that this is an attempt to make the project more appetizing to a critical public.

The Peace Bridge, to be completed in November 2010, will connect Eau Claire to Sunnyside, just west of Prince's Island Park.

It will share a name with the Peace Bridge that connects Fort Erie, Ont., and Buffalo, NY.

© Copyright (c) The Calgary Herald
http://www.calgaryherald.com/Calgary...262/story.html

[Kerplunk]

Originally Posted by Muta

I don't find them bad-looking. If people put their garbage out for pickup, what would you rather see... a blue bin or someone else's garbage?

Between the blue bin and the 8 garbage bags a week my neighbour spills into the alley, I'd rather see the bin.

[nik-]

Peace Bridge ... short and sweet, I like it.

[Bigtime]

Originally Posted by nik-

Peace Bridge ... short and sweet, I like it.

I would have preferred the "Freedom costs a buck o'five" bridge

[Kerplunk]

Just to put my thoughts into this thread regarding the bridge.

While I can get the need for the bridges, I personally don't understand the desire for its beautification, no matter how much extra it costs. I'm not usually one to just stop to marvel at a building, road, or bridge.

I'm not sure if I should even get into the inner city-vs-suburbs subsidization...ummm...discussion. For now I'm taking the view that I am part of Calgary, and that, no matter where my tax money goes, it (hopefully) benefits the city and the people in it. If that means my taxes go to a new interchange that I don't use or a new bridge I'll never walk on, so be it. It all evens out in the end.

Well, except for the NE train lines. That we got screwed on. :P

[nik-]

Originally Posted by Bigtime

I would have preferred the "Freedom costs a buck o'five" bridge