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Old 01-02-2013, 01:59 PM   #21
The Yen Man
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How frustrating is it working with a bunch of councilors that appear to either not care or are worried about their own image to do anything?

Mar is an idiot
Druh is an air head
Chabot talks without ever saying anything
Don't forget that mummy Gord Lowe. I can't believe he represents my ward.
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Old 01-02-2013, 02:00 PM   #22
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if anything deserves an answer, it's this. does the city not realize that they're actively encouraging people to drink and drive when it's virtually impossible to get a cab on a weekend or holiday?
I never have any issues getting a cab from the airport when I fly back to Calgary
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Old 01-02-2013, 02:02 PM   #23
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Rick's an interesting guy to chat to - he's been a lot more focused on Provincial politics of late though. Not enough Peace Bridges to talk about I guess. It's Markusoff you have to watch out for.
I like Jason, he was first reporter to interview me - waaayy back in the day. LOL

Have you and I met Josh? My apologies in advance; I seem to know many Josh's.
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Old 01-02-2013, 02:03 PM   #24
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Ya, I secodn the cab licenses thing. They always say "we are NOT going to set the number of licenses based on peak times like Christmas or new years" and then leave it like that. I say "yes, how about we do set the number for peak times, WTF do I car if they are underutilized".

To which there probably is a reasonable explanation.
Yah, I've always been curious about this as well. What's the harm in the city handing out more licenses? Shouldn't it just mean more revenue for the city (increased # of license, and thus more fees). What do they care if there are too many taxis out on the streets? It's not like they own the cab companies.
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Old 01-02-2013, 02:03 PM   #25
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Is Rick Bell as fataing idiotic as his columns make him appear?
I really like those "silly hall" in big BOLD letters in the Sun though.

Can you tell Nenshi that Rick Bell absolutely ruined that Larry Day documentary and i can't even recommend it to anyone to watch it because of the dinger.
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Old 01-02-2013, 02:03 PM   #26
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Here's my question: why is it that other cities can have a "bare pavement" policy, within 24 hours of a snow fall, but we can't? Why does Calgary have to always seem to depend on the chinook to melt it away? "Oh, wait a day or two. A chinook is coming and it'll be dry then."

Don't tell me to get snow tires, because it isn't happening. I'm tired of the city dumping SALT on SNOW, when it should be dumped on ICE. Get the plows out, and clear the dang snow!

I would gladly pay more in my taxes (I believe a report from Global said somewhere in the range of $40 per person, per year) to have clear roads in the winter. This depending on the chinook is a joke.
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Old 01-02-2013, 02:06 PM   #27
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Ya, I secodn the cab licenses thing. They always say "we are NOT going to set the number of licenses based on peak times like Christmas or new years" and then leave it like that. I say "yes, how about we do set the number for peak times, WTF do I car if they are underutilized".

To which there probably is a reasonable explanation.
Yeah, I don't understand why we need to regulate cab numbers at all. Why not just let basic market forces figure out how many cabs we needs and at what times? And that whole thing with only one company getting access to the airport, that smacks of a payoff at some level.

Not sure who makes the decisions for this type of stuff, but it would definitely be a great question to address.
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Old 01-02-2013, 02:06 PM   #28
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Do you have any information about the Eamon's Camp building? Is the city waiting for a proposal from an investor to pay for the restoration of the building AND the operation of a new venture, or simply for a business to say "sure, I'll open a cafe in that nicely restored heritage building."

Personally, I think that a cafe would be a slam dunk there, both for commuters and for local residents that can walk there on evenings and weekends. But I don't have a bunch of money to throw at it.
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Old 01-02-2013, 02:08 PM   #29
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The Bunk is multi-talented.
You're not The Bunk!!! You're just Bunk

The Bunk had to change his name to Senator Clay Davis

You are an imposter!!!
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Old 01-02-2013, 02:08 PM   #30
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How much does Edmonton suck?
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Old 01-02-2013, 02:08 PM   #31
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Can you please provide more detail as to why the city is so reluctant to increase the number of cab licenses?

If you cannot provide a reasonable answer to this, please out the Alderperson / member (s) who are on the take from the various cab companies in the city.
Great question.

This is a very, very challenging issue. I'll post in the Mayor's words some of his thoughts on how he thinks things can be improved:

http://blog.calgarymayor.ca/2012/05/...ment-from.html

It’s no secret in Calgary: taxi service in our city must get better. While we generally have a safe and reliable system, we've heard from Calgarians time and time again that our taxi system needs improvement. Taxis need to be available when and where we need them. But our regulatory regime has not been able to make this happen as well as it should.

Today, your City Council took a significant step toward improving taxi service in Calgary. Here are a few highlights:
  • First, Council authorized the issue of 55 new accessible taxi plate licenses to eligible drivers. These include a number of performance conditions, including that the holder of the plate personally drives a minimum of 981 hours per year and that these plates be in service between 10pm and 4am on Friday and Saturday nights.
  • Second, Council approved performance benchmarks to reinforce reasonable levels of taxi service. In the past, Council approved a certain number of cab licenses issued based on a ratio to Calgary’s population, but did not really enforce when and how these cabs would be in service. This hasn't worked as well as it should to create consistent and reasonable service. A benchmark for acceptable service means The City will be able to ensure that cabs are in use when customers need them.
  • Third, The City will rely much more on data for good regulation. We will require that industry share vehicle GPS and other data from existing taxi meters so that The City can determine if the plates are in use when they are supposed to be in use. This data will also be a great resource to Council for making good future decisions about the taxi industry including whether more taxis are actually required on city streets.
  • Fourth, The City will hire two additional taxi inspectors and a data analyst to monitor compliance. These new positions will be covered by a modest increase to license fees.
  • And, fifth, Council approved the introduction of stiff penalties for non-compliance with licensing conditions such as when a plate must be in operation to serve customers.
An important result of these changes will be better data for Council so we can make better decisions to improve taxi access and availability for Calgarians. Smart benchmarks, measurement, and enforcement will ensure that the taxi industry will provide a higher level of service.

It’s reasonable for Calgarians to expect a high-quality and reliable taxi service as a transportation option in Calgary. Today, we’ve taken a major step to ensure that.


- Mayor Naheed Nenshi


One of the fundamental challenges with taxi supply is the severe imbalance between peak and off-peak. If you suddenly and dramatically increased the supply of taxis, you would likely alleviate the severe shortage at bar-closing time. However, you'd also have taxi drivers unable to make a living as there would be an oversupply the rest of the time.

The key point of the above from the Mayor is that we need to use actual data, rather than anecdote to make reasonable decisions about taxi supply and regulation. So that's what the Mayor is implementing.
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Old 01-02-2013, 02:08 PM   #32
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One more question: How involved is the city, and the mayor, in the talks with the SW ring-road? Seems like things are kind of...Idle...right now

Is this all on McIver now, or what's going on?
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Old 01-02-2013, 02:10 PM   #33
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I like Jason, he was first reporter to interview me - waaayy back in the day. LOL

Have you and I met Josh? My apologies in advance; I seem to know many Josh's.
I like Jason a lot too. He's an incredibly knowledgeable and dedicated reporter. He digs through committee reports like no other.

No, I don't think we've ever met in person. Hopefully sometime soon.
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Old 01-02-2013, 02:12 PM   #34
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Bunk,

Why are the Broncos vastly superior to the Patriots??

You did say ask me anything!
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Old 01-02-2013, 02:15 PM   #35
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Originally Posted by Red-Mile-DJ View Post
Here's my question: why is it that other cities can have a "bare pavement" policy, within 24 hours of a snow fall, but we can't? Why does Calgary have to always seem to depend on the chinook to melt it away? "Oh, wait a day or two. A chinook is coming and it'll be dry then."

Don't tell me to get snow tires, because it isn't happening. I'm tired of the city dumping SALT on SNOW, when it should be dumped on ICE. Get the plows out, and clear the dang snow!

I would gladly pay more in my taxes (I believe a report from Global said somewhere in the range of $40 per person, per year) to have clear roads in the winter. This depending on the chinook is a joke.
I personally think that, even with our relatively cold and snowy winter, that the roads have been in pretty good shape this winter. But then again, I have appropriate tires for my climate.

Honest question: Why is it so important for so many people to have bare pavement on every side street? I'd rather the city focus the efforts on responding before, during, and after snowfalls on main roads than grooming a side street that barely sees any traffic. And I think that the main roads have been tended to really well.

That's a general statement and not directed at you in particular, Red Mile DJ.
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Old 01-02-2013, 02:19 PM   #36
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How involved has the city been with car2go and has the success impacted future transit strategy at all? Was anyone at city hall suprised by how readily Calgary embraced the concept?
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Old 01-02-2013, 02:19 PM   #37
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Great question.

This is a very, very challenging issue. I'll post in the Mayor's words some of his thoughts on how he thinks things can be improved:

http://blog.calgarymayor.ca/2012/05/...ment-from.html

It’s no secret in Calgary: taxi service in our city must get better. While we generally have a safe and reliable system, we've heard from Calgarians time and time again that our taxi system needs improvement. Taxis need to be available when and where we need them. But our regulatory regime has not been able to make this happen as well as it should.

Today, your City Council took a significant step toward improving taxi service in Calgary. Here are a few highlights:
  • First, Council authorized the issue of 55 new accessible taxi plate licenses to eligible drivers. These include a number of performance conditions, including that the holder of the plate personally drives a minimum of 981 hours per year and that these plates be in service between 10pm and 4am on Friday and Saturday nights.
  • Second, Council approved performance benchmarks to reinforce reasonable levels of taxi service. In the past, Council approved a certain number of cab licenses issued based on a ratio to Calgary’s population, but did not really enforce when and how these cabs would be in service. This hasn't worked as well as it should to create consistent and reasonable service. A benchmark for acceptable service means The City will be able to ensure that cabs are in use when customers need them.
  • Third, The City will rely much more on data for good regulation. We will require that industry share vehicle GPS and other data from existing taxi meters so that The City can determine if the plates are in use when they are supposed to be in use. This data will also be a great resource to Council for making good future decisions about the taxi industry including whether more taxis are actually required on city streets.
  • Fourth, The City will hire two additional taxi inspectors and a data analyst to monitor compliance. These new positions will be covered by a modest increase to license fees.
  • And, fifth, Council approved the introduction of stiff penalties for non-compliance with licensing conditions such as when a plate must be in operation to serve customers.
An important result of these changes will be better data for Council so we can make better decisions to improve taxi access and availability for Calgarians. Smart benchmarks, measurement, and enforcement will ensure that the taxi industry will provide a higher level of service.

It’s reasonable for Calgarians to expect a high-quality and reliable taxi service as a transportation option in Calgary. Today, we’ve taken a major step to ensure that.


- Mayor Naheed Nenshi


One of the fundamental challenges with taxi supply is the severe imbalance between peak and off-peak. If you suddenly and dramatically increased the supply of taxis, you would likely alleviate the severe shortage at bar-closing time. However, you'd also have taxi drivers unable to make a living as there would be an oversupply the rest of the time.

The key point of the above from the Mayor is that we need to use actual data, rather than anecdote to make reasonable decisions about taxi supply and regulation. So that's what the Mayor is implementing.
I can appreciate the bureaucratic process, but Calgary is by far the worst city I've ever been in for getting a cab. I have a hard time believing there is some great, magical science behind it when it seems so easily obtainable in other cities.
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Old 01-02-2013, 02:20 PM   #38
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Can you ask Mr. Nenshi why everyone got a horrible mark in his marketing class at MRU?
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Old 01-02-2013, 02:21 PM   #39
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I personally think that, even with our relatively cold and snowy winter, that the roads have been in pretty good shape this winter. But then again, I have appropriate tires for my climate.

Honest question: Why is it so important for so many people to have bare pavement on every side street? I'd rather the city focus the efforts on responding before, during, and after snowfalls on main roads than grooming a side street that barely sees any traffic. And I think that the main roads have been tended to really well.

That's a general statement and not directed at you in particular, Red Mile DJ.
To be specific, I'm talking about Metis Trail, going south from 64th ave to 39th ave. Then Barlow going south, from 39th ave to Blackfoot/17th ave. These roads, main roads, were TERRIBLE back when we had that dump followed by freezing temps.

I agree about the side streets. These can wait. Slow down in the communities. But I see more and more MAIN roads not being cleared. Where are all the fataing plows?

And don't tell me to look at the plow map, with all it's pretty colours. Freakin' useless. I look at it and it says Barlow is being, or has been, plowed. No it HASN'T!
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Old 01-02-2013, 02:21 PM   #40
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One of the fundamental challenges with taxi supply is the severe imbalance between peak and off-peak. If you suddenly and dramatically increased the supply of taxis, you would likely alleviate the severe shortage at bar-closing time. However, you'd also have taxi drivers unable to make a living as there would be an oversupply the rest of the time.
Sounds like things are starting to move in a positive direction....but I guess my question is, and pardon my callousness, but why should the City care about that?

If cab drivers are only needed at night time and on weekends, maybe it needs to be considered a part-time job. It seems like a waste of gas and resources for a cab driver to be driving around half the week just so he can say he has a full-time job.

Knowing that they don't have to work the full week might even make them more efficient. If I know that I'm going to only be working on Fridays-Saturday (and probably make the majority of my pay then anyway), I'm going to find something else to do Sunday to Thursday.
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