Summer Editorial Series – The Pinko Commie Manifesto

“Actually I'm wearing pink for all the pinkos out there that ride bicycles and everything.” That’s what Don Cherry told the gathered politicians, reporters and general public in December at the swearing in of Mayor Rob Ford. Undoubtedly, this admission was prompted by the audible gasps heard form the crowd when Cherry stood up in a hot pink sports coat that would even make Barbie call gauche on the Hockey Night in Canada commentator.

The “pinkos” Cherry was referring to were people vocally opposed to Mayor Ford’s “roads are for cars only” policy. “Grapes” then went on to compare Ford favourably to former OPP Chief Julian Fantino, and lauded both men for their honesty before wrapping up his address with a hearty “put that in your pipe, you left-wing kooks.” Don Cherry, class act.

But this editorial’s not about Cherry, or even Ford for that matter (he’s suffered enough… for now). But Cherry’s comment is the harsh reaction that encapsulates a growing feeling of negativity towards bikes and bike riders. In Guelph, the philosophy of a city being bike friendly was tested again recently with the introduction of a bike box at the intersection of Stone Road and Chancellor’s Way.

For the uninitiated, a bike box is a space reserved for bikes at an intersection where a bicyclist can pull up in front of a line of cars and thus get to turn the corner before the car traffic. The use and implementation of the bike box falls in a kind of grey area so far as traffic law is concerned, but some are wondering why the city’s squandering so much time and effort to accommodate bike riders when many of them either a) don’t obey traffic rules to begin with, or b) are a nuisance and the city should be more occupied with improving traffic flow. CAR TRAFFIC.

Others have mentioned that a lot of bicyclists don’t use the roads, and still use sidewalks when perfectly good bike lanes are already there. A reasonable point, but speaking as a bike rider myself – not to mention the fact that I’m also a frequent pedestrian – car drivers in the City of Guelph are scary as hell. Scary. As. Hell.

I have been at an intersection, crossing with the light, walking at a reasonable pace, and have seen out of the corner of my eye some car creeping around the corner so that they literally don’t have to stop for me. There’s something so sinister in this. A tacit implication that maybe if you don’t start moving faster then this car driver will lower the boom on the gas petal and just mow you out of the way. And then there are the ones that don’t slow down at all. The ones that take the corner and miss you by inches. You can literally feel that breath of wind as the car just zoomed around the corner behind you.

Now that’s not to say that bicyclists are victimless. Certainly there are a number of riders who are rude, they ride too fast, they don’t observe basic safety, they don’t signal and they switch from sidewalk to road with reckless abandon. But for the cautious majority, I can understand perfectly the nagging fear that riding on roads, especially ones with no clear bike lane, can lead to potential doom. To coin a phrase, in the battle of car versus bike, the car always wins.

There was a headline lately that Guelph Police had fined 36 bicyclists in a safety blitz, mostly for riding on the sidewalk and disobeying traffic lights and stop signs. I bet the amount collected from 36 bike riders will be a tidy sum, maybe enough for the Chief of Police to buy everyone at the precinct a donut and coffee. But as I pointed out last week, it was reported in April that the City has yet to collect $5.2 million in overdue fines going back six years for offenses like speeding and careless driving. I predict that any rider defaulting on his ticket will have the court system on him faster than by-law on Led Zeppelin.

This isn’t a call for bicyclist anarchy in the Royal City, but an appeal for rationalization. Bikes are fun, they encourage exercise and they’re part of a more sustainable, liveable community. And while people on bikes may occasionally skirt the law out of indifference or ignorance, the same can be said for car drivers, and the potential negative effects can be much more severe. For years, the term “pedal to metal” was associated with driving fast in your car. Let’s change that. Let’s make bike riding gangsta, and leave commie comments to the guy in the pink sports coat.

Food Security, City Challenged and Downtown Traffic

When in Rome (attend the UN Food Security Summit)

Ever the world traveller since being elected last fall, our Member of Parliament, Frank Valeriote, is jet-setting again, this time accompanying Minister of International Cooperation Bev Oda as part of the Canadian delegation to the World Summit on Food Security in Rome. The summit ran from November 16 to 18 and was organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) as part of the international community’s efforts to address the devastating effects of rising food prices in developing countries.

In a press release, Valeriote said that his previous experiences in international development and his efforts to help develop a comprehensive national strategy for Canada’s own food safety were amongst the reasons he want to be a part of this conference. “I know through consultations towards the creation of a national Canadian food policy that there are few areas of more critical importance in the lives of people everywhere,” said Valeriote. “I believe it is absolutely essential that the developed countries take real action to ensure that the world’s poorest regions have the tools they need to increase their own agricultural productivity. Food must be accessible, affordable and nutritional to all nations and helping developing countries create and maintain food security strategies is something to which Canada can make a significant contribution.”

The State of our City is Challenging

Mayor Karen Farbridge delivered a “State of the City” address to the Guelph Chamber of Commerce last Thursday, and while it was positive overall, the Mayor noted that it was a good time to re-examine the way City Hall gets things done so far as budgeting in the midst of tough economic times. "The State of the City address is an opportunity to pause and reflect on the progress we’ve made throughout the year, and look ahead to the year to come. It’s particularly timely to reflect on this now, as we head into one of the most challenging Budget years in recent memory," said Mayor Farbridge.

The Mayor highlighted the city’s day-to-day commitments to the people of Guelph before tackling the delicate financial picture for the coming year. Facing an $8 million decline in revenue for 2010, the Mayor said that there were some tough decisions ahead. "Even in good economic times, it would be unacceptable to pass on an impact of this magnitude to City taxpayers. It would be unthinkable in the difficult economic times families are experiencing right now," she said. She added that through the 2010 Budget process, Council is prepared to make the tough decisions necessary to protect taxpayers, maintain the City’s excellent AA credit rating, and keep the City’s finances sustainable over the long term. You can see the presentation for yourself on the City of Guelph website at http://www.guelph.ca/cityhall.cfm?subCatID=1835&smocid=2411

Downtown is losing precious traffic

It was brought to the attention of Downtown stakeholders at a meeting last week that Wyndham St doesn’t attract nearly as many cars as it used to. A survey of the amount of traffic between 1990 and 2007 shows a significant drop in the amount of cars that pass through the core. Apparently this is a huge problem, not being able to drive through the downtown with limited interruptions from traffic lights and pedestrian crossings. So-called “barriers” like the all-way stop in St. George’s Square were to be addressed at the meeting. It’s interesting that we’d be talking about ways to increase traffic in the same week that a report was released saying that traffic jams cost Toronto $3.3 billion a year in lost productivity. Call me an iconoclast, but I think it’s nice that there’s one area in town where people can’t drive like maniacs. Already, there are times where crossing Douglas St is like taking your life in your own hands, but I guess that’s what some of us get for walking.

Traffic, Museum and Earth Hour Savings

The Roundabouts are coming!

Long has the city wondered what to do with the five-pointed intersection where Norfolk, Norwich and Woolwich meet, and now city staff will revisit a previously proposed solution later this year when they float the idea of a roundabout. Now this wouldn’t be the first roundabout in Guelph, there are a few amongst the subdivisions in the city’s south end. The five-cornered intersection is the scene of numerous near-miss traffic accidents, for years being a source of right-of-way confusion for even seasoned Guelph drivers. "That intersection lends itself to something like this," city engineer Rick Henry said. "We will look at that as a viable alternative [and] we'll see if the city gets behind it." In a Guelph Mercury poll, only 52 per cent of respondents got behind it though.

More traffic news…

The debate over expansion of the Hanlon Expressway continued at a community development and environmental services committee meeting last week. Several community members spoke out about lack of consultation in changes proposed by the Ministry of Transportation, but committee members were keen to move forward. "At the end of the day we're not debating whether to put in an expressway; we're debating whether to finish an expressway," Ward 4 Councillor Mike Salisbury said. "It's there already." The changes will affect the southern Hanlon between College and Laird, which will see the elimination of lights on the Hanlon through the use of over- and underpasses. Many speakers were residents of Old Colony Road, behind whose homes will be a service road for the expanded Hanlon. The issue will come before council on April 27.

Royal City Saves More during Earth Hour

Local residences and businesses powering down for an hour on Saturday March 28 and reduced the city’s power consumption by three per cent, which is up four fifths of a per cent over last year’s Earth Hour. "Through our collective efforts we reduced our consumption, and perhaps more importantly raised awareness about how simple energy conservation can be," said Mayor Karen Farbridge in a press release. Overall across the province, Ontarians saved almost six per cent, or 920 megawatts, during Earth Hour. "We are grateful to all residents and businesses of Guelph that contributed to this year's event, and hope the actions from Saturday evening will inspire everyone's conservation efforts," said Art Stokman, President of Guelph Hydro Electric Systems Inc.

Save the Date

The Ceremonial Commissioning of New Council Chambers, in the recently completed Civic Administration Building, will take place on Tuesday, April 21 at 7 pm. The final council meeting in the old City Hall took place on Monday March 23, and although there is a planning meeting on April 8, this was the final gathering of the full council under the roof of what’s been the city’s headquarters since 1878. Council’s first business meeting at the new city hall will be held on Monday April 27.

Museum attendance way up

The numbers are in for the attendance at the Guelph Civic Museum over the course of their latest exhibit, “Egypt – Gift of the Nile,” and it seems that turnout was exceptionally high during both the Family Day holiday and over the March Break. According to the city, about 300 people visited the museum on Family Day and over 400 people came out to the museum on the Tuesday of March Break to see some visiting reptiles. Apparently, attractions like museums and galleries increase in popularity during economic downturns as people look for “cultural, affordable and fun activities for the entire family in their own backyard.”