Ontario Majority Government 2022-2026 (?)

[Halifax Tar]

I'm not sure the bike lane thing is going to hurt the PCs with people who would have ever voted for them in the first place. In Ottawa the mayor won by essentially saying he'd stop the bike lane expansion in the city.

Bike lanes are great in theory, it's the way that cities implement them that causes the anger, frustration, and gridlock. As an example, Ottawa turned Montreal Rd. through Vanier into a mess by reducing the traffic lanes from Vanier Parkway to St. Laurent Blvd, and adding bike lanes... Bike lanes that are almost never used. Rather than putting bike lanes on the side roads, where they would have less negative impact on traffic, and been safer for cyclists, they stuck them on the main throughfare.

I think Ford is playing smart politics and capitalizing on the average suburban voter's frustration with bike lanes and disrespectful cyclists.

Halifax did the same damn thing and then we elected Andy Filmore as our mayor...

 

[mariomike]

You guys know the roads and traffic in Ottawa. I go strictly as a tourist. I don't drive my automobile there. I get there by VIA, check into the Hampton and take the LRT and Ottawa Transit to get around town.

In our town, where Rob, Doug and Mikey served at City Hall, Doug had this to say about cyclists vs our emergency services,

Talk to our first responders that are pulling their hair out, the fire trucks that can't get across the road because there's barriers or there's bike lanes and they're backed up. Talk to our police that are trying to get to a call or our paramedics. It's an absolute disaster, it's a nightmare.

You go down on Hospital Row, University Avenue, paramedics are trying to get someone to the hospital as quickly as possible. They take out a lane of traffic, put bike lanes in there, it's cut down to one, it's jammed like crazy.

What Toronto Emergency Services said about that is in this article,

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/doug-ford-toronto-bike-lanes-1.7332276

 

[lenaitch]

I quite appreciate that he can back down from a dumb idea, even if he does it reluctantly.

I await to see if he does with his 'tunnel under the 401' proposal.

 

[dapaterson]

I await to see if he does with his 'tunnel under the 401' proposal.

We know what happens underground.

 

[lenaitch]

As a frequent pedestrian who has had a non zero number of less than positive interactions with drivers for whom speed limits, stop signs and traffic lights appear to be entirely optional, and where drivers who kill someone face no criminal sanctions, I would vote for anyone who'd move to make it easier to strip licenses for the long term, and to confiscate and destroy the cars they drive, regardless of the owner.

Bit of a broad brush doncha think? I would suspect that, for the most part, criminal charges are laid when criminal evidence exists. Criminal law generally requires elements such as intent, willfulness, behavior outside the norm, etc. Regulatory (provincial) law is primarily strict liability; an act is wrong regardless of the why.

Stripping licences and crushing cars are provincial sanctions.

Although not generally the purview of pedestrians (except those with their face buried in their phones), as far as I've observed, most cyclists consider most traffic laws to be suggestions.

 

[lenaitch]

An interesting choice: Team Blue Ontario chooses a former Team Red Ottawa doctor to help sort out primary health care in Ontario ....

Ontario appoints former federal Liberal health minister as chair of primary care team

TORONTO - Ontario Premier Doug Ford's government is appointing former federal Liberal health minister Jane Philpott to a new role overseeing attempts to connect every Ontarian to primary care within

www.thecanadianpressnews.ca

Jane Philpott - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Ontario info-machine statement also attached.

Interesting (non)partisan choice - but the cynic in me wonders why don't we ever see, say, nurses or nurse practitioners in charge of these things?

Or the OMA, or the Ontario Hospital Association, or the Ontario College of Family Physicians, or any of the Public Health Units.

Tossing what will likely turn out to be mega coin at an 'outside expert' to give the appearance of concern and action is time honoured. In the end, the unelected staffers in the Premier's Office will tell clapping seal Sylvia Jones when to furrow her brow and what to say.

 

[The Bread Guy]

Or the OMA,

Doctor at the head of the panel? Check.

or the Ontario Hospital Association

How much primary care do these guys do? Well, in the current environment, folks without docs go to ERs, so there IS that.

, or the Ontario College of Family Physicians

Docs? Covered.

, or any of the Public Health Units.

Hmmm, never thought of them in the equation, but it's not impossible they could do more re: primary care. They often run clinics for various vulnerable populations - could that be broadened?

I was just poking a bit at the fact that it seems to be doctors who tend to take the lead in figuring out how to make the system work better.

... In the end, the unelected staffers in the Premier's Office will tell clapping seal Sylvia Jones when to furrow her brow and what to say.

I age myself a bit, but ...

Meanwhile, in related news ....

Supply shortage for Ontario home care, palliative patients 'unacceptable': minister

TORONTO - Ontario is wrestling with delays and shortages of supplies needed for home and palliative care, with dying people unable to get sedatives and patients going to hospital because

www.thecanadianpressnews.ca

 

[Eaglelord17]

Honestly this bike lane thing is about the only thing Ford has really proposed that I actually like.

My city elected a city council which greatly favours the bikers as a special interest group. We turned more than a few throughways into single lane streets and now they are wondering why traffic is backing up. The result being them spending more of my tax dollars to buy more land (at inflated prices) to add extra turning lanes, even though there was no issue before they turned the road into bikelanes.

Those bike lanes sit empty 98% of the time during the time when people can bike. In the winter its 99.9% of the time.

It really is simple. Biking isn’t a efficient mode of transport 2/3 of the year (and thats assuming you can bike). If we were serious about providing actual alternatives I would rather fund a 24/7 bus service.

 

[OldSolduer]

Honestly this bike lane thing is about the only thing Ford has really proposed that I actually like.

My city elected a city council which greatly favours the bikers as a special interest group. We turned more than a few throughways into single lane streets and now they are wondering why traffic is backing up. The result being them spending more of my tax dollars to buy more land (at inflated prices) to add extra turning lanes, even though there was no issue before they turned the road into bikelanes.

Those bike lanes sit empty 98% of the time during the time when people can bike. In the winter its 99.9% of the time.

It really is simple. Biking isn’t an efficient mode of transport 2/3 of the year (and thats assuming you can bike). If we were serious about providing actual alternatives I would rather fund a 24/7 bus service.

Winnipeg cyclists enter the chat…

 

[mariomike]

I think Ford is playing smart politics and capitalizing on the average suburban voter's frustration with bike lanes and disrespectful cyclists.

Ford Nation's heir apparent may, or may not, be nephew Michael Ford, Ontario Minister of Citizenship and Multiculturalism ( Currently on Leave of Absence "to prioritize his health and well-being" ).

( Seen pictured below with Uncle Doug ).

Oct 22, 2024

Do bike lanes really cause more traffic congestion? Here's what the research says​

Studies from around the world show bike lanes ease congestion, reduce emissions and are a boon to businesses​

https://www.cbc.ca/news/science/bike-lanes-impacts-1.7358319

As far as "the war on cars vs cyclists", it's no picnic for us pedestrians either.

The laws of physics are not, and generally favour the rolling chunk of metal over the meat bag.

Thirty people have died on Toronto roadways so far in 2024, the latest data from Toronto police shows.

That number includes 12 pedestrians, eight motorists, six cyclists and four motorcyclists who died on roadways as of Sept. 2. By the same point in 2023, there were 25 road fatalities.

Winnipeg cyclists enter the chat…

And Finland...

How Oulu became the winter cycling capital of the world​

How Oulu became the winter cycling capital of the world

Through a series of simple changes, the city of Oulu encourages its residents to cycle through the snowy winter. What can other cities learn from the pioneer of winter cycling?

www.bbc.com

 

[Furniture]

Oct 22, 2024

Do bike lanes really cause more traffic congestion? Here's what the research says​

Studies from around the world show bike lanes ease congestion, reduce emissions and are a boon to businesses​

https://www.cbc.ca/news/science/bike-lanes-impacts-1.7358319

Anyone can cherry pick data from places that support their POV, so I'm not going to play the game. I live on a road that was altered to add bike lanes, and it has made things far worse.

As I said, bike lanes themselves aren't bad. Bad bike lanes are bad, and often they seem to be bad bike lanes. It seems to me that the provincial government is planning to force the municipalities to prove they aren't planning to build bad bike lanes.

 

[mariomike]

Anyone can cherry pick data from places that support their POV, so I'm not going to play the game. I live on a road that was altered to add bike lanes, and it has made things far worse.

As a pedestrian, I'm a civilian in the war between cars and bikes.

As for "playing the game", Team Pedestrian has the highest fatality rate.

12 pedestrians, eight motorists, six cyclists and four motorcyclists who died on ( Toronto ) roadways as of Sept. 2.

Your anecdotal story about your street, in my opinion, is no more, or less, relevant to me than a published source,

https://www.cbc.ca/news/science/bike-lanes-impacts-1.7358319

 

[Furniture]

As a pedestrian, I'm a civilian in the war between cars and bikes.

As for "playing the game", Team Pedestrian has the highest fatality rate.

Yeah, I walked to and from work for the last 5 years... I'm aware of what the risks are as a pedestrian. It's quite possible to be both a pedestrian and a driver, both at the same time if your name is Flintstone.

Your anecdotal story about your street, in my opinion, is no more, or less, relevant to me than a published source,
https://www.cbc.ca/news/science/bike-lanes-impacts-1.7358319

That was kinda my entire point. The story was clearly slanted pro-bike lane, so chose data to support the slant. They included one set of data that went against their story to pretend to be balanced, but then went on to essentially say that data was irrelevant as some was collected during covid.

To re-iterate, I am both pro-transit and pro-bike lanes. What I am against is anti-car policies, and bad decisions made to appeal to a small vocal special interest group(cyclists).

 

[mariomike]

What I am against is anti-car policies, and bad decisions made to appeal to a small vocal special interest group(cyclists).

The "war on the car" was a common theme during our 2010 mayoral election.

I don't always pay as much attention as I perhaps should to Queen's Park, but I do not recall hearing much ( anything? ) about it until recently.

But, as you say, "I think Ford is playing smart politics..."

That may very well be, especially if an election is comng up.

I thought bike lanes were more of a municipal issue.

Personally, as far as Queen's Park is concerned, I would be more interested in their plans for Health Care than bike lanes as Health Care really is a provincial matter that affects us all.

 

[Furniture]

The "war on the car" was a common theme during our 2010 mayoral election.

I don't always pay as much attention as I perhaps should to Queen's Park, but I do not recall hearing much ( anything? ) about it until recently.

But, as you say, "I think Ford is playing smart politics..."

That may very well be, especially if an election is comng up.

I thought bike lanes were more of a municipal issue.

Personally, as far as Queen's Park is concerned, I would be more interested in their plans for Health Care than bike lanes as Health Care really is a provincial matter that affects us all.

Municipalities get their authority to exist from the province, so the province is exerting it's authority. Do I think it is the most efficient use of provincial resources? No. That said, it is a topic that is near and dear to the average suburban voter, and that is where elections are won. So, it is smart politics(for now).

I also think that the more the people who dislike him as premier make a fuss about the bike lane thing, the more it pushes swing voters toward his cause. I'm guessing very few suburbanites stuck sitting in traffic care that CBC found a few experts special interest groups to support their bike lane story.

In fairness to the premier, he is also making noise about health care, so it's not like that file is being ignored so he can personally review every proposed bike lane.

 

[Ged117]

You guys know the roads and traffic in Ottawa. I go strictly as a tourist. I don't drive my automobile there. I get there by VIA, check into the Hampton and take the LRT and Ottawa Transit to get around town.

In our town, where Rob, Doug and Mikey served at City Hall, Doug had this to say about cyclists vs our emergency services,





What Toronto Emergency Services said about that is in this article,

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/doug-ford-toronto-bike-lanes-1.7332276

M,osdty

You guys know the roads and traffic in Ottawa. I go strictly as a tourist. I don't drive my automobile there. I get there by VIA, check into the Hampton and take the LRT and Ottawa Transit to get around town.

In our town, where Rob, Doug and Mikey served at City Hall, Doug had this to say about cyclists vs our emergency services,





What Toronto Emergency Services said about that is in this article,

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/doug-ford-toronto-bike-lanes-1.7332276[/UR

http://

Municipalities get their authority to exist from the province, so the province is exerting it's authority. Do I think it is the most efficient use of provincial resources? No. That said, it is a topic that is near and dear to the average suburban voter, and that is where elections are won. So, it is smart politics(for now).

I also think that the more the people who dislike him as premier make a fuss about the bike lane thing, the more it pushes swing voters toward his cause. I'm guessing very few suburbanites stuck sitting in traffic care that CBC found a few experts special interest groups to support their bike lane story.

In fairness to the premier, he is also making noise about health care, so it's not like that file is being ignored so he can personally review every proposed bike lane.

I normally don't comment but these (not just your comments, but others) need to be addressed, because every suburbanite afraid of their paths of convenience through urban areas being taken away need to recognize that people live in these places. Those bike lanes are in the urban and dense part of Toronto, where reducing the number of single-occupant vehicles on the road is finally being acted upon by the municipality to reduce deaths, improve active transport connections, and frankly improve the street life of the city for those who live there. Try taking the surface transit anywhere between the Don and Humber rivers, and your transit vehicle will be blocked at some point by single occupant vehicles taking up valuable urban space, not bicycles. The city is grid-locked and facing decades of population growth that cannot be met with more cars. Efforts to reduce single occupant vehicles' presence as a matter of policy have been proven in dozens of global cities as leading to an improvement in transit reliability, pedestrian, and active-transport users' safety. Frankly, the suburbanites who are locked into car dependency in their daily lives due to the low density of their built environment and struggle to imagine different ways of living have far too great an influence on the city planning of urban areas that they simply see as obstacles on their way back home. I am tired of people not in cars dying or facing daily perilous interactions because our infrastructure is piss-poor and drivers treat active transport users and pedestrians as obstacles. Something pucker-worthy happens to me on my Ottawa commute at least once a week, typically around slip-lanes (convenience design for drivers) that puts me and everyone else not in the car at risk of death or injury because some driver is eye balling their phone or forgot to caffeine drip that morning.

I'm an Ottawa four-season cyclist, and driver, from Toronto. Doug Ford lives in Etobicoke and hates the Bloor and University bike lanes because he sees them from his motorcade all week. His narrow, self-interested pandering is meant to directly appeal to other narrow, self-interested people who are stuck in the last century and forget that cities change to meet the needs of their people. City emergency services and transit won't have problems getting to their destinations if we reduce the number of private, single occupant vehicles on the roads in the city. Improving active transport and transit are big pieces to accomplishing this goal. Other cities, countries managed to lower road deaths and improve road designs with new rebuilds to reduce vehicle speeds and improve drivers' attention within urban areas or along suburban arterials where bike infrastructure makes sense. The point is to reduce the number of cars in cities and encourage other forms of transport - this helps everyone that lives in that city, including drivers. The reason bike lanes seem empty much of the time is because they are more efficient - bikes take up less space, cars take up a lot. Nect time you are traffic and your vehicle is stopped, look around and count the people, and try to imagine them all together outside of their cars. Not such a big group after all.

 

[Brad Sallows]

The obvious explanation is right in the reports. Increased lane capacity can lead to increased congestion because of the appearance of greater capacity; the appearance of decreased lane capacity has the opposite effect. People unwilling to deal with decreased capacity go elsewhere; offices and other businesses relocate as they think fit.

[Add: I don't think I've actually seen a car driver look both ways while slowing slightly approaching a red light and then blow right through it. (Rural stop signs, yes.) I have seen cyclists do it. Given the relative sizes of the denominators (I've undoubtedly seen many thousands of car and only a few hundreds of bikes) it's not difficult to guess who is more irresponsible.]

 

[mariomike]

I normally don't comment but these (not just your comments, but others) need to be addressed, because every suburbanite afraid of their paths of convenience through urban areas being taken away need to recognize that people live in these places. Those bike lanes are in the urban and dense part of Toronto, where reducing the number of single-occupant vehicles on the road is finally being acted upon by the municipality to reduce deaths, improve active transport connections, and frankly improve the street life of the city for those who live there. Try taking the surface transit anywhere between the Don and Humber rivers, and your transit vehicle will be blocked at some point by single occupant vehicles taking up valuable urban space, not bicycles. The city is grid-locked and facing decades of population growth that cannot be met with more cars. Efforts to reduce single occupant vehicles' presence as a matter of policy have been proven in dozens of global cities as leading to an improvement in transit reliability, pedestrian, and active-transport users' safety. Frankly, the suburbanites who are locked into car dependency in their daily lives due to the low density of their built environment and struggle to imagine different ways of living have far too great an influence on the city planning of urban areas that they simply see as obstacles on their way back home. I am tired of people not in cars dying or facing daily perilous interactions because our infrastructure is piss-poor and drivers treat active transport users and pedestrians as obstacles. Something pucker-worthy happens to me on my Ottawa commute at least once a week, typically around slip-lanes (convenience design for drivers) that puts me and everyone else not in the car at risk of death or injury because some driver is eye balling their phone or forgot to caffeine drip that morning.

I'm an Ottawa four-season cyclist, and driver, from Toronto. Doug Ford lives in Etobicoke and hates the Bloor and University bike lanes because he sees them from his motorcade all week. His narrow, self-interested pandering is meant to directly appeal to other narrow, self-interested people who are stuck in the last century and forget that cities change to meet the needs of their people. City emergency services and transit won't have problems getting to their destinations if we reduce the number of private, single occupant vehicles on the roads in the city. Improving active transport and transit are big pieces to accomplishing this goal. Other cities, countries managed to lower road deaths and improve road designs with new rebuilds to reduce vehicle speeds and improve drivers' attention within urban areas or along suburban arterials where bike infrastructure makes sense. The point is to reduce the number of cars in cities and encourage other forms of transport - this helps everyone that lives in that city, including drivers. The reason bike lanes seem empty much of the time is because they are more efficient - bikes take up less space, cars take up a lot. Nect time you are traffic and your vehicle is stopped, look around and count the people, and try to imagine them all together outside of their cars. Not such a big group after all.

Well said. Especially regarding response times.

 

[Furniture]

M,osdty

http://

I normally don't comment but these (not just your comments, but others) need to be addressed, because every suburbanite afraid of their paths of convenience through urban areas being taken away need to recognize that people live in these places. Those bike lanes are in the urban and dense part of Toronto, where reducing the number of single-occupant vehicles on the road is finally being acted upon by the municipality to reduce deaths, improve active transport connections, and frankly improve the street life of the city for those who live there. Try taking the surface transit anywhere between the Don and Humber rivers, and your transit vehicle will be blocked at some point by single occupant vehicles taking up valuable urban space, not bicycles. The city is grid-locked and facing decades of population growth that cannot be met with more cars. Efforts to reduce single occupant vehicles' presence as a matter of policy have been proven in dozens of global cities as leading to an improvement in transit reliability, pedestrian, and active-transport users' safety. Frankly, the suburbanites who are locked into car dependency in their daily lives due to the low density of their built environment and struggle to imagine different ways of living have far too great an influence on the city planning of urban areas that they simply see as obstacles on their way back home. I am tired of people not in cars dying or facing daily perilous interactions because our infrastructure is piss-poor and drivers treat active transport users and pedestrians as obstacles. Something pucker-worthy happens to me on my Ottawa commute at least once a week, typically around slip-lanes (convenience design for drivers) that puts me and everyone else not in the car at risk of death or injury because some driver is eye balling their phone or forgot to caffeine drip that morning.

I'm an Ottawa four-season cyclist, and driver, from Toronto. Doug Ford lives in Etobicoke and hates the Bloor and University bike lanes because he sees them from his motorcade all week. His narrow, self-interested pandering is meant to directly appeal to other narrow, self-interested people who are stuck in the last century and forget that cities change to meet the needs of their people. City emergency services and transit won't have problems getting to their destinations if we reduce the number of private, single occupant vehicles on the roads in the city. Improving active transport and transit are big pieces to accomplishing this goal. Other cities, countries managed to lower road deaths and improve road designs with new rebuilds to reduce vehicle speeds and improve drivers' attention within urban areas or along suburban arterials where bike infrastructure makes sense. The point is to reduce the number of cars in cities and encourage other forms of transport - this helps everyone that lives in that city, including drivers. The reason bike lanes seem empty much of the time is because they are more efficient - bikes take up less space, cars take up a lot. Nect time you are traffic and your vehicle is stopped, look around and count the people, and try to imagine them all together outside of their cars. Not such a big group after all.

I live/work in the "downtown" area of Ottawa. I saw the bike lanes daily as I walked to work. They were empty apart from the bike lanes of the side streets through the "nice" part of the downtown, or along the canal where the bike paths were well clear of the streets.

The obsession with penalizing car usage is a self defeating strategy, as the car drivers far outnumber the activist cyclists.

Make transit suck less, make it more convenient, and maybe you'll find us evil "single occupant vehicle" drivers more prone to use it. So long as transit sucks, and is frankly verging on unsafe in many cities these days, people will avoid it.

To be blunt, the bike lane activists seem to want to start at the end state, and figure out a way to get there afterwards. It doesn't work like that. European cities that people love to praise started out as walking and transit cities, and never moved past that. Most of our cities moved past that to suburban sprawl. You can't reverse that by taking away traffic lanes and adding more bike lanes in the downtown, regardless of how warm and fuzzy it makes the urban cyclists feel.

 

[dapaterson]

I live/work in the "downtown" area of Ottawa. I saw the bike lanes daily as I walked to work. They were empty apart from the bike lanes of the side streets through the "nice" part of the downtown, or along the canal where the bike paths were well clear of the streets.

The obsession with penalizing car usage is a self defeating strategy, as the car drivers far outnumber the activist cyclists.

Make transit suck less, make it more convenient, and maybe you'll find us evil "single occupant vehicle" drivers more prone to use it. So long as transit sucks, and is frankly verging on unsafe in many cities these days, people will avoid it.

To be blunt, the bike lane activists seem to want to start at the end state, and figure out a way to get there afterwards. It doesn't work like that. European cities that people love to praise started out as walking and transit cities, and never moved past that. Most of our cities moved past that to suburban sprawl. You can't reverse that by taking away traffic lanes and adding more bike lanes in the downtown, regardless of how warm and fuzzy it makes the urban cyclists feel.

On the other hand, suburban commuters in Ottawa have stripped front lawns and other space from downtown to accommodate their unwillingness to use transit (Bronson is a sad example of that). The destruction of downtown neighbourhoods to accomodate people who don't live there is a huge problem.