Comment 13182

By Rusty (registered) - website | Posted October 21, 2007 at 14:25:22

Holy crap, 'assinine' and 'childish' in the same discussion...

Genghis,

You sound like you've already made up your mind on this(an unfortunate trait. Believe it or not my mind is still open on this matter - however I have yet to be convinced). Regardless, I'll counter some of your points:

"The expressway was a good idea. Not building it is not going to magically force a company to relocate in Hamilton"

First of all this comment appears to condescend the anti-expressway points of view made on this page. Nobody is expecting any 'magic' here. What has been articulated very clearly is the idea that the solution to congestion is not necessarily more roads (an idea you appear resistent to consider).

Jon's point was simply stating that because we now have a new road network we will now get more car-dependant housing and industry because of it. It will facilitate 'more of the same' type growth and will leave us with the same car congestion problem later down the road. Without the road this kind of growth would have been stifled and viable alternatives would have had to 'magically' appear (if it's magic then I guess towns like Portland and Boston and Toronto must be Never-never land...).

You talk a lot about job creation. But don't you think employers want to live and invest in a town which is a more pleasant place to live? Why all this focus on road networks? I have read several studies which have shown that our growth industries - i.e. industries that Hamilton should be focusing on - want competitive taxes and a qualified workforce ahead of better communication networks.
And what of your comments about the source of all the highway 20 traffic? Do you really think some of Hamilton's commuters could not be able to find jobs nearer to home (ie in transit commuting distance) if Hamilton did more to attract a diverse range of employers?

I think the sticking point in this debate centers around linear thinkers who think that traffic problems caused by A and B requires solution C. You need to think differently and a little deeper about how jobs are created and how sustainable modes of transport are built to create a better living environment.

If nothing else, consider this: do you think it is possible for a person to live somewhere where they can have a variety of employment options within a reasonable transit commute from their home? This is the town we want Hamilton to be. If you don't think this is possible then we'll never be on the same page.

Ben

Permalink | Context

Events Calendar

There are no upcoming events right now.
Why not post one?

Recent Articles

Article Archives

Blog Archives

Site Tools

Feeds