Raise the Hammer

You have my permission to copy-and-paste my "Missing Hunter-Stinson" connection suggestion above, into your emails to the city.

A Cycling Master Plan is all good and dandy, but can we create a city "Quick Fix Squad" for "Bike Quick Fixes" in situations where bureaucratic barriers are lower?

Even at least to send people out to analyze what's stopping things (e.g. a curb bump-out needs to be removed to install a 2-way bike lane -- like the turn from Hunter-to-Wellington; and cut any red tape and interdepartmental wrangling relating to that sort of thing). In fact, there's another curb bumpout near the Hamilton GO station which is why the Hunter bike lane ends at Catharine Street S instead of one block ahead at John Street where the GO bike rack is located at corner of John and Hunter! Basically, a single city staff position 100% dedicated to bike infrastructure easy quick fixes in Hamilton that doesn't disrupt businesses or traffic lanes -- basicially the low-negotiation fixes. He/she can spend half of his time negotiating with things like interdepartment red tape, like negotiating removal of maybe five parking meter poles, and to residents who now need to park on the opposite side of the street (plenty of alternate parking spots on the opposite side).

This is a more urgent matter (fixes to earlier phase of Master Plan) that can run in parallel to updates of a Master Plan. They can work with each other, and benefit each other. But we can't just have only city staff cubicle working on bikes. One city cubicle staff needs to make field trips half the time, and sharing findings with coworkers that work on the Master Plan.

Fixes that are so "duh obviousman Homer Simpon no-brainer duh" that it's not political poison (like ramming 20 blocks of a new bike lane on Main/King, or expropriating bike lanes down Locke without negotiating with the Locke BIA first).

We have various one-block easy fixes in various locations that can be done in single weekends with very few red tape hurdles except a fuss raised by a few residents now having to park on the opposite side of the street (excuse me -- you're not being expropriated -- it's not the end of the world -- and I can relate as a car-owner; but let's face it -- more than 10 bikes per day pass these 5 or 10 parking spots that are sometimes unused half of the time -- Let's face it, a Hamiltonian commuting on GO train is more likely to be earning a good salary that out-weighs five lightly used parking meters! These are people paying higher property taxes locally.)

Thusly, I pitch my property taxpayer dollar for the "Bike Infrastructure Quick Fix Guy/Gal" position in city staff for the entire city -- there are easy fixes on the mountain too like a missing intersection marker or a barrier in the wrong location.

Comment edited by mdrejhon on 2015-07-30 09:59:40