Comment 40231

By Kiely (registered) | Posted April 28, 2010 at 12:11:43

Please stop saying it's 'extreme' to think the people who are right are right and the people who are wrong are wrong. All you do is validate the people who are wrong. - z jones

You just helped me make my point z jones. You believe this is a right vs wrong decision and you don't believe anything is in between. Which is fine if you're dealing with this in a purely academic and logical way, yes bike lanes are the clear logical "right" choice. But we're dealing with people's opinions here and all logic goes out the window.

We need to accept the reality that what is right and wrong is now subjective because people are involved. If you support bike lanes and want them you view them as a positive and "right" if you don't support them (for whatever reason) you view them as a waste of money and road space and they are a "wrong". I happen to agree with you, they are the right decision but I am not blinded by my opinion from realising others do not view them as "right" and if the numbers of people with that opinion are great enough than the logically "right" decision can be undermined to become the "wrong" decision. This is where you have to find middle ground even if it seems it doesn't exist, which I acknowledge at times it doesn't. Middle ground in this debate might involve eliminating some of the more contentious stretches of bike route that are perhaps not as vital to the overall system. This could help the pro-bike lane side by limiting the amount of debate and speeding up the process while conceding slightly to those who don't want bike lanes down quiet side streets (where they would have arguably less impact anyway).

As for there not being extreme views on this issue, I can't agree with that. I have read posts about how bike lanes will transform Hamilton into Amsterdam. Have you ever been to Amsterdam? That is a pretty extreme view on the positive effects of creating bike lanes in Hamilton and the anti-bike lane side has made equally skewed comments.

Just listening to the opposite sides of any issue insisting they are right and the other is wrong will get us nowhere. Problems, ideas, issues and people are much more abstract than that type of thinking allows for. Great ideas can be implemented poorly, poor ideas can have positive ramifications, stupid people can say the wisest things and the wisest people can say the stupidest things. It is rare when the world can be accurately viewed in a right/wrong or black/white context.

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