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Erik Kaye | Victoria | Councillor

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#41 Coreyburger

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Posted 19 September 2014 - 09:22 PM

Off topic, but that is a very interesting statistic.  I'd be curious where you found such an incredible statistic.  

 

My guess is that they are only looking at diesel particulates (pm 10 and pm 5) - which are really bad but the problem is that it isn't just about how much you pollute, it is about where you do it.



#42 Mike K.

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Posted 20 September 2014 - 08:10 AM

Out on the ocean it affects no one so its cool :)
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#43 jklymak

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Posted 20 September 2014 - 03:45 PM

My guess is the statistic is complete nonsense.

#44 sebberry

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Posted 20 September 2014 - 04:19 PM

Off topic, but that is a very interesting statistic.  I'd be curious where you found such an incredible statistic.  

 

http://www.theguardi...pping-pollution


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#45 Mike K.

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Posted 20 September 2014 - 04:29 PM

One substantial volcanic eruption will put to shame the pollution humans can create. We think way to highly of ourselves and we also think we have solutions for what nature throws at us.


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#46 Erik.Kaye

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Posted 20 September 2014 - 04:46 PM

The way you get people out of their cars and onto the sidewalk or bike lanes isn't to build bike lanes, it's to promote residential density close to where people work. 

 

 

So to solve the issue of unhealthy, inactive citizens who spend too much time in their cars and not enough time walking, you support projects that bring density to neighbourhoods close to where people work.  Supporting projects like the St. Andrews development will do much more to help you achieve that goal than bike lanes and lower speed limits.

I totally support increasing residential density near where people work - again, the Humboldt Valley is a good example of this.  But it's not either/or- the people who live in those dense buildings will still drive for non-work trips unless they have attractive alternative transportation options like safe cycling paths (ideally physically separated from auto traffic), reliable and comfortable transit service and walkable neighbourhoods.  Again, I'm open to supporting the revised version of the St. Andrews development after the further consultation with local residents is completed and a revised proposal is submitted.  I really think we share the same objectives - not sure what the objection is to promoting alternative transportation options along with increased density that is consistent with neighbourhood design and urban form.


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#47 Mike K.

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Posted 20 September 2014 - 04:57 PM

Many would agree the St. Andrew's proposal is perfect the way it is. I'd even be inclined to say that most people would agree that the project fits that property and within that neighbourhood like a glove.

 

The site just so happens to be behind an invisible line that gives one group of people more power over its future than individuals immediately across the street or several blocks over, or those in the greater region. And the opposition has unfairly presented the proposal as an "us vs. them" scenario including bizarre claims and arguments that reek of special interest and fear mongering.

 

We already have a comfortable transit system, we already have significantly better cycling infrastructure than 99.999% of the world, yet car sales continue to climb and roads continue to get busier. Sure, we can spend some money on cycling infrastructure to tap into the latest craze that happens to come with some government funding but nothing will get people out of their cars in meaningful numbers other than high density neighbourhoods with a mix of commercial offerings within walking distance. Ironically St. Andrews represents just that, yet it's teetering on the brink of cancellation because deep down we know that the folks who say they want the density, want the commercial within walking distance of that density, etc, don't really want it in their backyard, they just want it in principle somewhere else. And therein is the problem.


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#48 sebberry

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Posted 20 September 2014 - 05:41 PM

I totally support increasing residential density near where people work - again, the Humboldt Valley is a good example of this.  But it's not either/or- the people who live in those dense buildings will still drive for non-work trips unless they have attractive alternative transportation options like safe cycling paths (ideally physically separated from auto traffic), reliable and comfortable transit service and walkable neighbourhoods. 

 

There are plenty of busses that run around the Humboldt Valley and the area is quite walkable.  People still drive for non-work trips because cars are convenient, comfortable and can carry lots of stuff.  Not too many people are going to do the Costco run or bring home a 30lb bag of dog food on the bus or bike.  And until you can take a dog on the bus, you need a car to get him to the beach too. 

 

We can have all the bike lanes we want, but the big, bad automobile is here to stay, albeit in a far more efficient form thanks to federal, not civic, regulations. 

 

All too often in Victoria developments are seen as OK as long as they're on the other side of the city.  Once they start getting closer to home they somehow become a problem.  The St. Andrews proposal is the best thing to happen in that neighbourhood for quite a while.  The only thing that would make it better is to make it a little taller. 

 

 

I hate to make it sound like your campaign is about bike lanes and speed limits (other than the fact those issues are prominently displayed on your Facebook campaign page), but I need to see people treat council like the business it is and not an outlet for social activism.   


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#49 Mixed365

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Posted 20 September 2014 - 07:32 PM

 

I hate to make it sound like your campaign is about bike lanes and speed limits (other than the fact those issues are prominently displayed on your Facebook campaign page), but I need to see people treat council like the business it is and not an outlet for social activism.   

 

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#50 jklymak

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Posted 21 September 2014 - 07:17 AM

OK, thanks.  While I doubt that study is correct, it is indeed talking about particulate emissions as Coreyburger said.  Wacky environmentalists reduced those a couple of decades ago in North America, and hence you have things like Air Care and far stricter emission standards.  The environmental reason to get people out of cars is greenhouse gas emissions, and cars produce more of those than the whole merchant fleet.  



#51 sebberry

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Posted 21 September 2014 - 08:49 AM

The point is that pollution and air quality are not simply limited to CO2 and we have many more major sources of pollution that won't be impacted by shifting a few drivers to bicycles. 

 

CoreyBurger posted in the bike lane thread that bike use on the Goose has outstripped population growth.  That should imply that people are leaving their cars for their bikes, but the TCH is as busy as ever, and the Colwood Crawl isn't getting any better.  When you shift people from cars to bikes or transit, the car capacity becomes used up again. 

 

This is why despite all we know about carbon dioxide and climate, the economy having tanked in 2008, the increase in bike lanes, improvements to bus services, etc... car use in the CRD as a percentage of travel mode has remained essentially flat between 2001 and 2011.

 

The only increase in travel mode from 2006 to 2011 has been walking, thanks in part to some improvements in density around town. 


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#52 Mike K.

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Posted 21 September 2014 - 10:54 AM

The Goose is full of recreational cyclists. These are not folks who ride defiantly come rain and cold weather.

 

Goose use outstripping population growth is a good thing, but it doesn't necessarily equate to anything meaningful as far as our carbon footprint is concerned.

 

All this green nonsense is costing us millions locally yet its benefits are questionable. Plenty of people are getting very wealthy, though, so I suppose that's a good thing for some economy somewhere.


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#53 Coreyburger

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Posted 21 September 2014 - 03:13 PM

The Goose is full of recreational cyclists. These are not folks who ride defiantly come rain and cold weather.

 

That growth is October Peak PM Hour, so largely commuter traffic.



#54 NotHudsonMack

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Posted 21 September 2014 - 04:16 PM

I hate to make it sound like your campaign is about bike lanes and speed limits (other than the fact those issues are prominently displayed on your Facebook campaign page), but I need to see people treat council like the business it is and not an outlet for social activism.   

 

Is there a list of candidates that are against the speed limit thing? I am not a 1 issue voter but anyone who supported that has already lost my vote. I want councillors that know how to listen to experts not ideology!! 



#55 AllseeingEye

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Posted 21 September 2014 - 05:01 PM

Is there a list of candidates that are against the speed limit thing? I am not a 1 issue voter but anyone who supported that has already lost my vote. I want councillors that know how to listen to experts not ideology!! 

Heh....in this town, sadly....good luck with that....



#56 John M.

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Posted 21 September 2014 - 07:12 PM

Is there a list of candidates that are against the speed limit thing? I am not a 1 issue voter but anyone who supported that has already lost my vote. I want councillors that know how to listen to experts not ideology!! 

Andrew Reeve made a post on his campaign website's blog about the speed limits


Edited by John M., 21 September 2014 - 07:14 PM.


#57 John M.

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Posted 21 September 2014 - 09:28 PM

Here it is:

[topic='http://www.andrewjre...ing-speedlimits']http://www.andrewjreeve.ca/pandering-why-council-is-lowering-speedlimits[/topic]


Edited by John M., 21 September 2014 - 09:30 PM.


#58 Rob Randall

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Posted 22 September 2014 - 02:33 PM

 

Andrew, you're taking a refreshing approach to dealing with questions and criticisms here, unlike another candidate's "Let's agree to disagree" approach. 

 

 

Erik is polite but where he would say "agree to disagree" I would say you're wrong. Climate issues are a legitimate part of a municipal campaign, every candidate agrees to one degree or another. New York's council announced a very aggressive climate change legislation this week and you can expect similar measures will trickle town to smaller cities like Victoria.

 

To give a practical local example, your views on sewage treatment will depend on what is more important; water cleanliness or greenhouse gas emissions. Other recent examples are the proximity of both the waterfront sewage plant and the Johnson St. Bridge mechanical foundation to rising ocean levels. That's a billion-dollar question.


Edited by Rob Randall, 22 September 2014 - 03:04 PM.


#59 sebberry

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Posted 22 September 2014 - 03:17 PM

Without this turning into a climate change debate, climate changes.  This planet has been through many heating and cooling periods over the last 4.5 billion years. 

 

A city council's job with regards to climate change is to adapt to it by improving infrastructure that will be directly impacted by it.  Federal regulations, not municipal, have the most impact on human caused GHG emissions.  Municipal regulations usually result in more bike lanes which so far have shown to not decrease our reliance on cars. 


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#60 Mike K.

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Posted 22 September 2014 - 03:25 PM

New York also tried to ban large pop containers until the courts gave them a good slap upside the head.

 

Municipal politics shouldn't be about changing the world. Let's focus on reigning in the ridiculous tax hikes and wasted money on pet projects.


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