, 01.30.2019 11:05 AM

Newstalk 1010 roundtable, on snow removal and the ghosted bike lanes

Featuring host John Moore, Newstalk star Jerry Agar, and my friend John Tory Jr.

My morning rant, as captured on Twitter, and mooted on the 1010 Roundtable: why are the streets and sidewalks still full of snow – and there is nary a snowflake on the bike lanes no one ever uses?



18 Comments

  1. Shawn says:

    There are more snowflakes on the streets of Toronto on a hot summers day than on a winter snow storm.

  2. Steve T says:

    We are having the same street / bike lane debate here in Winnipeg right now as well.

    It seems very trendy on the left to critique the “one percenters”, yet people who ride their bikes in minus 30 are definitely in the 1%. So why does the city spend time and resources plowing bike lanes for the 1%, rather than sidewalks and streets?

    The response is always something along the lines of “…but….but…. !!”, which completely ignores the difference in our climate.

  3. Steve T says:

    Sorry – my quote above was supposed to be “…but…but… (insert European city name here”…”

  4. Robert White says:

    Ottawa bike lanes are always cleared first due to city prioritization of green transportation plans & heavy investment in terms of bike paths for the masses of Canadian serfs that can no longer afford to maintain private automotive transportation. The Liberal plan for the masses is Light Rail Transit, UBER, & bicycles. Fortunately, E-Bikes are the next BIG thing for mass transport of the feudal serfs whilst the Feudal Lords like Feudal Lord Ford drive Cadillac SUVs that cost $80k to buy which is out-of-reach for the average wage slaves in CANUCKISTAN, man.

    RW

    • Fred from BC says:

      People don’t cycle to work in the Vancouver rain (or Ottawa snow) to save money, Robert. They do it either to show that they are better, more Eco-friendly people than the rest of us or because they want to demonstrate their superior fitness level. Poor people ride transit.

      • Robert White says:

        My civil servant Chartered Accountant father that worked for Senior Rulings National Revenue Oil. Mines, & Resource Taxation was not technically poor and he rode public transportation to federal government offices in the downtown core for near to his entire career along with myriad white collar professionals in the same neighbourhood that did the same thing. In Ottawa the civil servants find public transit much easier and cheaper than paying for a parking space.

        My CA father advocated for public transit over his entire career and he disliked driving the family car so he happily left it at home every day.

        He also wore Coke bottle glasses and was not good with machinery of any sort especially automobiles. Bottom line is that some people prefer public transit and the professional driver that is tasked to drive without mishap.

        RW

        • doconnor says:

          I understand because of limited and expensive downtown parking in Ottawa, it has higher transit ridership then average for a city of its size.

          • Ron Benn says:

            Sadly, ridership has been declining year over year, even though the population has been growing. OC Transpo (Ottawa’s bus service) chooses not to provide any insight into why this is happening.

      • Jack says:

        And all dudes in BC named Fred are fat, dumb-fuckin-assholes who spend their days making stupid comments on blog sites.

        Hey, look – we can all make generalizations!

  5. Gord Tulk says:

    Both bicycles and motorcycles should be banned from operating on public roads.

    Cycling on a street is one of the most dangerous things you can do.

    Stats are impossible to come by as they aren’t licensed and mileage isn’t tracked.

    But it is the lack of stability and safety equipment that makes them so dangerous.

    Stats from the UK say that driving a motorcycle (which shares many of the flaws that human powered bikes have) is 24 times more deadly per mile travellers than a car or truck. and that the gap is growing as cars get safer and cycles remain the same.

    Were the bicycle and/or motorcycle to be invented today there is no chance they would be allowed to share the road with cars and trucks.

    And while cars and trucks have been legislated to be more and more safe, nothing has been done in this regard with bikes.

    Why is it illegal to make and sell cars with the safety levels of say a 1974 Super Beetle but its perfectly ok to make and sell a motorcycle with the same tech as ’37 Harley? Ban any new ones from operating on the road and grandfather the rest.

    As for the politically correct clearing of unused bike lanes at the expense and safety of those who use motorized transport – the lefties have only themselves to blame.

    • Warren says:

      Wait. ‘74 Supers are unsafe?

      • Gord Tulk says:

        Lol.

        Just ten gallons of fuel sitting just above your knees. Nestled alongside a gas heater that was notorious for catching fire/exploding. Beetles make the pinto look like asbestos gloves.

        (Full disclosure- I owned a ‘71 super – one of only two years where the supers had flat windshields – a love/hate relationship if there ever was one)

      • Fred from BC says:

        If memory serves, your worst danger there is your pant legs catching on fire (those heaters were legendary!)….but this is probably offset by the fact that the car will float for some while if you should accidentally drive it into a river or lake (also legendary).

    • doconnor says:

      Because of thier speed, Motorcycles are significantly more dangerous the bicycles.

      Not exercising is the most dangerous thing you can do.

      • Gord Tulk says:

        There literally no stats to prove or disprove that.

        Bikes aren’t able to keep up with traffic. They are driven by all age groups from age 6 and up. They are often operated in flagrant violation of traffic laws – lane-splitting, using cross walks jumping on and off sidewalks and they are even less stable than motorcycles. They definitely aren’t as safe as a car or truck.

        And to repeat – there is no way they would be allowed on the road if they were invented today – just like skateboards.

      • Gord Tulk says:

        Re: exercising.

        Not true. I work in insurance- the health issues with those who engage in extreme forms of exercise are often far worse than mildly active people.

        And when you find an insurance company that will cover bike couriers for individual disability let me know.

    • Steve T says:

      While what you say may be statistically correct, motorcycles are my one vestige of hope that we haven’t plunged fully into the nanny state.

      Yes, they are dangerous for the rider. That’s why insurance rates for motorcycles (at least here in Manitoba) are ridiculously disproportionate to the value of the vehicle. And yet people still choose to pay it. Three cheers for freedom of choice!

      Bicycles are a whole other thing. They aren’t insured; they aren’t regulated; they go significantly slower than motorized vehicles; and many cyclists have a moral superiority complex that makes them engage in extremely risky behaviours (as well as annoying preachy-ness). All of this is magnified during the winter months.

      • Fred from BC says:

        A local (Vancouver) newspaper columnist wrote something about his experiences in the bike lanes here, mostly how he was surprised at how rude, arrogant and, yes, entitled he found many cyclists to be….not just to drivers and pedestrians, but to other cyclists. I missed that column, but caught the second article he was forced to write due to the overwhelming public response generated by his first column (or was it a Tweet? I forget…). Anyway, he was bombarded by dozens and dozens of accounts of downright nasty and/or dangerous encounters with cyclists ( one screaming at elderly ladies as he flew by them at high speed, missing them by mere inches, swearing at slower riders, etc.) He also had a few cyclists attack him just for writing about it.

        Apparently, public opinion (in this admittedly small sample) is now leaning towards implementing some sort of controls or regulations to deal with this before someone gets hurt.

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