The Free Press managed to run a story that ignored any mention of
1) how area businesses are cut off from deliveries,
2) the impact on a social service agency that serves clients in immediate crisis,
3) pollution from gridlocked rush-hour vehicles choking residents of Edmonton Street and the loss of transit service for hobbled seniors,
or
4) the dangers to pedestrians caused by cyclists using sidewalks and frustrated drivers careening about like mice trapped in a maze.
Still, it's a start.
Since June of 2009, the corporate newsrooms, feeding on press release-driven "green is good/Hike it Bike it Like it/use it or lose it" catch-phrases, have followed the lead of city spokespeople and the bike lobby to ignore the legitimate questions about the process and negative effects of the plans in favour of a zombie march to the day when Mayor Katz and city councillors happily provide them with ribbon-cutting photo ops.
The optics of drivers waiting for 28 minutes on Broadway, or of seniors trying to vault 8-inch curbs with their walkers, escaped their "professional" reporting.
The alternative media, long derided as being 'untrained' and 'without standards' and being 'unaccountable', somehow managed to overcome the handicap of being "lesser media" to forcing the story onto the public agenda and into their newscasts - CBC lead story - and front pages.
Suddenly, the quality of public consultation by the city is of interest to the mainstream media.
Yesterday, hundreds of readers including the Free Press, CTV, even contractors Stantec Consulting, all flocked to this blog in a desperate search for information on "bikeway lawsuit", "Kevin Nixon" and even the long forgotten( and suddenly departed during the Disraeli bridge uproar) former chief spinner "Ed Shiller".
Today, they are clicking furiously through this brilliant compilation of posts and stories about the Assiniboine project by Graham Hnatiuk, whose attempt this summer to alert the city auditor to the failure of the consultants to fulfill the terms of their contract and identify and engage key stakeholders was illegally diverted by 311 to tip off city officials the temperature was rising.
One comment left on the Free Press website is worth noting:
People, this issue has been a festering sore that has been ignored for far too long.
For months now, the Alternative Media has been covering the back-room shenanigans of this Bike Path on Assiniboine, and many others (Hello Sherbrook Avenue and Berry Street) and the impact that it will have not only area residents, but to the city as a whole. This Bike Path fiasco, and it is a fiasco, has been ignored for far too long.
The people pushing these projects (and city councilors) knew that there would be enourmous push back so they did as little as they could to promote these projects to the public. Those of you who are stating that there was plenty of public consultion may actually want to look into this a bit further. Many City Councilors have gone on record stating that the Consultation Process for Winnipeg is flawed and does not work the way that is supposed to!
Furthermore, when the public IS involved, what is actually presented to them, and what the public chooses as the best option is ignored! You have to look no further than the Disraeli Bridge/Bike Bridge project for more information on that!
Public Consultation? Talk to the owner of RC Eliminator whose business was almost expropriated for this project just after he setup shop there!!
Businesses suing city over bikeway; Area residents angered by changes By: Lindsey Wiebe
" Council incumbent John Orlikow admits the city didn't do enough to engage residents. Letters were hand-delivered to those living on the corridors, he said, and the city held two open houses. But they only drew 10 or 20 people, he said, and a later mail-out to 15,000 residents doesn't seem to have been widely read."It's our fault," he said. "It's the city's responsibility to find ways to properly engage the community."
From Mitchell's piece:"St. Boniface Coun. Dan Vandal rues the very mention of bump outs, which expand curbs a couple of metres into a street, intentionally slowing motorists way down. In 2001, he had the curbs on Lyndale Drive bumped out, hoping to push speedsters to busier arteries. Residents and motorists revolted and they were gone -- all the bumps ironed out - in a year.
Now numerous routes in the city are undergoing reconfigurations with bump outs, this time as part of the city's massive street works program to get more people on bikes and out of their cars ... Parking lanes are being wiped off the streetscape, surprising residents and businesses alike
(Coun.) Gerbasi does concede ... this phase of the cycling corridors construction was done hastily, which left some neighbourhoods short on consultation. All three of the River Heights-Fort Rouge open houses, for example, were held in Fort Rouge."An example of the consequences of the utter arrogance of city officials to pretend they had considered the ramifications of the bike lane plan, is this email from a listener:
Hi,
I have been following your posts regarding the construction on Assiniboine Avenue. I would like to point out something new and very ridiculous. The city has poured concrete curbs for the bike lane, one of which blocks the entrance to the parking for 400 Assiniboine. The garbage and recycling are no longer able to be picked up. This is very frustrating as a resident of this block...
I did call Coun. Gerbasi to complain today and have called in the past. To date, I have received no reply. I brought this curb to the attention of my property manager as well, and they are apparently looking into it as the garbage and recycling was not collected yesterday as scheduled.
And so, before hiring a truck to haul the garbage the courtyard of 510 Main Street (the last time we announced that idea, to a heap of smelly rotting lice-ridden trash was finally picked up in the West End after a 3 week wait) , we sent our expert into the field yesterday to look at the situation, and she came away with even MORE problems for large vehicles trying to navigate the narrowed streets - pay attention City Hall, we know you read this blog too:From: Kim the Traffic reporter
I wandered down to Assiniboine to check the curb problems, new curbs approximately 8 inches in height for some areas, somewhat less in other areas have been now been laid in front of driveways. Maple Leaf Construction has added gravel so vehicles can get over the steep grade without damage to anyone trying to get over them. The barricades in front of the driveways for these curbs should be removed within the next day as crews are waiting for the cement to dry, the cement takes about 24 hours to dry enough to be used.
I was told by one construction worker that asphalt will be laid to bring the grade of the street up high enough so vehicles can pass over the curbs without causing damage which will make them look more like speed bumps than curbs.
As I was looking at these curbs a resident approached me, we ended up chatting. This resident manages an apartment building on the south side of Assiniboine, she is mightily annoyed by the work being done by the City on this bike and still doesn't understand why it is necessary. She also informed me she had never received any notification and in fact had not even seen the letter sent out as of July 23 by Bill Woroby.
This lady told me that Saturday and Sunday for the events happening on Broadway (ie Cyclovia) the traffic in the area was a complete "nightmare". She wouldn't even go out because there was no way she could even get onto Assiniboine from her lot. She ended just staying home. Her husband is an engineer who has been shaking his head asking "what are these people thinking"? Her husband has also wondered who the traffic engineer was that would allow this disaster to take place and actually wondered if an engineer had any hand in the planning of these changes.
As I stood chatting with this lady a construction worker came by and even he was shaking his head saying "he'd never seen anything as stupid as this plan". I have to give full kudos and praise to the construction workers of Maple Leaf Construction, Not only did I witness this, but other residents are saying the crews have been helping as much as they can to assist these drivers. they have been stopping traffic for the people around Kennedy and Assiniboine to get them out of the lots into the laneways. The residents are NOT upset with Maple Leaf Construction, realizing they are just doing their jobs
I did watch a school bus attempt to make the turn from Kennedy onto Assiniboine, the bus had to run over the curb in order to make that turn.
Some residents have told me that on Sunday when Ciclovia was happening they'd overheard some cyclists say that they "wanted Broadway closed down more often". Another resident of the area had informed me that the person who was putting up the letters at the end of July, when asked what this was about said "I don't know I was just told to put these up".
This is the level of consultation the City used to tell people of the changes to their neighbourhood, their homes and businesses.
We were told that if I remember correctly only 9 parking spots would be lost. I can tell you it's going to be a great deal more than 9 spots. While approximately 26 parking spots have been added to the east side of Kennedy, it still will not be enough and concerns have been raised as to where the residents visitors are going to be able to park.
Another concern, which we've already mentioned is how are the moving trucks going to be able to get in to the area. Some of the moving trucks are tractor/trailer units. Those vehicles will no longer be able to get into the area and even if they did there is literally NO place to put them except the bike lanes.
Large trucks such as 3,5 and 10 ton trucks will not be able to access the small lots behind some of these buildings, assuming all the buildings have lots which not all do. They would have to be backed in, then park in the driveway as there is no possible way they can negotiate the turns into the lots. Which again will cause all kinds of problems if anyone wants to leave the lot. People will be stuck until the truck moves. But then the City engineers likely didn't think of that issue. Seems they didn't think of a lot of things.
Problems still continue and as each day goes by the people most affected are frustrated and angry. There is hope by some of them that an injunction can be put into place and maybe one day their lives will go back to being somewhat normal. Right now, that isn't happening. and have no hand in the planning or implementation of these changes, these residents wanted that made abundantly clear.
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Today at 4 PM, more about bike lane lunacy with noted financial analyst Andrew Allentuck, and our special guest Bruce Clark will be in-studio to preview his October 2nd show at the Burton Cummings Theatre when he opens for renowned comedian Norm MacDonald !
Posted by: Trott
September 17, 2010 at 10:59 AM