From: Kim the Traffic Reporter
Hi Marty,
This morning commuters travelling on Assiniboine were met with a surprise. Unfortunately, the surprise was not a pleasant one. Plans for the Active Transportation bike path are now being implemented on Assiniboine which include forced right turns from Carlton onto Assiniboine, this however will require drivers to head right up Edmonton back to Broadway.
All traffic coming from Osborne, Kennedy, Carlton and Hargrave will be required to turn right onto Assiniboine where the only option will be to proceed up Edmonton to Broadway. Traffic is still being allowed west bound from Main Street along Assiniboine.
However, if drivers wish to access Main Street from Assiniboine, they must do so from either Navy Way or Garry Street. It is interesting to note that on Carlton the sign indicates the forced right turn is "temporary". Yet according the plans (not the ones on the website) indicate that turn will be permanent.
At some point on Sunday Aug. 29th, signs and barricades began to appear on Assiniboine and surrounding streets ready for Monday's Rush Hour commute, creating small traffic jams.
By 7:45am this morning traffic on Edmonton was bumper to bumper with more vehicles still waiting to head up this street. Traffic was starting to back up to Kennedy as more vehicles coming off Kennedy and Osborne were forced to make the turn onto Edmonton. As I stood and watched, I noticed several vehicles turn into the back alleys hoping to avoid the congestion. Many vehicles had to sit through at least two sets of red lights before they could proceed any further.
Commuters were lucky that today happened to be one of those light rush hour days so traffic along Broadway was moving smoothly in that area, however that traffic did become heavier as more vehicles came off Edmonton heading towards Main Street.
At around 9:15-9:25 a fire truck and ambulance came screaming up Edmonton, if this had occured an hour earlier, those emergency vehicles would not have been able to pass up Edmonton at all as there was no place for traffic to get out of the way which in the end could cost a life.
Hargrave was also not spared the new construction of these bike paths.
A two way street from Hargrave Place to Assiniboine has now been implemented. Temporary no stopping zones have been put into place along that stretch of Hargrave. However, parking has not been removed directly in front of Hargrave Place which will make it very difficult for larger vehicles to make that turn without either backing up or causing an accident.
Something happened today I never thought would. I was actually worried about crossing a street. I was on Assiniboine on the west side of Edmonton looking to cross to the east. With the constant stream of traffic, some of whom did not appear to want to allow pedestrians to cross, I for the first time ever in that area was nervous about crossing that street.
Kevin Nixon the Active Transportation Coordinator for the City told Bartley Kives of the Winnipeg Free Press today regarding all these new bike paths that "we're feeling pretty good about it". Yet the residents of this area are most certainly NOT feeling very good about it at all. Their lives are being disrupted and turned upside down all for the convenience of cyclists, the worst being for many of the residents and businesses they had no idea what was about to happen.
One business, a law firm with whom I spoke indicated they knew nothing about these plans, that they had not been informed. Other businesses in the area including a laundry mat on Edmonton, grocery stores on Hargrave, another on Garry also had no idea of the plans by the City for their neighbourhood. Concerns were expressed about where their customers/clients were going to park as Government employees who have meter passes sit all day long taking the parking spots. Other concerns expressed was how their customers would get to their businesses.
One person who lives on Assiniboine was in the process of moving. This person expressed serious concern about being to get the truck into the area to park for loading. This gentleman was told by one of the construction crew it would be alright to park the truck, however this gentleman was worried that if the area was needed for the construction crews trucks, he would be forced to find another place to put this large vehicle.
Parking in an alley is not allowed and in fact a vehicle can be towed away for doing so, the offense being obstruction. He raised the question, where am I supposed to park to move? End of the month, beginning of the month is a very busy time for movers, yet the City has not made any allowances for moving vehicles to park to load and unload. For example, 33 Hargrave has little to no capacity to handle large vehicles in the back lane, now however there will no place for anyone who is moving to put that truck.
I ran into Gareth Simons of Bike to the Future as well as the Active Transportation Advisory Committee, I asked him about the consultation, Simons believes there has been adequate consultation with mailings and open houses. Simons also indicated he doesn't believe the people of this neighbourhood will inconvenienced at all once construction is completed. I told Simons that people who had lived in the area for 10 years had no idea as to what was going on, Simons indicated that letters had been mailed out.
It will be interesting to see how the area fares with afternoon rush hour, how much will traffic be backed up? Who was the person that drafted these plans? Why weren't the residents notified of the changes which according to the City was done in May, yet no information was sent out until the end of July when many are on vacation or for those who don't cycle, it was ignored as the letter taped to apartment building doors was either not seen or blown away. Is that really consulation?
The absolute mess on Assinibione is going to create problems all through the area. On days when traffic is heavy this neighbourhood will be inundated with extra vehicles, people won't be able to find a place to park, won't be able to easily get to the places they need to go without having to travel in a serious of one way loops that make no sense whatsoever.
Makes no sense, that appears to be the mantra of the planners who don't sit down to really think about what they are doing to an area, not caring how residents and businesses will be affected. Perhaps those planners should set up shop in this area, after all, it is their mess.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Support the people of Sherbrook Street against the bike lobby: Sign their online petition
YOU HAVE THE POWER - THIS CAN HAPPEN TO YOUR STREET TOO - TAKE ONE MINUTE AND SEND CITY HALL A MESSAGE -- STAND UP FOR THE PEOPLE AGAINST THE BIKE LOBBY !
Marty,
I'll give you the same schtick I've given every other media type I know.
The Ellice Cafe needs your help. My friend Harry (Lehotsky) was never afraid to make noise in the face of an injustice, (or stupidity), and as such, I'm going to try to do the same.
The Cafe (as many of your listeners already know through your radio show), is potentially going to loose most of, if not all of, its on street parking to provide for a new active transportation lane to be located on the east side of Sherbrook, 24/7/365.
The bike lobby presented a petition that included 65 names. We're hoping our petition will bury that number. Please help get the word out.
The petition is located at http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/sherbrookbikelane/ .
Your help is appreciated!
Ralph Mueller
Friend of the Ellice Cafe
Marty,
I'll give you the same schtick I've given every other media type I know.
The Ellice Cafe needs your help. My friend Harry (Lehotsky) was never afraid to make noise in the face of an injustice, (or stupidity), and as such, I'm going to try to do the same.
The Cafe (as many of your listeners already know through your radio show), is potentially going to loose most of, if not all of, its on street parking to provide for a new active transportation lane to be located on the east side of Sherbrook, 24/7/365.
The bike lobby presented a petition that included 65 names. We're hoping our petition will bury that number. Please help get the word out.
The petition is located at http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/sherbrookbikelane/ .
Your help is appreciated!
Ralph Mueller
Friend of the Ellice Cafe
The Petition
Due to the immeasurable harm the current plan for complete closure of the east lane on Sherbrook, to accommodate a 24/7/365 bike lane, will have on both residents and businesses, we are in favour of revisiting the plan to include all concessions originally negotiated, including, but not limited to, the east lane being designated as a bike lane only during rush hour traffic. (7-9, 15:30-17:30) Please note your neighbourhood in the comment field.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Answers and "experts" scarce at Fort Rouge Yards open house
From: Kim the Traffic Reporter
Subject: Re: Transit Development Open House July 29
To: talk@kick.fm
Date: Monday, August 2, 2010, 5:26 PM
Hi Marty
On Thursday July 29th I attended an open house for the Transit Development in Fort Rouge for the BRT at the Lord Roberts Community Centre 725 Kylemore. This open house was put on by the developer Lexington Development Corporation which ran from 5:30-7:30p.m.
As I approached the Community Centre on Kylemore, I was stopped by a couple who lived only a few doors down from the centre. The couple were sitting out on their front steps watching all the traffic. They asked me what was going on, if it had anything to do with a potential closure of the centre. I informed them of the open house and asked if they had been informed of this event. The reply was "no, they hadn't heard about it". I was told they had not received any flyers, nobody had contacted them, nor had their neighbours heard anything about this open house, they decided to check out the open house.
I arrived at the Lord Roberts Community Centre at about 5:45pm and saw no signs advertising the open house. In fact, when I approached the community centre I didn't know which door to enter. There was not even a standard size piece of paper to indicate exactly where the open house was taking place. Many, including myself ended up in the day care until we were pointed in the right direction by the staff. I asked one consultant who was in charge of putting up signs and was told it was the Community Centre.
Number of people attending the event was likely somewhere between 50-70,
According to Lexington Development Corporation the purpose of this open house was gather input and comments from the community with regards to the preliminary plans for this area. The consultants on hand did indicate that these plans are open to change based on the input from the community. This development is set to take place between Argue and the rail yard with approximately 1150 units available.
These tentative plans include a row of three story apartment buildings followed by two fourteen story buildings and at least one twenty story building. These buildings will be multi-use, with the main levels being more commercial and will be built within an easy walk of the new BRT line. The plans for this area are designed to be pedestrian friendly, actively encouraging people to walk.
The current bike path on Argue will be moved to the front of the BRT station and according to Bill Menzies of Winnipeg Transit, the bike path will be owned by Transit. although that number is estimated as there was no sign in sheet and I could not get numbers.
On Thursday July 29th I attended an open house for the Transit Development in Fort Rouge for the BRT at the Lord Roberts Community Centre 725 Kylemore. This open house was put on by the developer Lexington Development Corporation which ran from 5:30-7:30p.m.
As I approached the Community Centre on Kylemore, I was stopped by a couple who lived only a few doors down from the centre. The couple were sitting out on their front steps watching all the traffic. They asked me what was going on, if it had anything to do with a potential closure of the centre. I informed them of the open house and asked if they had been informed of this event. The reply was "no, they hadn't heard about it". I was told they had not received any flyers, nobody had contacted them, nor had their neighbours heard anything about this open house, they decided to check out the open house.
I arrived at the Lord Roberts Community Centre at about 5:45pm and saw no signs advertising the open house. In fact, when I approached the community centre I didn't know which door to enter. There was not even a standard size piece of paper to indicate exactly where the open house was taking place. Many, including myself ended up in the day care until we were pointed in the right direction by the staff. I asked one consultant who was in charge of putting up signs and was told it was the Community Centre.
Number of people attending the event was likely somewhere between 50-70,
According to Lexington Development Corporation the purpose of this open house was gather input and comments from the community with regards to the preliminary plans for this area. The consultants on hand did indicate that these plans are open to change based on the input from the community. This development is set to take place between Argue and the rail yard with approximately 1150 units available.
These tentative plans include a row of three story apartment buildings followed by two fourteen story buildings and at least one twenty story building. These buildings will be multi-use, with the main levels being more commercial and will be built within an easy walk of the new BRT line. The plans for this area are designed to be pedestrian friendly, actively encouraging people to walk.
The current bike path on Argue will be moved to the front of the BRT station and according to Bill Menzies of Winnipeg Transit, the bike path will be owned by Transit. although that number is estimated as there was no sign in sheet and I could not get numbers.
There was no representation at this open house from the Active Transportation Advisory Committee as Kevin Nixon was on holidays.
Parking will be available both on and off-street. For the apartment buildings, there will be enough space provided for 1.5 parking spots per unit. On-street parking will be available with either paid parking or time limited unpaid parking available, however there was no representation from the Parking Authority to answer questions regarding permits, fees or time restrictions.
Parking will be available both on and off-street. For the apartment buildings, there will be enough space provided for 1.5 parking spots per unit. On-street parking will be available with either paid parking or time limited unpaid parking available, however there was no representation from the Parking Authority to answer questions regarding permits, fees or time restrictions.
According to Michelle Richard a Planner with the City of Winnipeg who indicated that a traffic impact study is to be conducted by Dillon Consulting. There were no consultants from Dillon Consulting available at this open house to answer any questions.
When asked about consulting the neighbourhood, Bryan Ward a Planner with the City said "3000 letter were sent to residents by the developer." When asked about the people a few doors down from the Community Centre, I was told that Canada Post delivers those letters and they may not have arrived.
Ruth Marr of Marr Consulting was also at the event, I asked about the bike path slated for Jubilee and if it was going to meet up with the new path planned for the BRT Line. The Jubilee path has changed, the path will now run from Cockburn to around the Argue lights where the trail ends.
When asked about consulting the neighbourhood, Bryan Ward a Planner with the City said "3000 letter were sent to residents by the developer." When asked about the people a few doors down from the Community Centre, I was told that Canada Post delivers those letters and they may not have arrived.
Ruth Marr of Marr Consulting was also at the event, I asked about the bike path slated for Jubilee and if it was going to meet up with the new path planned for the BRT Line. The Jubilee path has changed, the path will now run from Cockburn to around the Argue lights where the trail ends.
When asked about expropriation on Jubilee, I was told by Ruth Marr that "no one on Jubilee is being expropriated" and that "you've been given false information."
Some residents in the area had been asking about the capacity at the schools to handle and influx of new students. I attempted to ask David Marsh a planner with the City of Winnipeg. I was told to speak to media relations and he had no comments for me. He felt I had been unfair in my previous interview in April at the BRT open house.
I spoke with ten or fifteen of the area residents, some of the questions they are asking is "where is Gerbasi?". The residents noted Councillor Gerbasi had not put in an appearance at this open house. Other questions were being asked about how parking was going to affected, will they have restrictions put onto their streets? These questions went unanswered.
Other comments were about the 20 story apartment building being planned. Concerns about the shadows it's going to cast as well as privacy. Some residents saying "it's too much".
One resident Peter, a transit driver with 33 years of service believes that these plans are "not put together properly". He was wondering about how the community is going to be affected with a few thousand extra people brought into an already high density area, going so far as to contact Councillor Gerbasi along with two others, he is awaiting a reply. He was quite adamant about not liking these plans at all. The residents did say they liked the idea of the BRT Line in their area.
Some other comments from the residents was about their area being under pressure, that "it's an island trapped by transit and rivers". The overall expression from the residents with whom I spoke was dissatisfaction, in fact some people indicated they never usually vote, but are considering getting out for this election to cast their ballot.
I departed the open house at about 7:30, headed back up Kylemore and found the same couple a few doors from the Community Centre sitting on their front steps.
They had attended the event and were not happy with the idea of this development as it stands. Some concerns they presented had to do with issues on Kylemore and additional traffic pressures. These people would like to see speed bumps put in because of speeding traffic, I was told they'd even be happy with photo enforcement the problem is that bad.
As I stood talking with these people, a half ton truck came around the corner at a high rate of speed, the driver didn't slow down. This couple are also re-thinking their views on voting.
Many people I spoke with said they'd like to see a park or dog park, some facilities for the kids perhaps a large outdoor swimming pool, overall the residents did not welcome the idea of this development. Lexington Development Corporation was quite clear that these plans are preliminary only and are subject to change. I was told several times that they were looking for the input and comments of the community.
The next open house for this project is scheduled tentatively for sometime in late September.
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Kim's Thoughts:
The community centre was easy to find, the open house not quite as easy. There were two doors beside each other, one led to the day care, the other to the open house. There was a 50/50 chance you'd get it right, I didn't. Ended up in the day care. Not even a piece of paper on the correct door to let people know where to go. But we are told it was the community centre who was responsible to put up signs.
On Apr. 7th at the Jubilee/Hay open house I asked about the Argue bike path, asking why not use the path at Argue and connect the two (Jubilee bike path and Argue paths). I was told it was unknown if the path on Argue was going to be kept. Now it's not. I don't know how much money was spent on that path, but it's being moved to the BRT Line. Parking is now going to be allowed on Argue.
I asked if Argue is part of the development and if it would be the Winnipeg Parking Authority who enforced the area, I was told by Larry Carter of the Lexington Development Corporation that technically Argue would be their property. yet when I spoke with one of the City planners asking the same question, I was told that it is a public right of way. Contradictions.
Some residents in the area had been asking about the capacity at the schools to handle and influx of new students. I attempted to ask David Marsh a planner with the City of Winnipeg. I was told to speak to media relations and he had no comments for me. He felt I had been unfair in my previous interview in April at the BRT open house.
I spoke with ten or fifteen of the area residents, some of the questions they are asking is "where is Gerbasi?". The residents noted Councillor Gerbasi had not put in an appearance at this open house. Other questions were being asked about how parking was going to affected, will they have restrictions put onto their streets? These questions went unanswered.
Other comments were about the 20 story apartment building being planned. Concerns about the shadows it's going to cast as well as privacy. Some residents saying "it's too much".
One resident Peter, a transit driver with 33 years of service believes that these plans are "not put together properly". He was wondering about how the community is going to be affected with a few thousand extra people brought into an already high density area, going so far as to contact Councillor Gerbasi along with two others, he is awaiting a reply. He was quite adamant about not liking these plans at all. The residents did say they liked the idea of the BRT Line in their area.
Some other comments from the residents was about their area being under pressure, that "it's an island trapped by transit and rivers". The overall expression from the residents with whom I spoke was dissatisfaction, in fact some people indicated they never usually vote, but are considering getting out for this election to cast their ballot.
I departed the open house at about 7:30, headed back up Kylemore and found the same couple a few doors from the Community Centre sitting on their front steps.
They had attended the event and were not happy with the idea of this development as it stands. Some concerns they presented had to do with issues on Kylemore and additional traffic pressures. These people would like to see speed bumps put in because of speeding traffic, I was told they'd even be happy with photo enforcement the problem is that bad.
As I stood talking with these people, a half ton truck came around the corner at a high rate of speed, the driver didn't slow down. This couple are also re-thinking their views on voting.
Many people I spoke with said they'd like to see a park or dog park, some facilities for the kids perhaps a large outdoor swimming pool, overall the residents did not welcome the idea of this development. Lexington Development Corporation was quite clear that these plans are preliminary only and are subject to change. I was told several times that they were looking for the input and comments of the community.
The next open house for this project is scheduled tentatively for sometime in late September.
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Kim's Thoughts:
The community centre was easy to find, the open house not quite as easy. There were two doors beside each other, one led to the day care, the other to the open house. There was a 50/50 chance you'd get it right, I didn't. Ended up in the day care. Not even a piece of paper on the correct door to let people know where to go. But we are told it was the community centre who was responsible to put up signs.
On Apr. 7th at the Jubilee/Hay open house I asked about the Argue bike path, asking why not use the path at Argue and connect the two (Jubilee bike path and Argue paths). I was told it was unknown if the path on Argue was going to be kept. Now it's not. I don't know how much money was spent on that path, but it's being moved to the BRT Line. Parking is now going to be allowed on Argue.
I asked if Argue is part of the development and if it would be the Winnipeg Parking Authority who enforced the area, I was told by Larry Carter of the Lexington Development Corporation that technically Argue would be their property. yet when I spoke with one of the City planners asking the same question, I was told that it is a public right of way. Contradictions.
So now more money will be spent in order to move the bike path, it's like a bottomless pit with these pathways.
I was given wrong information about Jubilee? I checked the report I filed and it clearly talks about expropriation and that letters had been sent to the owners. So it's not a matter of being given wrong information, it's a matter of plans being changed and nobody had any idea it happened.
I saw shades of the Disraeli open houses where the talk to the City person, get passed to the consultant and back again was in play. It's called the City to consultant shuffle.
Problem was, some of the questions couldn't be answered by the consultants and City people.
I was given wrong information about Jubilee? I checked the report I filed and it clearly talks about expropriation and that letters had been sent to the owners. So it's not a matter of being given wrong information, it's a matter of plans being changed and nobody had any idea it happened.
I saw shades of the Disraeli open houses where the talk to the City person, get passed to the consultant and back again was in play. It's called the City to consultant shuffle.
Problem was, some of the questions couldn't be answered by the consultants and City people.
Traffic information wasn't available, the firm doing the study wasn't even present. Can't ask questions about parking because the parking experts weren't there. These are issues which will affect all the residents. Perhaps the next open house will have more detailed plans and the people present who can answer those questions. But then again, seems this open house wasn't even deserving of a visit from the area councillor.
I don't know if this development is a good idea or not, I don't live in the community so I'm not affected. I do know the residents didn't seem impressed.
So unimpressed were some of these people they are actually thinking about voting in the October election. I would say Jenny Gerbasi is going to have her work cut out for her with these folks.
The open house which should be happening in late September should be interesting to see if and what changes have been made to the current preliminary plans. Will the residents be happy with the changes? If not, will that spur more people to get out and vote in October and will Jenny Gerbasi have a real fight on her hands for her seat? I'm kinda looking forward to finding out.
I don't know if this development is a good idea or not, I don't live in the community so I'm not affected. I do know the residents didn't seem impressed.
So unimpressed were some of these people they are actually thinking about voting in the October election. I would say Jenny Gerbasi is going to have her work cut out for her with these folks.
The open house which should be happening in late September should be interesting to see if and what changes have been made to the current preliminary plans. Will the residents be happy with the changes? If not, will that spur more people to get out and vote in October and will Jenny Gerbasi have a real fight on her hands for her seat? I'm kinda looking forward to finding out.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Attention Mayor Katz: City changed Assiniboine traffic plans but forgot to tell the residents; bike lane = permanent gridlock downtown
From: Kim the Traffic reporter
Hi Marty
I've taken a look at the new plans for the Bike Boulevard on Assiniboine Ave., which has completely changed from the plans previously shown at open houses.
According to the maps provided, motorists will still be able to access Assiniboine Ave from Osborne, yet all that traffic is going to be funnelled up Edmonton, this doesn't make any sense. If I'm reading the maps correctly (both maps are a little vague I thought)people will be able to travel Westbound from Main St. all the way to Edmonton. The letter says
"Assiniboine Ave. from Edmonton St. to Navy Way will become one-way westbound". Actually that should read from navy way to edmonton. so all traffic heading off Main is westbound and from my reading looks as though can go right through to Edmonton. It is two-way traffic from Navy Way east to Main.
This means traffic coming off Main will be adding to the traffic coming off the side streets.
I think eventually Kennedy, Edmonton, Carlton and that section of Assiniboine will be "calmed" as people realize they can only go in circles. However, Hargrave, Navy Way, Garry and Fort will likely become busier and will bear the brunt of the traffic.
There are a few issues I find with the new plans. Beginning on Hargrave going East as I think this area is going to be hardest hit.
Hargrave:
The plans tell us that Hargrave will become a two-way street from Hargrave Place to Assiniboine. Which means all parking in that stretch will have to be removed. Even though it should be obvious that parking would be removed on Hargrave, the information letter at no point indicated that there would be any loss of parking on Hargrave.
This area is heavily used by Unicity Taxi (the office is the only building with a Hargrave Place address) and by the residents especially after hours for parking. Are the residents aware they will be losing all those parking spots? What about the meters which were put in place, only to be removed again.
Another problem I see on Hargrave is the apartment building, 33 Hargrave. People are always parking in the no parking zone. I can't begin to tell you how many tickets I've written in front of that building. Sometimes I'd get two or three vehicles at the same time. Even if a No Stopping zone is put in place, that won't stop the problem. People are going to stop in front of that building.
I fail to see the logic in having traffic come off Hargrave Place onto Assiniboine when the only place vehicles will be able to go is Edmonton. Why have the additional traffic pushed up Edmonton?
Why not have traffic come off Hargrave turning East on Assiniboine, would that not help alleviate some of the pressure from other streets?
Navy Way:
Navy Way could see an increase in the amount of traffic it receives, which could cause some traffic delays. More people coming off Assiniboine to access Smith St. means longer delays.
The Midtown Bridge is usually crowded at Rush Hour, so getting onto Smith with merging bridge traffic can be a challenge. According to the 2008 City of Winnipeg Traffic Counts the Midtown Bridge at Navy Way sees approximately 18 300 vehicles. At Broadway and Smith (Navy Way) 22 900 vehicles have been counted.
These counts were 2008, by how much has traffic risen since then? How much more pressure will these additional vehicles bring to bear on these intersections?
Garry:
Garry could potentially see the worst of the traffic problems.
If you want to avoid Portage/Main and Broadway/Main the only other way to go is via Assiniboine. With these new plans, the only way to do that is by Garry.
Navy Way turns into Smith which is a one-way Northbound. The only street allowing access to Main St. via Assiniboine is Garry, which could then see a significant increase in traffic flow.
Garry has parking on both east/west sides (the West side also has bus stops) with one travel lane. There is no mention in the information letter to indicate Garry will lose any parking, but then the letter didn't say anything about Hargrave losing parking either. If Garry sees heavier traffic will this street be able, with one lane, to handle the additional traffic as vehicles have no other way of reaching Assiniboine? Or will the City traffic engineers be forced to remove at least one lane of parking from Garry to facilitate traffic flow?
How much additional traffic will be forced down Garry? Are the residents aware of the potential traffic increase?
If a parking lane is removed, the East side is the only viable option.
Is the Hotel Fort Garry aware of these plans? Many of their patrons, both day and evening utilize the parking on Garry and Fort. During the Spring and Summer (wedding season), that area is quite heavily used on the weekends.
Fort:
Fort could see an increase in traffic flow from those who wish to avoid Westbound traffic thru to Edmonton. Fort then becomes the best option.
Kim's analysis:
I still don't understand why the existing cycling infrastructure couldn't be improved upon instead of basically shutting down an entire street. We don't have current traffic counts so we can only assume there has been an increase. What about winter and inclement weather? How many cyclists will be using Assiniboine then?
I noted in the letter we are told about "consultation".
Yet I've spoken with many people in that area, most have no idea what's going on, nor in fact did many of those people know what the changes were going to be, putting up notices on bulletin boards does not constitute consultation.
Keeping in mind that other than some consultants and Kevin Nixon, there isn't anyone who has attended as many of these open houses as I have since January, so I've seen the plans that have been shown to the public.
I can attest to the fact that Kevin Nixon did indeed tell me that traffic would be able to turn East off Carlton on Assiniboine to Main St., I specifically asked that question. I just don't remember which open house it was at.
In fact on the Active Transportation website there had been a PDF map link posted. That map was the very same map I'd seen at the open houses. This map showed vehicles allowed to turn East on Assiniboine from Carlton. This map was up on the website as of late April to mid May which was the last time I looked at that map in reference to the Friends of Upper Fort Garry plans. This map has now been removed, it has been replaced with the information letter which was sent out to area residents along with the new map of the area.
I've never seen this map before.
It is entirely different than the previous maps I've seen.
The City changed the plans but forgot to tell the residents who are expecting the plans they knew about.
There was never any mention of Hargrave becoming a two-way street. That idea was never even put forth to my knowledge. The same for Navy Way.
I even commented on the fact that those Navy Way and Hargrave Place were never mentioned, I was told that there was nothing planned for them.
The current changes to Assiniboine will cause traffic problems all throughout that area, not only Assiniboine, but the surrounding streets as well. Broadway will have to carry a heavier load, which could back up the side streets such as Kennedy, Carlton etc.. York could see delays as with St. Mary Ave. and Portage which already often sees long delays. Though I think Garry St. will see a noticeable change with a greater increase in traffic.
Assiniboine is mostly residential but it does have its commercial components as well. How will the businesses be affected by these changes as customer try to figure out how to get to them?
It's almost as if this is a test run to finally closing Assiniboine completely from Fort to Main, which is what we've already been told is what the A.T. people want as well as Friends of Upper Fort Garry.
In a couple of years these groups can ask City Council to look at closing down part of Assiniboine because there is so much traffic jammed on Garry trying to turn east to go to St Boniface and it might just work.
This is the worst plan to date which could create serious traffic problems not only on Broadway but along every other regional street. This idea is also potentially dangerous, if there is an accident, it will be difficult for emergency vehicles to arrive on scene, not to mention the traffic jam which will follow.
Then on those heavy traffic days, how much more will the area become congested?
This plan is unreasonable, whether anyone likes it or not Assiniboine is part of downtown and it's going to face the same problems and share the same load as the rest of downtown. To do otherwise is going to create a lot of traffic problems.
This plan doesn't make any sense, it seems rushed, hurried. Is this a case of time is running out and it needs to get done so let's slap something together? "USE IT OR LOSE IT"?
Or is there a secret deal between the bike lobby and their friends at city hall, with the pet project of millionaires and the Manitoba Club, the Friends of Upper Fort Garry?
Monday, August 2, 2010
West End fire and health hazard finally noticed; city was too busy giving residents a bike lane they don't want
During our week-long break, a listener from the west end went toe to toe with the City of Winnipeg over a smelly, hazardous pile of garbage and abandoned furniture that posed a genuine danger to the neighbourhood.
We have reprinted a sequence of emails in which he describes how the city and BFI eventually responded to his concerns.
It is worth noting that we took his complaint directly to the Mayor's Office (yes, while we were on holiday) and miraculously, the "within 3 days" that 311 told him it would take to look into it? The heap of garbage was hauled away within 4 business hours of our intervention.
*********************
From: (west end resident)
To: 311@winnipeg.ca
CC: hsmith@winnipeg.ca; skatz@winnipeg.ca; kateri@mts.net; info@westendbiz.ca; winnipeg@bficanada.com
Subject: What's wrong with Winnipeg.
Date: Tue, 27 Jul 2010 16:17:25 -0500
311... Water and waste... and the continuing build up of garbage (see pictures attached) (never mind... seems your server doesn't allow you to enjoy the views we do as the last e-mail with attachments was sent back. maybe you'd like to drive by and see them for yourself instead?) that the the City bureaucrats seems to be unable (or unwilling) to deal with. The solutions seems simple, but there is no one willing to actually DO anything about it.
As citizens, CHOOSING to live both in Winnipeg, and in the West End, we become increasingly disheartened by the complete lack of respect shown by other members of the community, AS WELL AS the various City departments.
Perhaps when you hear the address, it gets shuffled to the "when we have time" file, or maybe you assume that the ensuing garbage bin or back lane fire might make the debris we call about disappear, or might make it a little less bulky to eventually pick up.
Two weeks ago, I called you (311) from my cell to report an abandoned couch behind the church at 794 Ellice Ave. (Kateri Tekakwitha Aboriginal Catholic Parish). I was told we'd have to wait almost a week for a pick up, and that there would be a charge to haul away the couch. I explained that it was not my couch, and I was meerly calling to tell them that one had been abandoned, and was a fire hazard and needed to be picked up. (I was unable to record my reference number)
No one came. Well, that's not entirely true. Another couch came, then a 50 gallon oil drum, then a coffee table, now a bed frame is included, along with 2 shopping carts full of tree cuttings. What bliss! Now the garbage area is so filled up, the stinking rotting mess can't be picked up by the garbage truck (BFI).
Why so upset? We've called 311 before, only to receive the same run around. Wait a week, and no one comes. While recognizing the need for a garbage bin, (since the City off loaded that service and forced organizations to get their own bins), the continuing situation is completely unacceptable.
The bin is located almost 4' into the lane forcing traffic closer to the side of our home, the debris from the bin often flows over the sides of the truck, littering our sideyard, and front yard, depending on the wind, and the stench is becoming unbearable in the summer heat... and NO ONE cares.
The bin is shared by the church and two businesses, as well as an apartment block. The residents routinely do not bag their garbage, and the businesses typically drop large boxes that they can't bother cutting up into the dumpster, causing it to be over filled very often.
The City does not come by to pick up the abandoned debris, the Church does not remove the unsightly mess, yet as citizens we are helpless to do anything (aside from throwing an incendiary device into the mess). The Church seems either unwilling, or unable to do anything about the matter, never having responded to a letter sent to them last December, and continuing to leave the debris unattended to, (or presumably, not bothering to call 311 either) There are no lids on the garbage bin, no signs warning of "no illegal dumping", or any other measures to deter the ongoing practice.
Responsibility for the illegal dumping falls SQUARELY on the back of the Water and Waste Department. People in this area are the most likely to have personal belongings that they "throw out" as they "upgrade". They are unable to haul the debris to the farthest reaches of the City (Brady Road), (or are unwilling to incur the multiple flat tires from THAT poorly managed facility), and are also unwilling to pay the pick up fee the City charges.
Can you really tell me that's the BEST you can do? Other cities have more centrally located transfer stations, open later hours than the landfill sites. Do you need me to tell you what cities? Their fees? Their hours? Their population? The maximum driving distance a citizen would have to travel?
You have recently foisted upon us a "new and improved" garbage collection system, touted as "roll out your garbage" we didn't ask for. After a week in the sun, these things reek, and the yard waste won't even come out of the container, meaning it ripens even more! Perhaps a wholesale review of the ongoing PROBLEMS that really affect the quality of life of the residents would have been in order.
Instead of spending untold millions on bicycle paths that do nothing but disrupt our lives, you could have come up with a way to deal with the ongoing problems of waste disposal in our City.
Sincerely,
(listeners name withheld)
*****************
Subject: FW:
Date: Thu, 29 Jul 2010 09:56:29 -0500
From: 311@winnipeg.ca
To: (west end resident)
Good Morning.
Thank you for contacting Winnipeg 311. I apologize for the delay in pick up. We have re-submitted another request to have the items picked up, and requested that they contact you to discuss your concerns. The new reference number is 387453 and they will looked into this matter within 3 business days.
If you have any other questions or concerns please feel free to contact us again.
Sincerely,
Lee
Service Representative
311 Contact Centre
311@winnipeg.ca
******************
Dear Lee,
Today, a representative from the City's Water and Waste Department, the caretaker of the church, and BFI attended the site to remove the debris. While the maggots left littering the lane are something to be desired, the clean up is appreciated, as well as the plan to remove the bin, and hopefully stop the ongoing illegal dumping.
The ROOT CAUSE of the matter is still unresolved, and Winnipeg as a whole needs to come to grips with the need to handle the solid waste in the City's core areas more diligently.
Kudo's to Councilor Smith for coming by the day he received my first e-mail, as well as Casey Jones from the City, (responsible for the roll out bins, NOT the auto bins), for his help loading the couches and other debris into the BFI bin.
Thanks to BFI for assisting in hauling the debris, as well as the Caretaker of Kateri Tekakwitha for agreeing to manage their garbage differently.
Shame on 311. Apparently, not only my request went unheeded for 2 weeks, but the Church has called twice in that time as well.
If not shame on 311, then shame on Water and Waste, and certainly shame on the organization of The City of Winnipeg for the dismal response time, and for ignoring the three calls we are AWARE of. How many other concerns just get ignored?
There remains a 50 gallon drum, 1/3 full of an unknown substance, that can not be lifted, nor disposed of in good conscience.
We have reprinted a sequence of emails in which he describes how the city and BFI eventually responded to his concerns.
It is worth noting that we took his complaint directly to the Mayor's Office (yes, while we were on holiday) and miraculously, the "within 3 days" that 311 told him it would take to look into it? The heap of garbage was hauled away within 4 business hours of our intervention.
*********************
From: (west end resident)
To: 311@winnipeg.ca
CC: hsmith@winnipeg.ca; skatz@winnipeg.ca; kateri@mts.net; info@westendbiz.ca; winnipeg@bficanada.com
Subject: What's wrong with Winnipeg.
Date: Tue, 27 Jul 2010 16:17:25 -0500
311... Water and waste... and the continuing build up of garbage (see pictures attached) (never mind... seems your server doesn't allow you to enjoy the views we do as the last e-mail with attachments was sent back. maybe you'd like to drive by and see them for yourself instead?) that the the City bureaucrats seems to be unable (or unwilling) to deal with. The solutions seems simple, but there is no one willing to actually DO anything about it.
As citizens, CHOOSING to live both in Winnipeg, and in the West End, we become increasingly disheartened by the complete lack of respect shown by other members of the community, AS WELL AS the various City departments.
Perhaps when you hear the address, it gets shuffled to the "when we have time" file, or maybe you assume that the ensuing garbage bin or back lane fire might make the debris we call about disappear, or might make it a little less bulky to eventually pick up.
Two weeks ago, I called you (311) from my cell to report an abandoned couch behind the church at 794 Ellice Ave. (Kateri Tekakwitha Aboriginal Catholic Parish). I was told we'd have to wait almost a week for a pick up, and that there would be a charge to haul away the couch. I explained that it was not my couch, and I was meerly calling to tell them that one had been abandoned, and was a fire hazard and needed to be picked up. (I was unable to record my reference number)
No one came. Well, that's not entirely true. Another couch came, then a 50 gallon oil drum, then a coffee table, now a bed frame is included, along with 2 shopping carts full of tree cuttings. What bliss! Now the garbage area is so filled up, the stinking rotting mess can't be picked up by the garbage truck (BFI).
Why so upset? We've called 311 before, only to receive the same run around. Wait a week, and no one comes. While recognizing the need for a garbage bin, (since the City off loaded that service and forced organizations to get their own bins), the continuing situation is completely unacceptable.
The bin is located almost 4' into the lane forcing traffic closer to the side of our home, the debris from the bin often flows over the sides of the truck, littering our sideyard, and front yard, depending on the wind, and the stench is becoming unbearable in the summer heat... and NO ONE cares.
The bin is shared by the church and two businesses, as well as an apartment block. The residents routinely do not bag their garbage, and the businesses typically drop large boxes that they can't bother cutting up into the dumpster, causing it to be over filled very often.
The City does not come by to pick up the abandoned debris, the Church does not remove the unsightly mess, yet as citizens we are helpless to do anything (aside from throwing an incendiary device into the mess). The Church seems either unwilling, or unable to do anything about the matter, never having responded to a letter sent to them last December, and continuing to leave the debris unattended to, (or presumably, not bothering to call 311 either) There are no lids on the garbage bin, no signs warning of "no illegal dumping", or any other measures to deter the ongoing practice.
Responsibility for the illegal dumping falls SQUARELY on the back of the Water and Waste Department. People in this area are the most likely to have personal belongings that they "throw out" as they "upgrade". They are unable to haul the debris to the farthest reaches of the City (Brady Road), (or are unwilling to incur the multiple flat tires from THAT poorly managed facility), and are also unwilling to pay the pick up fee the City charges.
Can you really tell me that's the BEST you can do? Other cities have more centrally located transfer stations, open later hours than the landfill sites. Do you need me to tell you what cities? Their fees? Their hours? Their population? The maximum driving distance a citizen would have to travel?
You have recently foisted upon us a "new and improved" garbage collection system, touted as "roll out your garbage" we didn't ask for. After a week in the sun, these things reek, and the yard waste won't even come out of the container, meaning it ripens even more! Perhaps a wholesale review of the ongoing PROBLEMS that really affect the quality of life of the residents would have been in order.
Instead of spending untold millions on bicycle paths that do nothing but disrupt our lives, you could have come up with a way to deal with the ongoing problems of waste disposal in our City.
Sincerely,
(listeners name withheld)
*****************
Subject: FW:
Date: Thu, 29 Jul 2010 09:56:29 -0500
From: 311@winnipeg.ca
To: (west end resident)
Good Morning.
Thank you for contacting Winnipeg 311. I apologize for the delay in pick up. We have re-submitted another request to have the items picked up, and requested that they contact you to discuss your concerns. The new reference number is 387453 and they will looked into this matter within 3 business days.
If you have any other questions or concerns please feel free to contact us again.
Sincerely,
Lee
Service Representative
311 Contact Centre
311@winnipeg.ca
******************
From:(west end resident)
To: 311@winnipeg.ca
Cc: hsmith@winnipeg.ca, skatz@winnipeg.ca, info@westendbiz.ca, winnipeg@bficanada.com, kateri@mts.net
Dear Lee,
Today, a representative from the City's Water and Waste Department, the caretaker of the church, and BFI attended the site to remove the debris. While the maggots left littering the lane are something to be desired, the clean up is appreciated, as well as the plan to remove the bin, and hopefully stop the ongoing illegal dumping.
The ROOT CAUSE of the matter is still unresolved, and Winnipeg as a whole needs to come to grips with the need to handle the solid waste in the City's core areas more diligently.
Kudo's to Councilor Smith for coming by the day he received my first e-mail, as well as Casey Jones from the City, (responsible for the roll out bins, NOT the auto bins), for his help loading the couches and other debris into the BFI bin.
Thanks to BFI for assisting in hauling the debris, as well as the Caretaker of Kateri Tekakwitha for agreeing to manage their garbage differently.
Shame on 311. Apparently, not only my request went unheeded for 2 weeks, but the Church has called twice in that time as well.
If not shame on 311, then shame on Water and Waste, and certainly shame on the organization of The City of Winnipeg for the dismal response time, and for ignoring the three calls we are AWARE of. How many other concerns just get ignored?
There remains a 50 gallon drum, 1/3 full of an unknown substance, that can not be lifted, nor disposed of in good conscience.
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