Ward 2 News Burlington | Marianne Meed Ward - Latest Comments

Re: Legal fees of $1.35M bring pier cost to $15.6M & counting

Bruce Bond — Wed, 12 Feb 2014 16:07:09 -0000

I have always wanted the City to work with the original contractor to finish the project. He would be the one dealing with all these legal issues and costs. Once we cut him loose the problems became the city's . We also would not be seeing the incredible additional costs that we incurred.

Re: Legal fees of $1.35M bring pier cost to $15.6M & counting

Mark Wignall — Wed, 12 Feb 2014 13:22:57 -0000

I appreciate the fine line you have to walk at times, keeping the public informed and getting along with council.

But just think where this money could have been used, like getting snow removed in a more timely fashion or keeping up with infrastructure repairs

Re: Legal fees of $1.35M bring pier cost to $15.6M & counting

Allison Thornton — Wed, 12 Feb 2014 13:01:35 -0000

As a lawyer myself, I can hardly believe that the City does not require legal counsel to track their time by projects. To not do so not only robs Council of valuable information about where resources are allocated, but also makes it hard for the City to recover any costs where there is an opportunity to do so such as at a hearing. Other public sector lawyers, such as those in the federal or provincial government legal sectors, have to "docket" their time. It is an industry standard and one that the City ought to be insisting on.

Re: Seeking your feedback: Snow clearing

Chris Ariens — Fri, 31 Jan 2014 08:13:04 -0000

It's important to remember that cars can generally get through the snow while keeping their occupants relatively comfortable.
The same thing cannot be said for pedestrians, especially those with disabilities or with children.
Despite this, the overwhemling majority of the budget is spent on salting, sanding and clearing the road for cars, and other users are once again relegated to an afterthought. What you are saying is "We'll get to those unimportant people later".
If we really believe the things we say about making walking, cycling and active transportation a priority, we would at least make an effort to clear the paths. And don't get me started on bike lanes - very few of which in the city were cleared a full 6 days after the storm. The road crews are supposed to clear curb to curb - but that is not what is actually happening.

Re: Bridgewater Update: Site readied for sales centre

Thomas C. Riddell — Thu, 23 Jan 2014 10:39:44 -0000

We slowing becoming like downtown Toronto near the lake don't like it

Re: Downtown wins $10,000 award for community spirit

Penny Heneke — Wed, 15 Jan 2014 14:47:47 -0000

Downtown Burlington is a unique area containing an historic
neighbourhood of heritage homes, a scenic lakefront, park and pier, museums, quaint churches and a vast variety of stores.
It has an amazing ambience and is a great place to live.

Re: Downtown wins $10,000 award for community spirit

Penny Heneke — Wed, 15 Jan 2014 14:24:20 -0000

Downtown Burlington is a unique area containing an historic
neighbourhood of heritage homes, a scenic lakefront, park and pier, museums, quaint
churches and a vast variety of stores.
It has an amazing ambience and is a great place to live.

Re: Seeking your feedback: Snow clearing

Marianne Meed Ward — Mon, 13 Jan 2014 01:04:04 -0000

“Approve”

Re: Seeking your feedback: Snow clearing

Danielletodd — Fri, 10 Jan 2014 11:57:06 -0000

I understand this is an article focused on sidewalk clearing, however I have a gripe concerning the sidewalk-less street I live on. Ours is a secondary street that doesn't get plowed after the lighter snowfalls, but at least once a year we have have circumstances similar to last weeks weather.

What happens is, the snow from multiple falls accumulates, leaving several inches of snow on our street, then a light thaw occurs, making the slush almost impossible to drive in much less walk on. Next, it freezes leaving it a dangerous, icy mess.

As I mentioned, we don't have sidewalks, making it quite treacherous for those who don't drive, or need to walk their dogs in the neighbourhood.

Finally, my question here is: how can we get the snow clearing policy amended so those of us who live on these kinds of roads can get around safer when the temperatures fluctuate as they often do this time of year?

Re: Free parking Saturdays downtown; review of program

Marianne Meed Ward — Thu, 09 Jan 2014 21:56:49 -0000

Very true Chris. Driving and parking has a cost, and as long as parking is underpriced or free to the immediate user, driving will be "cheap" relatively speaking to other modes of transportation, and people will continue to drive. We can encourage people to use other forms of transportation, or carpool, if parking and driving is user-pay and priced at the cost of this infrastructure. Burlington is in transition from a car culture to, eventually, one with more active transportation. While we make that transition, we will continue to experiment with ways to bring people downtown. Free parking is one such experiment, and we will evaluate it to see if it achieves this goal.

Re: Parking concerns hurting downtown businesses

Marianne Meed Ward — Thu, 09 Jan 2014 21:39:43 -0000

Besus, Thank you for your thoughtful comments and sharing your personal experience regarding parking. Let me share mine and speak to the principle that I think is at stake here. There is no such thing as free parking - when you park "free" at the mall, or at local businesses or at office parks, it is built into the price of goods you pay at those establishments. You pay those fees whether you drive there, or take transit, or walk. In this model, people who don't drive, subsidize those who do. In the downtown model, parking and driving is user pay - and you can avoid or reduce these costs by using other modes of transportation or carpooling.
If you work in places that don't charge for parking, your employer has made a business decision to absorb those costs for you, typically as part of the rent they pay for the space. For city employees, the cost is born by the taxpayer, regardless of their ability to pay those taxes. We tell visitors to the downtown they must pay for parking; employees in minimum wage jobs in retail in the downtown must pay for their own parking. There must be a level playing field where everyone chooses their own mode of transportation and the costs associated with it, including the cost of parking. We encourage people to take transit, walk and cycle, but if we make driving easy and cheap, people will prefer to drive. We are not showing leadership by subsidizing parking for city employees, which encourages driving, while charging all others users in the city to park.
As decision-makers, we must practise what we preach. That, too, is leadership. I received a parking space outside city hall as part of being a councillor. Out of principle, I voluntarily paid for that space my first two years in office, at the highest monthly fee rate. In my third year, I offered that space to visitors to City Hall. This past year, when the city repaved the lot, I gave up that space entirely so it would be available 24/7 to the public. You will note if you go by, there are only 6 signed spaces in the lot now for councillors. On the rare occasions when I need to drive downtown, I find a space in a lot, or the garage, and pay full fare myself.
Thanks for engaging the discussion. Parking is an important issue in the downtown, and one that will be with us for a long time.

Re: Free parking Saturdays downtown; review of program

Chris Ariens — Tue, 07 Jan 2014 13:12:04 -0000

Free Parking is a lovely idea in principle. However we all know there is no such thing as "free". The principle of supply and demand requires that we price parking as we would price any other good or service. If you lower the price, you increase the demand beyond the city's ability to provide spaces for everyone who wishes to use them. People have to circle around looking for open spots, which is just as negative an experience as putting money in a meter.

It would be reasonable to expect that people who work downtown would take more advantage of the available parking when they do not have to pay for it. No need to take the bus or carpool.

Ideally, parking would be priced such that people would always be able to find one or two spots conveniently located near their destination. San Francisco does this relatively well with their SF Park initiative. Note this doesn't mean that parking needs to be more expensive...merely responsive to the demand. There may be a number of people wiling to pay for the convenience of parking close to their destination. Employees may be willing to walk further if there is a cost to them.
Yes, the malls have "free" parking, but there is a tremendous opportunity cost...if the mall is busy, you have to circle around to get a spot, costing your valuable time. If the mall is not busy, the merchants have to pay for the unoccupied land, which means you pay higher prices. This is also one reason why you rarely see stores that are not owned by major national (or U.S based) chains in a mall.
My suggestion is to monitor usage, both during the regular time and the "free" times to measure the impact, and use the information to guide pricing decisions.

Donald Shoup explains this much better than I could in the link below...
http://www.cato-unbound.org...

Re: Parking concerns hurting downtown businesses

Besus — Thu, 02 Jan 2014 15:34:08 -0000

I work at City Hall and my parking spot is a 13 min walk which is about 4-5 blocks away from the downtown core. Because it is so far away I pay for closer parking. Tell me again how I'm lucky when most people have free parking at their jobs? And Marianne you get to park 2 steps from the front doors to city Hall. I would gladly pay to park in your spot. Are you willing to give it up? Didn't think so. The parking is the only perk we get if you even want to call it that. Despite what the public thinks, we pay into our pensions, they are not free, our pay compared to private sector is lower and we don't get anything for free at work, including a Christmas dinner. So yeah I get a free spot in a parking lot that is never full and that no one who wanted to shop in the downtown would park at anyways. Burlington's core isn't failing because of just parking issues, the cost of renting is outrageous for businesses, the core is small and car crowded and most people don't want to walk a few mins to shop there. They would rather park right at the front doors of a store... Rather than support the core.

Re: Bike lanes on New St? Public meeting Dec. 5

Heidi — Tue, 03 Dec 2013 22:16:29 -0000

For anyone doubtful of the benefits and safety of bike lanes, just take a look at this amazing Ted Talk video about how New York City successfully transformed their city by adding bike lanes and improved traffic, decreased accidents (both car & bike related) and significantly increased bike ridership. If NY could do it - why not for Burlington? http://on.ted.com/newyorkst...

Re: Bike lanes on New St? Public meeting Dec. 5

Heidi — Tue, 03 Dec 2013 22:11:45 -0000

I support putting in bike lanes for New St. It's an easy commuting section and will help get folks downtown easily. Our city needs to be more future-planning minded. With our ever increasing senior demographics, we need to look at ways to attract younger generations to live and work in our city to help keep it viable and thriving. The Centennial Path is great for recreational cycling, but not for people who want to commute by bike.

Re: Bike lanes on New St? Public meeting Dec. 5

Heidi — Tue, 03 Dec 2013 22:06:43 -0000

@Christopher Paul Watts - you're not likely to see many cyclists on New as it's a little scary for a cyclist to be riding on it in it's current state. I guarantee if you put bike lanes in, you'll see a big increase in ridership. Besides, by nature of the it being cold, you won't see many cyclists peddling around.

Re: Bike lanes on New St? Public meeting Dec. 5

Bert Armstrong — Tue, 03 Dec 2013 21:32:42 -0000

As with most issues, there are pros and cons....The Centennial path is very good as far as it goes, but there will be those cyclists who need to be encouraged to ride.....on what is perceived to be a direct route. Vehicle traffic has increased, and many motorists who are not also cyclists, seem to feel that cyclists are more of a nuisance than people actually trying to get from point A to point B without using a car....If and where it is possible to incorporate a bike lane, it would appear that a good deed will have been done, as both motorists and cyclists will have a guide to follow, and hopefully will have respect for each other....

Re: Bike lanes on New St? Public meeting Dec. 5

Chris Ariens — Tue, 03 Dec 2013 11:06:20 -0000

Funny...I saw about 6 bikes out today during my 15 minute commute. We are not in the good old days any more - people percieve cycling to be a risky activity, especially with heavy car traffic behaving irresponsibly on the roads. So now most parents make the self-defeating decision to drive their kids to school, which appears safer in the short term but creates a lot of longer term issues like obesity and lack of independence. Proper infrastructure will make cycling a more viable option for more people. When you force people to take an indirect route they will just say forget it and drive instead, compounding the problems.

Re: Bike lanes on New St? Public meeting Dec. 5

Christopher Paul Watts — Mon, 02 Dec 2013 15:09:09 -0000

Please not again. I just drove around Burlington for half the day, including up and down New Street. I didn't see one bike today, not one.

Regardless, back in the good old days, we all managed to bike to school without getting creamed. What makes this new generation of cyclists so incompetent at riding their bikes they need their own lanes ?

As far as the Centennial Bike Path, you take it to the appropriate side street, then take the side street north towards New, cross New at the lights and Violia ! you are at the library.

Re: Public meeting Dec. 2 on zoning changes for Carriage Gate project

Noodlybits — Sat, 30 Nov 2013 20:13:40 -0000

I will try to be there, although it won't be easy to make it on time.

Re: Bike lanes on New St? Public meeting Dec. 5

Chris Ariens — Wed, 27 Nov 2013 21:27:26 -0000

The existing Centennial Bike Path does not go to Central Park or the Library. New Street does go to these destinations.

Right now, most people who do choose to cycle there are using the narrow sidewalks, which can make it uncomfortable for others, especially for seniors walking in the area.

Sharrows are good for those who are cycling now, but they do little to encourage those who are not currently cycling to try it. Most families with children are not willing to ride in mixed traffic.

If the city actually does want to encourage people to try using other modes of travel, and save millions of dollars that would otherwise be needed to accommodate ever larger numbers of cars, properly separated bike lanes would be a worthwhile investment. This would set an excellent precedent for Burlington, and help us in the ongoing competition to attract young and talented people to live in our city. With option 6, New Street (at least this small portion) would truly be a Complete Street - for everyone, without taking anything away from motorists.

Re: Video: Free Parking in December, Saturdays in 2014

Gary — Mon, 25 Nov 2013 15:51:05 -0000

Great idea and excellent video. Makes me want to go downtown more if I can Free P. Just thinking about it makes me want to.............just a second...........I gotta go.

Re: Bike lanes on New St? Public meeting Dec. 5

Merlin — Mon, 25 Nov 2013 10:38:25 -0000

Use the existing paved Centennial Bike Path. Why complicate New St.

Re: Burlington Council poised to sell public waterfront land

Todd Berg — Wed, 16 Oct 2013 12:45:15 -0000

I support keeping the land in public hands, especially since this can be included in the water front trail.

Curious, who knew the land in question is in fact public space. Walk to the edge of Market Streets `Window on the Lake’ and you would assume the land is private given the fencing and landscaping to the very edge of the seawall. Have the owners consciously assumed the public space for personal enjoyment?

There is no access from the west side of the parkette at the bottom of Market St because of the home owners fencing and corralling the property to the east.

Accessing the hidden parkette from the east, from St Paul Streets Window on the Lake you are soon dissuaded from further access by strategic landscaping which essentially draws a line for fear of trespassing at 235 Market Street.

And now there is the suggestion that Mr Nand will consider legal action if the city doesn’t sell. While the fence may be prudent from a safety perspective (seawall is quite high), this smacks of arrogance.

One wonders how many more properties on the waterfront have been similarly assumed for private use.

Re: Burlington Council poised to sell public waterfront land

Anton Tucker — Tue, 15 Oct 2013 00:54:51 -0000

I would like to believe I am a little more objective than some of the immediate neighbours having recently relocated to Burlington.
I have to agree with Councillor Ward on this issue despite some valid neighbour objections related largely to petty crimes.
We must not only retain, but increase public waterfront land for all to enjoy, it's that simple.