[smithsb1111]

http://www.thespec.com/news/article/252320--bike-rental-plan-coming-to-town

 

[garage monster]

When they came to us at the Cycling Committee with this idea, like Walter is quoted as saying, we generally thought it was a good idea but we needed A LOT more information. Generally, unless this thing is 100% revenue neutral, I'd rather see the money go into infrastructure which is currently WAY underfunded per the Master Plan. :madman:

Plus with Hamilton's topography, how do you keep all the bikes from just sitting in a big pile at the bottom of the Mountain? :skep:

 

[smithsb1111]

When they came to us at the Cycling Committee with this idea, like Walter is quoted as saying, we generally thought it was a good idea but we needed A LOT more information. Generally, unless this thing is 100% revenue neutral, I'd rather see the money go into infrastructure which is currently WAY underfunded per the Master Plan. :madman:

Plus with Hamilton's topography, how do you keep all the bikes from just sitting in a big pile at the bottom of the Mountain? :skep:

Typically contracts with these bike rental companies include that the city pay for the stolen/broken bikes. This is usually what drives them from revenue neutral to the negative side. I would assume that Hamilton would experience a high rate of theft/vandalism at first. I can't see how it would be neutral.

I spend a lot of time in Paris and it's actually really funny to see after rush hour the hundreds of bikes that sit at the bottom of all the hills. They have trucks that come around shortly after and redistribute the bike to locations based on average use.

I am still not very sold that this would fly in Hamilton. It's not a very commuter friendly city with good alternative public transit in case of bad weather.

 

[saturnine]

hamilton's city council is an absolute joke. always trying to make a dead city the life of southern ontario. we will always be a second rate toronto and will always think we are "the place to be". there is nothing of interest here and nobody wants to ride a bike. why follow the model of london, paris, montreal, new york when hamilton is nothing like those cities? check what detroit and pittsburgh do and maybe try that.

 

[langford]

S9, thanks for that healthy dose of Hammertown positivity!

I may be naive, but I think there are a lot of people doing good work making the city a better place for cycling. We have a ways to go, but I can see the potential and things are getting better. Unfortunately S9, the better might take a while to get here.

I don't think a bike rental scheme will make things better, but I think it's a good thing they're having a serious look at it.

 

[saturnine]

"...the only way to fix it is to flush it all away"

 

[JamieDavies]

"...the only way to fix it is to flush it all away"

TOOL quote :thumbsup:

 

[smithsb1111]

"...the only way to fix it is to flush it all away"

It's funny.. I was reading an article a while back, I think it was from the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce but maybe not. It was a survey on peoples perceptions of Hamilton and the interesting thing was that people who live in Hamilton have a lower perception of Hamilton then people who aren't from Hamilton... I think there is some internal marketing that needs to be done here. In my opinion Hamilton has some of the best cycling both road and mountain biking with it's close proximity to rural areas. Just not sold on the commuter thing..

I still tell people I am from Dundas and not Hamilton though.. Hamilton is dirty .

 

[garage monster]

I still tell people I am from Dundas and not Hamilton though.. Hamilton is dirty .

lol, it's usually the opposite for us. If someone looks like they understand the concept of where Hamilton is, we throw in "Well, Dundas actually..."

If we start with Dundas, people are like "The street?..." :skep:

If I'm REALLY far away (like Asia), I just tell people I'm from Toronto, near NIagara Falls.

 

[saturnine]

just say you're from canada and they'll automatically assume toronto.

 

[XLNC]

I have to agree with Saturnine. Anything to do with the Management in or of Hamilton is a pathetic failure.

I'm not a 'direct' employee of the city, but I am subcontracted and do have dealings within it. I see it daily. From bottom line "project managers" (such as my sub contracted managers) all the way up to City Council and the Mayor. Anyone in a position of authority has shown nothing but utter cluelessness. I believe our PanAm stadium debacle has proven that beyond any shadow of a doubt and the worst part is, the election this fall (so far) isn't going to magically produce anyone worthy of taking it over.

Conclusion: Langford, You're right. There are amazing people doing amazing things for cycling in Hamilton. However, none of them work FOR Hamilton. Unfortunately those that DO get to make the decisions - just like everything else they do/have done- will be sure to make it a failure from the start.

 

[garage monster]

The best part (after Di Ianni resurfacing) is that, last I heard, my councilor (not that there's anything especially wrong with him) is running uncontested so far. Yay, participatory democracy! :skep:

 

[XLNC]

Is it Brattina? Because he's actually worse than Eisenbobo.

 

[garage monster]

Naw, Powers is our guy. At least he likes velodromes...

 

[XLNC]

ahh.. see he isn't a "real" Hamiltonian. He was born in Toronto and represents Dundas. He only suffers minor cluelessness because of his association with Hamilton. Through de-amalgamation, he'd regain his clue.

 

[garage monster]

He was fairly brainwashed when he was our MP but he's coming back down to Earth since losing to that no-talent Sweet rolleyes: ).

Jackson's one I think needs to go... :madman:

 

[saturnine]

everyone making these stupid decisions is going to get back in because they are uncontested. even in a democracy we have no choice.

 

[XLNC]

I think we need a new selection on our ballots called: I don't like ANY of the choices - START AGAIN!

Unfortunately, whoever gets elected will just maintain the status quo and set up all their buddies to run the contracts "for" the city - with moderate tax relief while raising OUR taxes.

I know the guy that runs my racket is friends with someone who sits on city council and they golf twice a week normally.

I work at half the speed of what I had to do in the real world (lest I'd have been fired on the spot) and even at that city workers STILL tell me I work too fast. Oh yeah the city guys work in a department which has 4 sites, 2 complete shifts at each site and STILL outsource 30 to 40% of the work. Wonder why your taxes are so high?

 

[saturnine]

people who live in Hamilton have a lower perception of Hamilton then people who aren't from Hamilton

i don't think there's any revolutionary idea there. the people who live here would tend to know better than those who do not, no? people think toronto is great, too, until they live and drive there. no one wants to acknowledge the fact that hamilton is nothing more than a supplementary to toronto, burlington, niagara falls et al. nobody comes here, they come through here to get somewhere else. listen, hamilton's location is arguably among the finest city locations in this country. however, location does not a city make. it's the access to all the stuff outside of this city that makes this city so attractive. we are just a turnstile to the best that southern ontario has to offer. in one side, out the other,

... and then something about cycling.

 

[langford]

i
... and then something about cycling.

Speaking of lazy, no good, incompetent municipal staff, Hamilton put forth a very comprehensive and innovative bike lane initiative about 10 years ago that got quashed by council after implementation because too many vehicle lanes were lost. A lot of transportation and public works staff are cyclists and are trying their best to speed up the cycling agenda, but there isn't a lot of political buy in for it.

I think Toronto has the same problem, only worse......