I just witnessed a scene out of some repugnant romantic comedy. An oh so quirky hipster girl walking a Chihuahua with a pink sweater just crossed paths with an equally embarassing male yuppie on his way south with THE EXACT SAME DOG except this animal's sweater was green.
Their eyes met, she did a little hair toss except her hair was underneath a toque. He made some smug comment. The dogs sniffed each other and then they parted.
Main Street is not what it used to be.
Showing posts with label Vancouver. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Vancouver. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Saturday, March 24, 2007
The Vancouver Gateway Project
from This Magazine's Blog
I've been spending some time in Seattle lately visiting an ailing grandfather which means I've been stuck, bumper to bumper, on the I-5 for literally hours a day. I'm talking about the commute between my grandfather's house in north Seattle, the hospital and downtown, three places quite close to each other. Just the sheer number of cars that role through Seattle each day, all day, is quite astounding. Rush hour is especially brutal.
The on-ramps have stop lights to space the cars getting on, this can mean waits of up to twenty minutes when busy. Once you're on, it's six/eight/ten lanes of bumper to bumper in both directions. When you finally get off, whether in north Seattle or downtown, you're stuck in even more congestion.
This brings me to the Gateway Project; the BC government's plan to "improve" regional transportation, specifically the plan to twin the PortMann bridge and widen Highway 1 into East Van (aka my back yard). I think it's a horrible idea. Vancouver currently has minor (by North American standards) rush hours, which some think can be solved simply by adding more highway.
It was Jane Jacobs' book Dark Age Ahead that introduced me (I'm young) to the idea of "induced demand" that more freeways mean more cars, hence more congestion especially around major off ramps. My place in East Vancouver already gets plenty of commuter traffic to begin with and would become unbearable.
But don't worry about me, Jacobs' main argument against highways is that urban neighbourhoods, the economic and creative heart of the city, are often destroyed or significantly altered by megaprojects like these. Imagine the harm it could do to the cultural life of Commercial Drive and Strathcona to have thousands more cars per-day inching through the Downtown Eastside. More traffic would then necessitate extending the freeway even further into the city. The last time we allowed something like this to happen, Vancouver's only black neighbourhood was destroyed to create the Georgia Viaduct. I like to think that in this "post car, post racist" age, there are better ways to organize a city.
A vocal movement of people opposed to the project already exists, check out gatewaysucks.org for more info. Similarly, the David Suzuki Foundation's briefing document (highly recommended reading) suggests that highway construction is only a (very) temporary solution to traffic congestion and ends up doing far more harm than good.
The answer to the traffic problem, according to almost everyone who studies the issue, is light rail and more busses. The B-Line experiment--articulated express busses to the university and the airport--has been such an overwhelming success in terms of ridership and affordability, why not replicate it everywhere else?
I've been spending some time in Seattle lately visiting an ailing grandfather which means I've been stuck, bumper to bumper, on the I-5 for literally hours a day. I'm talking about the commute between my grandfather's house in north Seattle, the hospital and downtown, three places quite close to each other. Just the sheer number of cars that role through Seattle each day, all day, is quite astounding. Rush hour is especially brutal.
The on-ramps have stop lights to space the cars getting on, this can mean waits of up to twenty minutes when busy. Once you're on, it's six/eight/ten lanes of bumper to bumper in both directions. When you finally get off, whether in north Seattle or downtown, you're stuck in even more congestion.
This brings me to the Gateway Project; the BC government's plan to "improve" regional transportation, specifically the plan to twin the PortMann bridge and widen Highway 1 into East Van (aka my back yard). I think it's a horrible idea. Vancouver currently has minor (by North American standards) rush hours, which some think can be solved simply by adding more highway.
It was Jane Jacobs' book Dark Age Ahead that introduced me (I'm young) to the idea of "induced demand" that more freeways mean more cars, hence more congestion especially around major off ramps. My place in East Vancouver already gets plenty of commuter traffic to begin with and would become unbearable.
But don't worry about me, Jacobs' main argument against highways is that urban neighbourhoods, the economic and creative heart of the city, are often destroyed or significantly altered by megaprojects like these. Imagine the harm it could do to the cultural life of Commercial Drive and Strathcona to have thousands more cars per-day inching through the Downtown Eastside. More traffic would then necessitate extending the freeway even further into the city. The last time we allowed something like this to happen, Vancouver's only black neighbourhood was destroyed to create the Georgia Viaduct. I like to think that in this "post car, post racist" age, there are better ways to organize a city.
A vocal movement of people opposed to the project already exists, check out gatewaysucks.org for more info. Similarly, the David Suzuki Foundation's briefing document (highly recommended reading) suggests that highway construction is only a (very) temporary solution to traffic congestion and ends up doing far more harm than good.
The answer to the traffic problem, according to almost everyone who studies the issue, is light rail and more busses. The B-Line experiment--articulated express busses to the university and the airport--has been such an overwhelming success in terms of ridership and affordability, why not replicate it everywhere else?
Sunday, March 18, 2007
Monday, December 04, 2006
Photos of People Doing Things
A protestor outside the White House on the international day against torture.
An anti-Zionist Hasidic Jew protesting the Walk With Israel rally in Boston. Note the hundreds of riot police.
Gay Pride, Vancouver
Hare Krishna oxe driver and oxe during the Hare Krishna parade, Vancouver.
The Roma Band, Boston's North End
Torture victims, Washington DC
Dutch Headbangers, Utrecht
Krishna devotees, Vancouver
Thursday, October 12, 2006
SHOUT OUT OUT OUT OUT OUT and other thoughts.
If you can find me in this picture you win a prize.
I got really angry at this concert at the large contingent of fucks who stood in front of the stage and refused to dance to the dance music. I also got really freaked out at the cellphone company who had branded the event as some sort of VIP promotion bullshit. Otherwise, I haven't danced that hard since returning home to Vancouver. Holy Fuck were also especially good, if a bit anticlimactic.
I've been to a few shows recently: The DFA, The Pink Mountaintops, TV on the Radio, I've been playing squash and i've also been working... In fact, I almost threw coffee in David Emerson's face yesterday. I mean, how often do you find yourself standing in front of the most hated man in (BC?) politics with with a full pot of fresh coffee. At the last moment the enslaving logic of Capitalism kicked in and I merely set the pot on his table. Like you'd expect, Emerson has the mannerisms of a mafia boss. He was in a working lunch with a bunch of provincial transportation ministers and obviously loves being the big-man in the room. I hate him: my Conservative member of Parliament.
In other news, has anybody else noticed the startling thematic similarities between Brokeback Mountain and Paradise Now. I'm thinking that would make a good blog post but I'm too numb right now from working overtime to do it.
Also, I bought my ticket for Bonny Prince Billy in November. Sometimes I get scared I might die first and then my life would have been in vain.
Streethawkmagazine.com is something a friend of mine started up. It's pretty much the only site to go to for Indie/decent music news and criticism in Vancouver. Go there.
If you can find me in this picture you win a prize.
I got really angry at this concert at the large contingent of fucks who stood in front of the stage and refused to dance to the dance music. I also got really freaked out at the cellphone company who had branded the event as some sort of VIP promotion bullshit. Otherwise, I haven't danced that hard since returning home to Vancouver. Holy Fuck were also especially good, if a bit anticlimactic.
I've been to a few shows recently: The DFA, The Pink Mountaintops, TV on the Radio, I've been playing squash and i've also been working... In fact, I almost threw coffee in David Emerson's face yesterday. I mean, how often do you find yourself standing in front of the most hated man in (BC?) politics with with a full pot of fresh coffee. At the last moment the enslaving logic of Capitalism kicked in and I merely set the pot on his table. Like you'd expect, Emerson has the mannerisms of a mafia boss. He was in a working lunch with a bunch of provincial transportation ministers and obviously loves being the big-man in the room. I hate him: my Conservative member of Parliament.
In other news, has anybody else noticed the startling thematic similarities between Brokeback Mountain and Paradise Now. I'm thinking that would make a good blog post but I'm too numb right now from working overtime to do it.
Also, I bought my ticket for Bonny Prince Billy in November. Sometimes I get scared I might die first and then my life would have been in vain.
Streethawkmagazine.com is something a friend of mine started up. It's pretty much the only site to go to for Indie/decent music news and criticism in Vancouver. Go there.
Sunday, August 13, 2006
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