sust-mar: responses from HRM Councillors on transportation

Date: Tue, 20 Feb 2001 07:02:39 -0400 (AST)
From: Paul A Falvo <pfalvo@chebucto.ns.ca>
To: Sustainable Maritimes <sust-mar@chebucto.ns.ca>
Precedence: bulk
Return-Path: <sust-mar-mml-owner@chebucto.ns.ca>

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It's probably better to be proactive than reactive. Nevertheless, after
HRM Council approved recently spending $10,000,000 of our money on 
a parking garage for downtown, I emailed HRM Councillors to expres my
disapointment. Three Councillors replied.

In this sust-mar compilation:

1 - email from Marvin Silver to sust-mar on the same issue
2 - reply to me from Councillor Claude Isaacs
3 - reply to me from Councillor Ron Cooper
4 - reply to me from Councillor Bob Harvey
5 - my original email to HRM Councillors

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Date:	Thu, 8 Feb 2001 10:21:39 -0400 (AST)
From:	Marvin Silver <silverm@is.dal.ca>
Subject: Re: QEH to become parkade?

To All:

I am appalled at some of the goings on at HRM council:

We should be putting our efforts into improving PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION, not
into building parking garages, either downtown or close to downtown.
Parking lots should be located beyond Sackville, beyond Spryfield, beyond
or at Eastern Passage, Bayers Lake, etc, with good, sufficient, rapid,
comfortable convenient and CHEAP (or even FREE) public transportation
(bus, rail or ferry) taking people downtown.  Each bus that is filled gets
up to 50 cars off the road, saves wear and tear on the roadways,decreases 
air polution and avoids the need for expensive and disruptive arterial
infrastructure upgrading.

Marvin Silver
Bedford 

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Date: Fri, 19 Jan 2001 10:51:37 -0400
From: Claude Isaacs <isaacsc@region.halifax.ns.ca>
Subject: Re: transportation

 I am not sure that the HRM is going to spend the money or if they are
hoping to get some kind of private investment for it, but your point is a
good one. However you must know that it is usually the tough decisions
that come before council - like that o f balancing public transit and the
discouragement of vehicles in the core area with a perceived need for off
street parking in the downtown area which the business community wants.

   You are probably aware of studies carried out by city of halifax staff
years ago indicating a surplus of off street parking in the CBD. Some of
that off street parking has disappeared but some has been replaced as
well. It would be interesting to see a n updated study. My own feeling is
that people in general don't like parking garages and if there is an
alternative they will take it, and going into a garage is a last resort. 

  I was in Regina 2 years ago and much of the old downtown area near the
casino has been reused for off street parking garages, which were
virtually empty when I was there. Someone there had made a costly mistake
in estimating the need for long term off s treet parking, most days they
didn't even have someone in the booth to take your money. We have to
balance the need for parking with the necessity for public transit. It
involves a big change in the way most of us think about public transit
versus private car, but I think its going to happen. 

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Date: Sun, 21 Jan 2001 23:55:47 -0400
From: Ron Cooper <cooperr@region.halifax.ns.ca>
Subject: Re: transportation

Hello Paul.

Thank you for your correspondence concerning the parking garage and more
importantly the need for a viable transportation system. 

The garage will only replace the Tex Park and compensate for loss of
spaces caused by development. The key is increased residential downtown
which is beginning to happen. However the concept backed by some staff and
many councillors is that the downtown a rea is the economic generator and
the municipality should be pushing for more of the same. 

The lack of a transportation plan is one of the most pressing problems as
far as I am concerned. Spending more money on the same access routes is
not the solution. The object should be to avoid increased vehicle counts
coming into the peninsula. 

Planning needs to be done.

Ron Cooper

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Date: Fri, 19 Jan 2001 16:59:53 -0400
From: Bob Harvey <harveyb@region.halifax.ns.ca>
Subject: Re: transportation

This facility will not really increase the number of parking spaces
downtown, but, rather will replace spaces lost by development such as
Bishop's Landing etc. and the end of Texpark will come in a couple of
years.  This is one aspect only of a transporta tion plan to move people
in and out of the downtown core.  Supporting other modes of moving people
is also part of the plan. 

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>>> Paul A Falvo <pfalvo@chebucto.ns.ca> 01/19/01 06:40am >>>

Dear Mayor Kelly, and Councillors:

I know there are two sides to every story. Accordingly, I'm writing to ask
you why council is spending $10,000,000 on a new parking garage. Reports
show that many parking spots downtown are unused.

Sounds to me like this money would have been better spent on
transportation for people, eg injected into Metro Transit, or on commuter
rail ... or bicycle paths.

Subsidizing private motor vehicles seems like a step in the wrong
direction.

I look forward to hearing from you.
~Paul Falvo

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The preceding message was posted on the Sustainable Maritimes
mailing list (sust-mar).  http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/lists/sust-mar
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