Council Meeting Last Night
Last night’s council meeting was a marathon session that went past 11pm. Bernadette Mason did an excellent presentation on traffic calming devices that I‘ve been talking about for years. You can see it here. I actually wanted to talk about something else. I attend every Council, Planning Committee and Community Services Committee meeting, provided that I am not traveling. For half of the meetings this year, I actually had to get baby sitters so I could attend. In addition, I sit in the Transit Advisory Committee and Halton’s Inter-Municipal Committee on...
Read MoreSocial Media & Candidates
You may want to read Christina Commisso’s excellent article on candidates using social media to campaign before reading further. Candidates really have a lot more social media presence this time around, but all presence isn’t equal. Simply creating facebook and twitter accounts, and registering a blog isn’t enough. If they are not engaging in a meaningful two-way conversation then they might as well have no presence. Many candidates use social media sites purely for marketing, and not to form connections and start dialogues. Those candidates are not getting...
Read Morecul-de-suck, err, cul-de-sac
Image on the left is from Woodinville, WA. On the right is from Ballard, WA. Both in the Greater Seattle Area. Which one do you think is efficient for people, emergency response vehicles, transit and traffic? In fact, research shows that traffic goes up when there are cul-de-sacs in a community. Also, another research shows that as neighbourhoods become walkable, more people start walking and biking (makes sense). Milton actually discourages cul-de-sac. A resident during door knocking asked why because she liked them. Luckily I found this picture...
Read MoreWhat Scott Blvd should look like
This is Sutton Drive in Burlington. Parking spots are raised, there is a median, bike path is painted and actual driveable area is narrow. Notice how the median has no grass? This is what Scott Blvd should look like. Aesthetics are important, they have a positive impact on your property values. Homes on Scott Blvd would be worth more if it looked like this, not to mention the road would be significantly safer for pedestrians....
Read MoreMore bike lanes could calm traffic, says councillor
I am glad to see that the issue of traffic calming is getting some attention. Unlike some other municipalities, Milton does not have a traffic calming policy. That’s why we end up with expressways like Scott Blvd. The Champion recently covered a story with some quotes from your truly. The piece is here. My quotes are:A similar argument was made to council last month by Zeeshan Hamid, who’s vying to become the local councillor for the new Ward 8 in west Milton, south of Derry Road.[Correction: Ward 8 actually starts at Steeles and ends on Britannia] “In...
Read MoreUrban Village
Urban Village is an anti-sprawl urban planning and design concept. A good urban village is characterized by a strong urban design, a high level of self-containment (people live, work and play in the same area), use of alternate transportation (transit, walking, biking) and a strong community attachment.Though there is no perfect urban village in practice, this blog focuses on initiatives that have successfully taken communities closer to the goal. The purpose is to turn my home – Milton, Ontario – into an enviable Urban Village. Suburbia-driven sprawl is not sustainable. Post...
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