Comments on: expectations of disappointment

By: dl

dl — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 03:36:33 +0000

I just drove a car tonight for the first time in 2 1/2 years -from white rock, into vancouver and back. I don’t understand why anyone would want to drive a car – I have a headache from the oncoming traffic lights, my stomach muscles are hurting from tensing up, my neck hurts from the tension, my shoulders are all tense from driving, I want a cigarette really really bad-and i haven’t smoked in about 3 years!- that’s how stressful driving is. I don’t understand wanting to live like that on purpose everyday. The last time I drove was 2 1/2 years ago was to drive a drunk friend home, from crescent beach to white rock and that was just as horrible. When I walk / bike / take the bus, I participate in the the world around me. I meet all sorts of wonderfully amazing people, Why would anyone NOT want to walk down to the beach – these homes we walk pass have the most amazing gardens with the most sensual scents, mesmerizing color displays, and all sorts of birds and butterflies. I can’t even describe the most amazing views of the bay and islands on the walk down the hill- how incredibly breathtaking the sunset is….when you make the time for a meandering stroll to soak every fleeting ray of color…. or you can drive down the hill, be tense, and miss it all.

if poco can use their spirit money to purchase a blow up movie screen, and chilliwack can put their spirit square on city halls front yard, then can the spirit square committee explore the idea of accepting the pearl design, and create parking far away and test run some sort of transportational device along marine drive? those golf carts carriers or rickshaws, or horse and carriage for all I care.
I still choose to walk and be amazed by the world.

By: Matt Todd

Matt Todd — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 00:22:28 +0000

The intention of some councillors seems to be to replace the 32 spaces that will be turned into parkland with 32 parking spaces elsewhere within the vicinity of the pier.

The order of events was this:
1. grant application drafted
2. grant submission approved by council
3. location selected
4. location selection approved by council
5. design developed (still in progress)
6. public open house (tentatively scheduled for April 19)
7. design considered by council (probably in early May)

The grant is a grant, not a loan. It does not need to be repaid.

The concern of some people is that the City will lose revenue when those 32 parking spaces are converted to people space. The assumption within this concern is that people who park in those spaces would refuse to park anywhere else. If that were the case, the City would lose significant revenues. However, cars are like water — they will find the path of least resistance and fill whatever space they can. Just as when those spaces are full currently, those drivers will simply continue driving until they find an empty space. There are very few days when all the spaces are full — it is only at those times that the City would actually be missing out on potential revenues.

There are ideas for making it easier for people to park further away from their destination but not have to walk a long distances, such as the electric shuttle I described in an earlier post.

By: dl

dl — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 23:46:26 +0000

sorry-I’m ignorant on a couple of things, and I’ve tried to keep a little informed on the subject, between classes.

what are the implications of a no net loss, in relation to the financial contribution which the city accepted, based upon acceptance of the pearl design?

if the design is augmented- do the funds also require augmentation in the form of a repayment, how does that work – I’m not familiar with the economics in this senerio.

what was the sequential order of no net parking decision, design acceptance, and fund acceptance

can the same design be used, and something else be used for transportation purposes – or is this explicitly a by the numbers game – 20 parkings spots must be found within “X” proximity.

thankyou for explaining.