Bicycle racks coming to a bus near you

The Mayor wants to see bike racks on St Catharines buses. Now that the new models are out and the whole rack-bus combination will fit in the city’s bus wash (yes, that is what was holding it back), we could actually be seeing these quite soon.

Even as a sometimes-bicycler and an obligate transit rider, bicycling to the bus stop and taking my bike with me seems like an awfully cumbersome way to get around. Granted, it is better than locking up my bicycle at the bus stop, but the size of St Catharines and the nature of the bus network means it would probably be easier to either just walk to the bus or bike all the way to my destination.

But why worry about practicality? I’m still cool with bike racks on buses. Innovative-yet-slightly-cumbersome works for the iPhone, and the kind of people who use iPhones are the kind of people St Catharines needs to attract.

Plus, the last time St Catharines was in the news, it was declared Canada’s Fattest City, so every little bit of good PR and exercise helps.

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Can I also say, for a city in our sorry state, we have some excellent people at City Hall. For one thing, the fact that the mayor gets away with stuff like this without the suburbs calling for his head either means he is some kind of magician or the people of North St Catharines are less Stepfordish than I thought.

And here’s a kicker of a quote from the bike rack article (emphasis mine):

City staff have said all street parking will be banned where there are bike lanes.

A survey of residents in the affected areas showed some want street parking for visitors and holiday gatherings, and Dodge said some of them want a chance to tell council about their concerns.

Jacobson’s report says he understands the residents’ concerns about parking, but streets are for moving people, not for storing cars, and homeowners shouldn’t expect parking to be a right.

(photo credit)

A bit of elitism I can get behind

Nickleback released a new single today with which we will all be bludgeoned into a tasteless coma by November 18, when their new album goes on sale. Summary of the single: Strippers are awesome!

The National Post’s Ampersand blog is not impressed. And rightly:

Now, we are aware that there is nothing original about trashing Nickelback, but the awfulness of Something In Your Mouth demands fresh damnation. The band’s ode to a stripper boasts lyrics that seem destined — if not designed — to become the unofficial anthem of dudes who follow creeds like “bros before hos” and, well, like Nickelback.

Go download the single (don’t pay for it!), burn it on a CD, and put the CD in your microwave. Bake for 30 seconds or until toasty.

The slow rot of Facebook

I miss the good old days.

There was a time, young children, when you needed an institutional e-mail address to open a Facebook account. It was Myspace 2.0; Myspace without the paedophiles and annoying profile music. It was a time when only your real friends were your Facebook friends. A brave new world of clean white profile pages and simple functionality. It was our social networking Google.

Now our beloved, metaphorical Google has degenerated into a bloated Yahoo portal. This is not just because of the latest, much-maligned changes to Facebook (but they don’t help). Its decline is partly due to its age; certainly, our “friend” lists have been diluted with no-longer friends, acquaintances and relatives. The casual interactions between friends, the same on the internet as in real life, have given way to micro-managed affectations of coolness and guarded conversations wary of strangers looking over electronic shoulders.

I don’t blame the people behind Facebook for making a buck (or a billion) off the site. That’s their perogative. I still use Facebook anyway, but mostly because everyone else does too. It’s becoming a necessity, like an e-mail address. If you don’t have Facebook, what are you, Amish?

It sucks though.

(photo credit)

“Orthodox Jews dig Palin wigs”

The oddest thing you’ll read today.

Let’s talk about Niagara

There are two rules in blogging:

1. Whatever you have to say will be old news in an hour.
2. Don’t blog about blogging. It’s boring.

I have now broken both rules.

Basically, I was working on this great post about the future of Niagara Region when Niagara 2031: A Strategy for a Healthy, Sustainable Future was released. It would be silly to finish that post now without addressing Niagara 2031, but I hate to see that work disappear entirely into the ether. Rather than reworking the whole thing so that it is relevant, I’m just going to dump a section at the end of this post.

Instead of trying to get as much money out of other governments as possible, the Region should be pushing for a certain structural change in the way we do business:

North American Integration

And I mean this in the least conspiratorial way possible. I have some reservations about further integration with the US, especially regarding guns and culture, but a more porous border is a no-brainer for Niagara. There are over 1 million people just across the Niagara River, but Buffalo is, I think, an under-appreciated asset in Niagara.  Even from St Catharines, Buffalo is half as far away as Toronto. Granted, Buffalo isn’t the most glamourous city this side of Albany, but a million people are a million people.

This is mostly the domain of the federal government. First, the passport mess needs to be cleaned up. Hopefully the next US government will be more open to true free trade across our borders. People need to cross borders just as much as car parts. Second, have you heard much about the new international bridge at Fort Erie lately? Me neither. If this plan has stalled, let’s get moving on it. As for the municipalities, I wonder if some regularly scheduled joint meeting between municipal politicians on both sides of the river would be helpful. It could help us present a coherent message to our governments, and you should never underestimate the power of social bonds between powerful people.

Ontario takes out a second mortgage

I feel obligated to note the return of deficit spending to Ontario. About $500 million dollars separates us from a balanced budget.

It’s disappointing, sure, but not exactly shocking. And certainly better than cutting a half billion dollars of spending. There have been some token cuts – mostly delays to new spending.

Good times will return in a few years. Manufacturing will still be hurting, but the GTA is well-positioned for when the financial crisis passes (did you see that Toronto is the world’s tenth city?). We can pay off the debt later.

Remember: a balanced budget is a means, not an end. We balance the budget when we can because it means we’ll be able to spend less on interest in the future and put that money towards things that make our lives better.

(photo credit)

Trains on the brain

The Globe and Mail is talking about trains.

Sarkozy is talking about them.

Even George Bush has signed off on $2.5 billion for Amtrak.

I’m just sayin’ is all.

(photo credit)

Called it

You heard it here first. Three days ago. Sort of.

Kady O’Malley at Dion’s press conference earlier this afternoon:

2:09:09 PM
Dion starts out by reflecting on what brought him into public life in the first place before dropping the first bombshell: He plans to resign as leader, but he’s not stepping down in the interim – for transition purposes, and to “prepare the party” for the coming leadership convention.
“I will stay as leader until a new leader is chosen,” he repeats, in English. Sorry, John, sorry Ralph – looks like he’s sticking around for the next few months.

(emphasis mine; photo credit)

Celebrity Endorsement!

I think Tom Clancy goes in the McCain column. Or possibly some third party based in the remote hills of Idaho.

Sounding particularly crazy with Blake Hounshell:

Obama gave a good speech last night. There’s no way I’m going to vote for him. But he gave a good speech. How’s he going to eliminate our dependence on foreign oil in 10 years? You don’t vote for his skin; you vote for his brain. He gives a great speech, I’ll grant him that. But what will he risk his life over? What will he kill over? He’s a lawyer; all lawyers do is cut deals.

Indeed, Obama, what will you kill over? The nation demands an answer.

(photo credit)

Local lols

I had a good laugh catching up with Doug Herod’s columns in the Standard.

Here is some local geekery (and I say that with all the respect in the world) that will only amuse people who have been paying attention. First, following the mayor’s $1000 bet that GO buses are on their way:

The bet: Where will the new hospital eventually go, west St. Catharines or at Highway 406 and Regional Road 20 in Thorold?

The stakes: The winner gets to annex the loser.

(For the record, I agree that GO buses are overrated. They are mostly just a means to an end – GO trains. There’s a respectability to trains you can’t get from wheels on a highway.)

Next, on the subject of NRP officers riding horses downtown:

Lewis said if the horses poop on the street, the police will leave it to Mother Nature to clean it up.

Inquiring minds now want to know: Does the city’s nuisance bylaw apply to horses?

Or is it a case where Johnny the Brock student gets hit with a $300 fine for defecating on King Street while five metres up the road Mr. Ed gets off scot-free?