Councillor Adrian HeapsWhile a somewhat bitter pill to swallow after the recent esophagus-clenching budget crisis at City Hall, the repeated assurances of Councillor Adrian Heaps, in his inaugural meeting as Chair of the Cycling Advisory Committee, seemed enough to relax the throats of most committee members, as they voted 5-3 to defer their next meeting until after the fast-approaching 2008 budgetary decisions. Well, have faith we must. A fairly major investment of faith, given that Heaps had not addressed the cycling community since proclaiming “Bike Week” to a distant queue of pancake-ready commuters in Nathan Phillip’s Square last Spring.
Meeting Councillor Heaps, sensing his fortitude and hearing about what he’s been up to for all of these months actually took me a bit by surprise. While the uber-confident proclamations of his role (and influence) on the Budget Committee made me kind of nervous, I must admit the guy seems to have his shit together. One can only hope that with Mihevc, Perks and Rae also sitting in, that the budgetary ball finally seems to be in our court (or the budgetary cargo-bike in our bike lane, if you will). I can almost smell the smog lifting from City Hall and the sweet wafts of change filtering through!
A man of efficiencies and results, Heaps has been plugging away, behind the scenes with City Staff, to explore opportunities to delineate and possibly circumvent some of the double-sided, super-sticky red tape currently involved in bike lane implementation. By following the Bike Plan and working, with as little deliberation as possible, on a ward by ward basis, we could see upwards of 100kms of Bike Lane installed next year!!! So, while he may be scoring low as a Toronto Cycling Community Scenester, it seems that Councillor Heaps may actually be on his way to scoring high as a Toronto Cycling Community Leader; something we’ve desperately needed at City Hall for quite some time.
Monday’s TCAC meeting was housekeeping at best; updates from Staff, terms of reference going forward, etc. Keep the faith and in December (post budget) we’ll start talking cycling infrastructure. Committee members have been asked to contribute to a “shopping list” of projects that will then be prioritized for implementation.
Please contribute to the "shopping list" discussion forum topic if you have any specific ideas or priorities to be considered.
Comments
Svend (not verified)
New committee
Wed, 10/17/2007 - 17:10Perhaps "housekeeping" describes the meeting well, but in a positive way. It's the initial step for a new committee and it's important to be prepared for the battle.
You think Kyle Rae will be onside? His concerns on Bloor St. don't seem to have cyclists' needs in mind at all.
Darren_S
Other issues.
Thu, 10/18/2007 - 08:12Maybe that defered meeting could have been used to address other cycling issues not related to the budget. I am sure there are people with questions/concerns (bollards on the MGT is one example). It has been a while since cyclists have had a chance to do so. Or maybe Heaps' goal is to run the TCAC based on biased concerns that staff bring it.
Svend (not verified)
Don't we already have our shopping list?
Thu, 10/18/2007 - 22:01Don't we already have our shopping list?
I like the new streamlined committee, it will make decisions quicker. The public has had plentty of input into what the problems are, the cycling consultation session at St. Lawrence Hall in July got many viewpoints tabled.
The dotmocracy idea got these views organized and prioritized, now the committee can go forward with a focus on what is most urgent to the cycling public.
Darren_S
Accountability
Fri, 10/19/2007 - 08:14Svend, I hope you tongue was firmly planted in cheek with that Bushism.
A streamlined appraoch at committee, which I agree with you is good, does not in itself make good for cycling. For years a bike lane on Bloor Danforth was ignored because staff thought it would never be politically acceptable regardless of the input they had from cyclists.
The public should have the access to keep government accountable. As it stands and hopefully soon to be corrected, it is easier to make a presentation to City council than it is to the TCAC... the very people that are supposed to rep.
Did you read the Dotmocracy report? http://www.torontocranks.com/?p=189
Svend (not verified)
Bloor Danforth is on the shopping list
Fri, 10/19/2007 - 11:25I don't understand the Bushism comment.
I read in the report handed out at the Oct 15th meeting the list of priorities determined by dotmocracy. Bloor Danforth is listed among recommendation #1, "Implement a Bike Network" with the highest number of points. You're right, it was earlier ignored.
The public came up with this shopping list and prioritized it, more suggestions are always welcome but they might take away from the committee's focus.
Darren_S
Read the Summary
Fri, 10/19/2007 - 22:29Svend exactly what did you read into the Dotmocracy exercise. Where is Bloor Danforth listed as a 'recommendation', mine reads "New Idea 1: Bike Lane on Bloor", that is a long way from recommendation and even further from an implementation. It is also not a new idea, it has been suggested for years.
Even with the recommendations the City nor TCAC is obliged to recognize them or implement them, we have through similar exercises before with nothing happening.
Why was the Dotmocracy process not repeated in the farther reaches of this City? Maybe if it was more convenient for people who live outside of the downtown core to participate there may have been different concerns put forward. As you must remember from the Oct 15th meeting a majority of cyclists cite distance as the biggest obstacle to cycling... so why not recognize that when you are putting these events on?
This is what you are willing to blindly accept without any oversight from the people it affects the most?