The parking problem
Jason Kottke writing at Kottke.org
Parking is expensive to create — up to $140,000 per space in an underground garage — but is low-cost or even free to use, which results in strange economic situations and irrational human behavior.
The article Kottke links to is very interesting, although long winded.
The books I read in 2011
I read Neven Mrgan’s post of the same title and got to thinking about what books I’ve read in the past twelve months. I don’t consider myself an avid reader. I very much enjoy reading novels, the problem is the majority of what I read is short form non-fiction. My patience for reading longer form literature, especially fiction, is limited. I’m constantly promising myself I’ll read more, but am perpetually disappointed by the quantity of books I read.
I didn’t have the forethought to keep an ongoing list of what I’ve read, so I had to try to remember. So here it is, the list of books I read in the most accurate chronological order my mind could piece together.
I’m actually surprised by how many books I read, especially considering the George R. R. Martin books range from 704 pages to 1040 pages long. I’m also surprised that I thoroughly enjoyed all the books on the list. That might be skewed by my tendency to stop reading books I don’t fall in love with within the first hundred pages.
Gas tax rumblings
One Man Committee
It takes little political courage for a suburban councillor to pitch a transit fare hike. What would take guts and show real leadership is the introduction of a municipal fuel tax as there is in Vancouver
A modern sustainably minded city should want to encourage the use of public transit. Charging transit users more to ride certainly won’t help. Taxing motorists to fund public transit projects just makes sense.
Mikael-Colville Andersen: Why we shouldn’t wear bike helmets
Much to the chagrin of my friends and family I rarely wear a helmet when I cycle. I’ve been in a couple of bike accidents in my life, but still do not believe helmets to be as necessary as some people insist.
One time when I was 18 I flipped over the handlebars of my (admittedly shitty) BMX and did a face plant in to the gravel road. I lost two teeth, bit a hole in my tongue, and severely cut my face. The doctor who stitched up my face insisted I should have been wearing a helmet, although admitted that it wouldn’t have protected from the injuries I sustained.
If anything knee, elbow and wrist guards would be more effective safety equipment for cycling, although they’d be a tough sell. I’m not going to go as far as saying that you shouldn’t wear a helmet, but I certainly won’t chastise you for not wearing one.
Rapid transit to ‘nowhere’
Leif Larsen writing at The Manitoban:
What’s holding us back is our city’s ingrained attitude toward the automobile and our refusal to invest real dollars and political capital in an effective rapid transit system.
Rethinking Osborne Village
One Man Committee
It’s time to require developers to go beyond the one-storey stucco box that has become common in the Osborne Village area (think of the TD Bank strip mall, Snap Fitness and Shoppers Drug Mart itself) and require new or expanded buildings to suit the urban character of the area, mainly by building up.
There has been much debate about the Shoppers expansion. I’ve mentioned in previous posts that I lived in the Village and frequented Movie Village. I’ll be sad to see it go, and although I was never a customer of Vi-Ann, I’ll be sad to see its façade disappear. However as Walter points out in his most recent article, maybe it’s time to rethink the neighbourhood’s design. New developments should be required to consider density and mixed use.
