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RULES No personal insults. No swearing.
Cyclists accuse Toronto mayor Ford of 'war on bikes'
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-17914504
(You may have already heard about this guy: http://www.thestar.com/opinion/commentary/2013/05/22/toronto_mayor_rob_ford_has_ruined_the_citys_reputation_for_good_mallick.html http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2013/05/21/rob_ford_crack_scandal_mayor_speaks_to_casinos_but_not_drug_video_allegations.html etc ad nauseum)
Mayor Ford is a blight on the beautiful city of Toronto. I've played ice hockey there and been back a couple of times since, all before Ford raised his ugly head.
Whilst I never cycled in Toronto I did join those who safely roller-bladed the city streets. The only hazard there (appropriately enough considering Edinburgh these days) was the tram tracks, although they were much better than here. Cars gave you plenty room and the only time I ever heard a car horn in all my time in the city was when one driver pulled out in front of another. The offending driver immediately waved an apology and that was the end of it.
I don't know if there's been some sort of sea change in southern Ontario but perhaps Ford was voted in for other reasons and is now using his hatred to spread it to motorists, because I don't think you'd have found it so easy to get anti-motorist comments from Torontonians in the past.
The old friendly dig at US Americans does ring true - "What's the difference between Americans and Canadians? People like Canadians!" So, for this conflict to have arisen there must have been some sort of underground plotting of the sort Christopher Nolan could make a movie trilogy about.
I hope he is ousted before he ruins one of my very favourite cities.
Oh how I'd love this to help aid his downfall from power: Toronto Mayor Rob Ford: Crack cocaine video 'does not exist'
It would certainly explain his outbursts against cyclists! He's a horrible blob of a man and the sooner he is replaced by someone sensible, the better.
In some of the comments in Sallys' Guardian Bike Blog, there are comments that Toronto has segregated cycling infrastructure that is not used.. Anybody know if this is true? If it is, what are the reasons? Winter climate? Winter maintenance? Bad route connections? Car culture? Something else?
Toronto is my least favourite city. I have never cycled there. sorry!
I believe Montreal is better -
Montreal had Bicycle Bob Silverman and Claire Morissette, who were creative genii behind le Monde a Bicyclette who ran a superb campaign to gain cycle access for crossings of the St Lawrence River (Icarus, bucket chain, rabbits digging, Moses parting the waters etc), very much the creative and Gallic orientation.
Toronto's most expensive properties are on Toronto Island, served largely by foot/cycle ferries from the downtown waterfront. Streets are barely 10 feet wide and transport is almost exclusively on foot and by bike. Back 20 years and Dan Egan and Barbara Wentworth were the city side of the cycling committee with Sue Zielinski and guys from Cinecycle (a combined bike workshop and cinema) gave the vox pop input.
Both in their way lovely places, and the news of Mayor Ford is such a disappointment.
@ SRD
I'm amazed anyone could say Toronto is their least favourite city :-o
I suppose it depends on your criteria but I can't think of any city I've enjoyed being in more than Toronto, though some have been equally enjoyable in different ways, such as Cannes and Monaco. None of those are based on cycling though.
Sorry Focus. Not a big fan of southern Ontario in general, or big cities. Haven't spent any real time in TO after my early 20s, but nothing before that enamored me. Although I have vivid recollections of my first lemon gelatto and osso bucco aged 10.
I know very little about this, and nothing of the source, but an interesting read: http://m.thetyee.ca/Opinion/2013/05/23/Rob-Ford-Meltdown/
Basically a critique of the effect of Toronto's amalgamation with neighbouring areas, with a strong mention of public transport policy.
Which reminds me -
"
Police chief in council merger call
"
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-22622306
Some things were better in Lothian Region days.
Don't know if things would improve with a return to that sort of two tier system or whether Edinburgh should be responsible for a bigger 'city region'.
Lothians plus south Fife - that would be interesting...
mmm....I'm not immediately keen on the idea (like most people I suspect), but it did occur to me that this might have interesting implications for relations between scottish govt and local authorities - eg transport spend. I can certainly think of some dynamics where fewer but larger units might work better in terms of pushing an active travel agenda.
@ SRD
No need to apologise. If we all liked the same place the world would probably collapse from the weight of us all standing in the same spot! ;-)
I understand not liking big cities as a rule myself but Toronto (and I'm talking Downtown and only as far north as Bloor) is what I call the largest village in the world - it just has that sort of atmosphere and community feel to me. London, Ontario on the other hand is just an ugly mess of a place and I'm glad I was only playing ice hockey there.
Glad we can at least agree on London, Ont. then!
(tried to find classic Wayne and Shuster Toronto sketch "In search of the river Don" on Youtube, but it doesn't seem to be there. YOu'll have to settle for this instead:
Found it! "being british we were prepared"
With a cameo appearance by one of our own :) and a bicycle
(changed link to a longer/better excerpt with intro)
Focus - here's one for you http://news.nationalpost.com/2013/05/27/two-charity-ride-bikers-seriously-injured-in-freak-crash-with-canoe-in-ontario/
A "freak crash" with a canoe ???!!!!
It sounds more like a negligent driver who didn't tie his load down properly.
@Focus - some considerable time later your wish may come true:
It's all very Lance Armstrong, isn't it? Denial until it's impossible to deny any longer! This slug looks to continue sliming his way along, hoping to prove invincible. My hope is someone more forward-thinking and sensible ousts him pronto!
"Toronto Mayor Rob Ford in video murder rant
Embattled Toronto Mayor Rob Ford has apologised for a video of him making threats to commit "first-degree murder" against an unknown person.
The leader of Canada's biggest city told reporters he had been "extremely inebriated" in the clip, which shows him apparently blowing off steam.
..."
There are no doubt many drunk politicians and public servants around the world (we in the UK have had our share), but most at least do it in the privacy of their own homes I would expect. This guy is a raving loonie* and should be allowed to have no influence over the public whatsoever.
* Cultural play on words intended ;-)
Now he is making sexual remarks to reporters and admitting to drink driving.
The guy is a raving idiot and frankly needs booting out of his position. Sadly not as straightforward a task as it needs to be.
Just when you think it can't get any more astonishing, something even more amazing comes out :-)
If it was a sitcom, people would complain that it was unrealistic!
Oddly, I know a couple of people who live in Toronto and they're firmly behind him "he's a guy's guy", said one!
It's astonishing isn't it? I think they probably need to look into changing their constitution so that if anelected official turns out to be a raving loony then they can be got rid of.
This is good on why he's popular.
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/michael-bolen/rob-ford-suburbs-ugly-truth-canada_b_4222161.html
I think it was R4 PM yesterday interviewing a barber with similar take.
I'm confused as to why he isn't in jail after admitting to all those crimes.
Apparently the council have stepped in and voted (39 to 3*) to strip him of some powers.
They reckon that few people are prepared to defend him now.
*Mr Ford's brother is also in the council. I wonder who the third person was?
"*Mr Ford's brother is also in the council. I wonder who the third person was? "
His ego?
News flash - just heard ford 's out. Bad news us that his replacements a climate change denier...
Hmmm bbc still just saying 'limited powers'. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-24990650
Toronto Sun - Call snap election to deal with Rob Ford fiasco
Mayor Rob Ford parks illegally
"Controversy just seems to follow Mayor Rob Ford.
Ford was lambasted Sunday after a picture of him parked illegally made the rounds online.
Ford’s driver had parked the mayor’s black Cadillac Escalade SUV on Ontario St. in a no-parking zone across from the front door to the Sun News Network TV studio.
...
Ford was not ticketed for parking in the zone where the vehicle sat for nearly three hours."
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