Go Green Not Blue
With all of this hooplah over the Blue Bridge at the foot of Johnson Street, I have to ask why? As in "Why are we not decommissioning the Johnson St. Bridge?"
For a long time, Greater Victoria has been on a vendetta against the car. Esquimalt Road lost lanes. Bay Street lost lanes. UVic has been slowly turning parking lots into buildings. Our city needs to go Green and get rid of the Blue Bridge.
The Johnson Street Bridge facilitates a tremendous amount of automobile use. Repairing it will cost a lot of money. Replacing it will use up a huge amount of steel, concrete and it amounts to massive exercise in carbon escape.
The City of Victoria turned from its pattern of maintenance expenditures in 2007 to spend just a fraction on the bridge as it aged. The City has the right idea: let it rot. Make a reasoned guess as to the remainder of its lifespan. Then start doling money on the bridge that is key for infrastructure and transport: the Bay St. Bridge.
If you think the idea of decommissioning a bridge in Victoria is unheard of, think again. The original Point Ellis Bridge ran into what later became the BC Hydro yard. And, the bridge that abbreviated the trip from downtown to James Bay was replaced by infill-- so much infill that they were able to seat the Empress into what used to be James Bay-- an actual bay.
How can a left of center City Council-- one that has the spokesman for local cycling on council-- how can they not be in favour of continuing their trend of abolishing roads; and making cars as popular the KKK? You would think they would leap at the chance to both save the taxpayers money and promote an alternative to building more roadways.
To Dean Fortin who wants to get us into millions in debt and to Ross Crockford who wants to make sure we keep an artifact of iron in place, I say: Go Green Not Blue.
For a long time, Greater Victoria has been on a vendetta against the car. Esquimalt Road lost lanes. Bay Street lost lanes. UVic has been slowly turning parking lots into buildings. Our city needs to go Green and get rid of the Blue Bridge.
The Johnson Street Bridge facilitates a tremendous amount of automobile use. Repairing it will cost a lot of money. Replacing it will use up a huge amount of steel, concrete and it amounts to massive exercise in carbon escape.
The City of Victoria turned from its pattern of maintenance expenditures in 2007 to spend just a fraction on the bridge as it aged. The City has the right idea: let it rot. Make a reasoned guess as to the remainder of its lifespan. Then start doling money on the bridge that is key for infrastructure and transport: the Bay St. Bridge.
If you think the idea of decommissioning a bridge in Victoria is unheard of, think again. The original Point Ellis Bridge ran into what later became the BC Hydro yard. And, the bridge that abbreviated the trip from downtown to James Bay was replaced by infill-- so much infill that they were able to seat the Empress into what used to be James Bay-- an actual bay.
How can a left of center City Council-- one that has the spokesman for local cycling on council-- how can they not be in favour of continuing their trend of abolishing roads; and making cars as popular the KKK? You would think they would leap at the chance to both save the taxpayers money and promote an alternative to building more roadways.
To Dean Fortin who wants to get us into millions in debt and to Ross Crockford who wants to make sure we keep an artifact of iron in place, I say: Go Green Not Blue.
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