C
coalminecanary
Guest
I don't want to turn this into a personal bicker-fest, but your comparing my observation (maniacal drivers) to your stereotyping (welfare cheques, mullets and two-fours) is a bit of a stretch.
You might note that my comments regarding Burlington, namely: "I challenge anyone here to ride a bike or walk on Brant Street near the QEW -- it's a nightmare. Nothing but high speed maniacal Burlington suburbanites, all flying by the nearby car dealerships, strip malls (and the soon-to-be-walmart) in order to get home asap." were not made in order to stereotype the residents of Burlington or make them look bad where your stereotype of Hamiltonians constituted a specific personal attack. My attack was on the road system, while yours was on the residents of the city. Perhaps you take offense to my using the term "maniacal", however most drivers anywhere near the highway are maniacal and then some.
My comments were made based on observations - ones that I myself made over the years as a Burlington resident and more recently as a visitor doing contract work there. My comments are an accurate representation of the state of the road system near the QEW, and they ring true in any suburban "city", including the parts of Northeast Hamilton near the QEW Niagara. (Which is why I'd never suggest putting a MEC on Centennial). Cyclists and pedestrians attempting to travel anywhere near the highway have to jump over curbs, dodge merging vehicles and travel very long distances without passing a single pedestrian-scale building, park or any place of interest. It's simply not pedestrian friendly. Main street in Hamilton may be fast and uncomfortable, and I'd love to see it change back to two way, but at least there are points of interest along the entire stretch other than big boxes and onramps. I'm not at all trying to argue that all of Hamilton is more pedestrian friendly than all of Burlington. But I am saying that a location near the downtown of a city with a real downtown core is much better than one by the highway in a suburban town.
I never argued that a big box style MEC would NOT do well at Brant. I'm sure it will do fine (better than fine, actually). But for a non profit store who touts its greenness every chance it gets, the choice is rather hypocritical (and could come back to bite MEC in the ass when the highway lifestyle becomes too expensive for the average Joe to maintain).
You might note that my comments regarding Burlington, namely: "I challenge anyone here to ride a bike or walk on Brant Street near the QEW -- it's a nightmare. Nothing but high speed maniacal Burlington suburbanites, all flying by the nearby car dealerships, strip malls (and the soon-to-be-walmart) in order to get home asap." were not made in order to stereotype the residents of Burlington or make them look bad where your stereotype of Hamiltonians constituted a specific personal attack. My attack was on the road system, while yours was on the residents of the city. Perhaps you take offense to my using the term "maniacal", however most drivers anywhere near the highway are maniacal and then some.
My comments were made based on observations - ones that I myself made over the years as a Burlington resident and more recently as a visitor doing contract work there. My comments are an accurate representation of the state of the road system near the QEW, and they ring true in any suburban "city", including the parts of Northeast Hamilton near the QEW Niagara. (Which is why I'd never suggest putting a MEC on Centennial). Cyclists and pedestrians attempting to travel anywhere near the highway have to jump over curbs, dodge merging vehicles and travel very long distances without passing a single pedestrian-scale building, park or any place of interest. It's simply not pedestrian friendly. Main street in Hamilton may be fast and uncomfortable, and I'd love to see it change back to two way, but at least there are points of interest along the entire stretch other than big boxes and onramps. I'm not at all trying to argue that all of Hamilton is more pedestrian friendly than all of Burlington. But I am saying that a location near the downtown of a city with a real downtown core is much better than one by the highway in a suburban town.
I never argued that a big box style MEC would NOT do well at Brant. I'm sure it will do fine (better than fine, actually). But for a non profit store who touts its greenness every chance it gets, the choice is rather hypocritical (and could come back to bite MEC in the ass when the highway lifestyle becomes too expensive for the average Joe to maintain).