Rob Ford - Why the Supervillian?

[Parkdalian]

Last night at the Pug Awards, Rob Ford basically implied that planning was worthless. I'm not sure how anyone who cares about urban planning can vote for someone clearly so petty, negative and narrow-minded. Mammoliti is a grand visionary compared to him.

If you are right wing and want to vote for a fiscal conservative, at least vote for Rossi. He was one of the few who advocated for sensible policies, such as a Planning Commissioner.

 

[nfitz]

Ugh, I give up, these arguments are circular and are going nowhere. You lefties are incorrigible. Two-thirds of TTC's bus and streetcar routes are running 4 trips per hour after 10 PM carrying more like 5-10 people at the most.

When I board a streetcar downtown at 11 pm, there is usually more than 5-10 people. Let's leave the streetcars out of this.

2/3 of the buses are running 4 trips per hour after 10 pm? That's a 15-minute frequency or better. I'm calling bullshit on this one.

Let's just start going through them alphabetically

Airport Rocket - 192 - every 9 minutes, but drops to every 20 minutes after midnight
Allness - 117 - no service after 7 pm
Arrow - 99 - once every 20 minutes
Avenue Road - 5 - once every 30 minutes
Avenue Road N - 61 - once every 30 minutes
Bathurst - 7 - once every 6 minutes
Bathurst N - 160 - no service after 10 pm
Bay - 6 - once every 17 minutes, but drops to once every 24 minutes at about 10:30 pm
Bayview - 11 - once every 15 minutes
Bellamy - 9 - once every 30 minutes
Birchmount - 17 - once every 22 minutes
Bloor West - 49 - once every 30 minutes
Brimely - 21 - once every 30 minutes
Broadview - 8 - once every 30 minutes
Burnhamthore - 50 - once every 30 minutes

So of the first 15, there are only 3 routes that have 15 minutes or better service. I'm familiar with 2 of them (Bathurst and Airport Rocket), and they seem well used.

We could keep going Calvington, Christie, and Cliffside are next ... it doesn't get better.

You statement that 2/3 of of the surface routes have 4 buses per hour after 10 pm is ignorant and absurd.

Why do you make such obviously false statements? Why when you get challenged about your mistruths, do you resort to saying that we are using circular agrument, and are a buch of lefties. Is the collary that righties are simply liars?

Why do you claim to be pro-transit, but resort to such NIMBYism?

 

[Peepers]

There is gonna be something about this on CFTO news at 6. It seems they are making this the lead story. What a waste of time. I think everyone will come out looking bad, after all is said and done.

I watched the CFTO report and as with all the other main stream media they made no mention of the bombshell allegation on the tape that the last time Henderson bought "drugs on the street was 2001 with George Smitherman"

http://www.xtra.ca/public/National/Listen_to_the_Rob_Ford_tape_recording-8815.aspx

I suppose on one hand the conservative leaning media like CTV don't want this allegation to come out because it will make it look like the tape was a set up by Ford himself, better for them to spin the story that Ford was the "victim of a set up"

On the other hand the liberal media like the Star are not disclosing this allegation because if proved true it means that their hand-picked candidate was involved with drugs after he was elected MP when he was supposedly clean.

 

[Fresh Start]

Why do you make such obviously false statements? Why when you get challenged about your mistruths, do you resort to saying that we are using circular agrument, and are a buch of lefties. Is the collary that righties are simply liars?

Why do you claim to be pro-transit, but resort to such NIMBYism?

Okay, fine. You're right. Let me have it, I deserve your derision. I'm a hothead who posts things without factchecking before I hit submit; and thinks I know better than most how to efficently run a City like Toronto who identifies with the sole mayoral contender who sounds similar. I apologize to everyone for wasting your time in trying to show me the error of my ways.

I won't apologize however for throwing out there the suggestion to merge routes. Routes 5 and 61 you cited there, for instance, could simply do one continuous run from the downtown to Armour Heights, and save on the number of bus drivers and timely detour to Eglinton Stn.

 

[adma]

Last night at the Pug Awards, Rob Ford basically implied that planning was worthless. I'm not sure how anyone who cares about urban planning can vote for someone clearly so petty, negative and narrow-minded. Mammoliti is a grand visionary compared to him.

And the funny thing is: of all today's fresh Ford talking points, that's the one that's been most "buried under" in this thread--even though it's perhaps most particular of all to certain UT concerns.

And Fresh Start, in particular, hasn't addressed it--maybe because it's beyond his philistine purview...

 

[nfitz]

I won't apologize however for throwing out there the suggestion to merge routes. Routes 5 and 61 you cited there, for instance, could simply do one continuous run from the downtown to Armour Heights, and save on the number of bus drivers and timely detour to Eglinton Stn.

There's no end of route improvements that can be made! I'd suggest you attend the next service improvements meeting and make your suggestion. Personally, I tend to contact my councillor - I've found that very effective when there's been a service issue; though I do tend to be discussing service issues in my own ward! Who is your councillor?

 

[gei]

From the Star:

Hume: Candidates debate design, and it isn’t pretty

It was almost enough to make you feel sorry for mayoral hopeful Rob Ford — and no one was even asking for drugs: The occasion was yet another candidates’ meeting, but this one was at the Art Gallery of Ontario and the subject was architecture and urban planning.

Needless to say, the poor man was seriously out of his depth. So was George Mammoliti for that matter, but at least he had something to say about the issues, even if it was ridiculous.

The others — George Smitherman, Sarah Thomson, Joe Pantalone and Rocco Rossi — all presented passable arguments Wednesday, though some were better informed than others. Rossi showed he had done his homework when he mentioned New York planning maven Amanda Burden, who gave a talk here several months ago.

Smitherman also demonstrated he has been paying attention in mentioning the need to stop the proposed sport facility the city wants to put in the Lower Don Lands, contrary to years of planning.

Pantalone defended the city’s record, pointing out that the planning process may be long and lugubrious, but that “100 cranes” are hard at work “churning out” new buildings in Toronto.

Thomson made it clear she really, really, wanted Toronto to be more beautiful. She thought that might be accomplished by introducing more ethnic architecture to the city, though she didn’t explain what exactly that would mean.

Mammoliti suggested getting rid of all city planners and lawyers, and letting the private sector fill the gap. No surprise, the second part — about lawyers — drew a stronger response than the first.

But as for sad-sack Ford, the evening was a disaster, a display of ignorance so deep it threatened to swallow the debate like some giant intellectual sinkhole; In the end, the audience could only laugh, albeit nervously. Given his showing in recent polls, one can only conclude that suburban anger has reached the point where it has turned people’s brains to mush. The fact that Ford wears his lack of knowledge as a badge of honour further underlines the sheer nihilism of his campaign.

...

I sincerely hope the people who are supporting this guy in the polls are literate enough to read some of these Star articles. They do an excellent job of calling him out.

 

[Asterix]

Routes 5 and 61 you cited there, for instance, could simply do one continuous run from the downtown to Armour Heights, and save on the number of bus drivers and timely detour to Eglinton Stn.

To me that proposal just looks like someone who is drawing lines on a map but doesn't think at all about the real world.

What do you think the traffic pattern is for the ridership on that route? Where do you think they are going?

If they are coming from Avenue north of Eglinton and wanting to head downtown, would their trip be faster sticking on a single Avenue bus route or by heading over to Eglinton station and taking the subway? For anyone near Avenue but not near major cross-streets Eglinton, Lawrence or Wilson, it would otherwise be upwards of a 1km or more walk just to get to a bus route that would get them to the subway if not for the Avenue buses.

For those south of Eglinton, their faster option downtown would probably be the bus route, especially if they aren't near the cross-streets with routes to the subway. If they are heading north, then they've got a nearby route that will get them to the Yonge line.

 

[kettal]

Ugh, I give up, these arguments are circular and are going nowhere. You lefties are incorrigible. Two-thirds of TTC's bus and streetcar routes are running 4 trips per hour after 10 PM carrying more like 5-10 people at the most. Insinuate whatever you want about me, I don't care. Vote in Smitherfraud if you want, just don't come crying on here two to three years from now when things go from belly-up to worse.

TTC is the most cost-effective transit system outside of Asia, by a large margin. And I know you know this.

 

[adma]

Why is it all about transit issues when it comes to Fresh Start? Is transit the only thing when it comes to Toronto?

I mean, as per Chris Hume's column on the Pugs debate linked above...

But as for sad-sack Ford, the evening was a disaster, a display of ignorance so deep it threatened to swallow the debate like some giant intellectual sinkhole; In the end, the audience could only laugh, albeit nervously. Given his showing in recent polls, one can only conclude that suburban anger has reached the point where it has turned people’s brains to mush. The fact that Ford wears his lack of knowledge as a badge of honour further underlines the sheer nihilism of his campaign.

Address that, Fresh Start, address that.

 

[MetroMan]

We all knew something like this would come out. Rob Ford has more skeletons in his closet than Robert Pickton under his farm.

With 5 months before the election, they're beginning to fall out and I feel that we'll see these coming out ever more regularly. If Giambrone couldn't survive news of him cheating on his girlfriend and lying to the Star about it, how can Rob Ford get out alive with all this dirt that legitimately proves he's unfit to lead and represent our city?

Both Ford and Smitherman are looking more and more like ticking time bombs. It's a matter of time before both of their campaigns implode and this becomes a race between Thomson & Pantalone, either of which I'd be happy to take considering the scary thought of one of the slime-ball frontrunners becoming our Mayor.

 

[urbandreamer]

Planning is worthless. Show me one example of an urban plan that actually worked in Toronto exactly as envisioned.

You honestly think I'd vote for Ford? Chances are I'll be working election day just to see all the slimeballs in action, from all sides. Politicians disgust me.

(The Star should be ashamed--typical entrapment if you ask me re: Ford.)

Edit: On the other hand, I understand urbandreamer supporting this kind of thing, but that's because he sleeps on a bed he made himself out of old rags and plywood and spends his days wandering about the city eating burgers and yelling at buildings.

And picking up French women with dreadlocks and beating up both yuppies and hipsters.

I am really curious to see a picture of him. I'm picturing Donald Rumsfeld at Burning Man and I want to see how close I am.

Finally, I do not sleep on a bed of rags nor do I sleep with dreadlocked women. Your comments deeply offended me. I believe Donald Rumsfeld should be indicted for war crimes.

 

[adma]

Funny thing with Rob Ford's claim to ignorance re drugs: in his words, "My sister was a heroin addict and was shot in the head"...

 

[Fresh Start]

Okay, I see now how my comments are alienating me from the group, which I do not like. I will try to be more open-minded to your perspective from henceforth and only wish that y'all will grant me the same courtesy every now and again. I don't even know how I got saddled as a myopic Rob Ford supporter anyway. I also am not a supporter of Ford, just that fiscal prudence mantra of his. Like I said earlier today I'm waiting for either Sarah Thomson or Rocco Rossi to sound as convincing and no-nonsense about cleaning up City Hall and I'll be inclined to vote their way.

I just know that what we are doing is not working and most of the candidates are from the same ol, same ol. I take umbrage at the Star constantly foisting these left-wing spendthrifts on the city, province, and the country with pradictable results. The Star is incapable of learning. Mr. Ford is the citizens chance to simply say "screw you". I stand by my statement. Mr. Ford could not possibly do worse than what we have had, and even if he screws up, at least we'll be able to afford it.

 

[Fresh Start]

There's no end of route improvements that can be made! I'd suggest you attend the next service improvements meeting and make your suggestion. Personally, I tend to contact my councillor - I've found that very effective when there's been a service issue; though I do tend to be discussing service issues in my own ward! Who is your councillor?

Paul Ainslie. I've suggested a few times that the City create a new Scarboro Golf Club Rd route but haven't heard back from anyone about it.