Cycling in Waterloo Region

[dtkvictim]

I do agree that they're not "boomer" businesses, but they're also still businesses. They'll do what they think helps their business and oppose anything that they think will hurt their business. I can certainly see how a coffee shop would think losing parking out front would hurt their business. They're also just people (who own the businesses) and often more conservative people, who already are likely to oppose bike lanes.

There is a, obviously not universal, generation divide on this topic. So I expect younger proprietors to be less likely to be opposed. I do think "conservative", applied specifically to the topic of their business, is an understandable position though. Many of these small businesses could financially disappear virtually overnight, and have no interest in interrupting the status quo that is currently working for them and providing their livelihood. I don't really blame them for expressing that position, it's the decision makers who the blame lands on.

As for legacy greens, I mean, yes, fake progressivism is very common (looks directly at Clr Chapman) in our region and abroad. Frankly, fake progressivism might be equally as harmful as conservatism to progressivist goals. They're probably less diametrically opposed, but at least we know who our enemy is with conservatives.

I don't even know if I would call what I was referring to as "fake progressivism", but it is definitely a portion of it. There is also (to use a stereotype as an example) the "SUV driving, anti-vax, alternative medicine, essential oil, suburban mom"-types of people who are also attracted to a business like Legacy Greens. I've known a few of them myself. And honestly they defy progressive/conservative/etc labels and buckets.