06-16-2021, 09:50 AM
(06-16-2021, 07:57 AM)danbrotherston Wrote:(06-16-2021, 07:02 AM)jamincan Wrote: So City of Waterloo voted to continue with leaf removal despite clear environmental arguments against it and it being almost the definition of a luxury service. You can't help but contrast it with the extreme resistance to clearing sidewalks of snow. I am unfortunately not surprised that passable sidewalks that are essential for lower income and often marginalized or vulnerable people is somehow a luxury that the city can't afford to address, but leaf removal that is absolutely not essential and basically just a nice thing for property owners is totally acceptable.
Yeah, I was pretty disappointed by that.
Same meeting they approved a staff recommendation to remove the Columbia bike lane protection with no clear transition plan to replace it.
Very disappointing news about the bike lane. That’s an obvious location to have better bicycle infrastructure. I’m radical enough to question whether Columbia even needs four motor vehicle lanes. There should be plenty of space for excellent bicycle and pedestrian lanes.
I’m a bit confused about the leaf removal issue. The city has to remove leaves from the street itself, right? So isn’t the only difference really whether it’s legal to sweep leaves from the lawn onto the street? And if people have excess leaves, by far the most efficient way to get rid of them is to do so. It’s totally absurd to bag up leaves and pick them up one bag at a time rather than just vacuuming them up. Am I missing something?