Kevin Wallace’s Post

Reading this article can help prepare you for the process of choosing a #movingcompany for #relocating.

Your state and/or city’s annual budget is an expression of its priorities, values, and ethics… when the movement of cars is prioritized over creating safe, inviting, sustainable, and vibrant places for people, then clearly there is a disconnect between what we want and need as a society and what our leaders think we need. We must come together within our communities and speak up before it is too late. Take action now and hold your elected officials accountable to you and not the status quo of motordom.

Digger Doug — Weird, Whacky & Wild — It ain’t just the Alberta Tarsands Tarnation, now Ontario’s trying to out-weird us, No Fair, Eh? Go Green, Go Transit Instead?⚠️⛔️⚠️ Globe & Mail - Marcus Gee: Doug Ford’s proposed tunnel under Highway 401 is transparently political. Hadrian built a wall. Eiffel built a tower. Drapeau built a stadium. 
And Doug Ford? Not to be outdone, the Pharaoh of Ontario stood in front of a backdrop of moving automobiles this week to announce that he wanted to (drum roll, please) build a tunnel under Canada’s busiest highway, the 401. Mr. Ford told goggle-eyed reporters that it would be one of the world’s longest tunnels, incorporating not just a new, underground highway but a transit line as well. 
How long? He couldn’t say – maybe 30, 40, 50, 60, even 70 kilometres. Depended on what the study said. How much would it cost? He wasn’t sure, but certainly less than hundreds of billions, which was reassuring. 
Why build it at all? Because his government is a government of builders. It is already spending billions on hospitals, billions on schools, billions on subways and highways. Why not a time-saving tunnel?

Anyone who questioned the idea was a short-sighted naysayer. “These are the same people who oppose every project … It’s no, no, no.” That went double for Bonnie Crombie, leader of the opposition Liberals, coincidentally the main opponents of his Progressive Conservatives in the next provincial election. 
His party, on the other hand, is the party of yes. Even though he has yet to commission a tunnel study, much less see the results, “I’ll tell ya one thing, we are getting this tunnel built.” 
Grateful motorists far into the future would thank him for his foresight, even “when I am pushing up tulips.” He didn’t expect any reward. “Just put a tulip for me on there, somewhere.” 
Nice thought, but no one will be able to afford a trip to the florist if this madcap notion ever takes flight. Highway tunnels in Boston and Seattle cost a fortune and took forever, and those massive projects were nowhere near as massive as this one would be. Imagine the cost and complexity of boring a huge hole for tens of kilometres under a highway that is 18 lanes wide at points, then integrating that route with the web of connecting highways. A much smaller project, the Eglinton Crosstown light-rail line, is infamously behind schedule and over budget, and only a portion of it goes underground. https://lnkd.in/gzVJsdQg

CONVERSION TO TRAIL COSTS SKYROCKET! $472 TO $922 million! It's no secret that FORTVI tries to convince people that conversion of the E&N to a trail would somehow bring economic prosperity the island over despite the numerous holes in their value proposition. We already have over 105km of rail trails and 1000's of km's of other trail types on the island to start with, and ongoing maintenance and policing seems beyond their analysis. They are down at Duncan Station right now even though they were informed of the costs that go well beyond their $172 million estimate they commissioned that excludes First Nations consultation and decommissioning costs. FACTS: If the island chooses anything but rail for the Vancouver Island rail corridor, it will fall under the railway decommissioning process. That's before anything else can be done with it, including but not limited to making it into "Just a trail. The CVRD released the costs in their "Backgrounder on Contamination Remediation" document, which came in at $75.6 to $187.2 million for the 72km's that pass through the CVRD. Since the CVRD only covers 25% of the corridor, that cost quadruples to a staggering $302.4 to $748.8 million just to remove the tracks, ties, and ballast! That would put conversion of the corridor to a trail into the same cost range as KEEPING IT RAIL! By continuing as a railway, work to repair the tracks is simply a maintenance action, albeit a large overdue maintenance action. Rail with trails are being built as RD's and area directors create projects for them anyway, so they will grow organically. CHECK MY POST FOR OFFICIAL PUBLIC ENGAGEMENTS ON NOW! Sign the grass roots petition that's gained over 21,700 signatures to ensure rail and prevent this collosal waste of tax cash from ever happening. https://chng.it/BMt69DqBXw All Aboard! Restore Island Rail https://lnkd.in/gy9WBzcw #railway #transit #support #reconcilation #cycling #vancouverisland #britishcolumbia #canada #connection #transportation #support #healthy #communities #climateaction #climateemergency #health #travel #community #cultur

During an era of unprecedented affordability challenges and record-breaking tax increases, there’s nothing more important than the responsible financial stewardship of precious tax dollars. This didn’t start out as a $150-million dollar bike lane. A lack of leadership, prioritization, and accountability is what got us here. And now people’s heads are rightfully exploding. Real leadership would be stepping up to ask the tough questions and demand answers. The project cost has increased by six fold since originally tabled, and the Mayor has failed to ask why – or ask what could be done to avoid cost overruns. Prioritization would be a careful evaluation of competing interests and deciding where our scarce resources are best spent. This project is a nice to have, it’s not a need to have — and certainly not at any cost. Accountability would be taking responsibility to correct the problem, rather than pointing the finger at funding partners. When asked about due diligence with respect to the project cost, the Mayor pointed to the Federal government, which is funding only 15% of the project. We need more value for money and less cost overruns. Unfortunately, Mayor Chow’s $150-million cycling path offers neither. https://lnkd.in/g_dYEyHA Tony Chapman Heather Purdon Natalie Johnson Ben Mulroney Toronto Region Board of Trade Fadi Dawood Jon Burnside Jon Love C.M. Rocco Rossi Matt Bagnall Jennifer Ryder Max Nokhrin Eli Miller Len Phillips Robert E. Lamoureux, FCA, FCPA, ICD.D David Riabov Marcus P. Andrew Arifuzzaman Blair Currie Robert Pierce Steve Hodgson Andrea Bogar Eric Lombardi Mike Van Soelen Toronto Mike Boon Greg Brady B.A., M.T. John Moore Christine Hogarth Raly Chakarova RCCAO Toronto and Area Road Builders Association (TARBA) Nicholas Kendrew Albert Bendersky Lora Sloan

The Rail to Trail Conservancy is at it again! It mystifies me how they are willing to go public with their "myth busting" using outlandish reasoning. There is a serious lack of critical thinking there. #1 Trails can be built beside the railway's trestles and bridges by building purpose built active transportation bridges beside them like the one that crosses the MacKenzie Interchange, or smaller bridges on the vastly greater sum that are tiny in size. #2 The rail to trail conversion for the Duncan to Cowichan trail was done because Cowichan is not sufficiently built up yet for rail to be considered, but the Island Corridor Foundation still owns it. The second Northern line was sold off in parcels and has been built over with housing which is realistically what would happen to parts of the Vancouver Island Corridor. #3 The BC Government funded $18 Million to develop a final vision for the corridor in collaboration with Regional Districts and First Nations, funded the cleanup of the corridor of vegetation and rockfall and other safety hazards. And the Island Corridor Foundation is hiring a Corridor Project Manager. #4 While saying rail can return even if it's turned into a trail is true from a legal standpoint, it's not true from a social / populist point of view at all. "From our cold dead hands" comes to mind. The Galloping Goose could be providing rail to Sooke, and the BC Transit proposal to bring rail into the downtown core using the Galloping Goose right of way hasn't got any traction. #5 is just pure horse hockey. The trains run on a very low grade with steel on steel efficiency, and if electrified they beat buses hands down! Add in the fact that buses run on inefficient rubber tires and are impeded by traffic congestion, and this assertion is literally wacko 😁 This group has been on Vancouver Island since 2018, doing everything they can to remove your rail rights of way. Just those, nothing about building regional trails that don’t touch the railway. Ask yourself why? All Aboard! 15,764 are already loaded https://chng.it/HTPJ25CqPr Restore Island Rail https://lnkd.in/gy9WBzcw #railway #transit #supports #cycling #vancouverisland

The Ford government's meddling with municipal infrastructure decisions is exactly what holds Toronto and Ontario back from making genuine progress in transportation. Let cities make their own decisions on how people get around, especially good decisions based on evidence that reduce car usage. While transportation policy is not a science, it's not politics either. We need integration and long-term consistency, not haphazard idealogical legislation. There is no reason a region and country with the resources we have shouldn't have word class mobility, like high speed rail, safe and connected cycling infrastructure, and surface transit that doesn't sit in traffic. https://lnkd.in/gSQSRr2n

So how do we convince our elected officials before, during and after an election to see the importance of investing in transportation infrastructure on Vancouver Island? Especially now as the island fast approaches 1 million residents. Our current transportation system is not cut out to deal with the population and urban development growth that we are witnessing now. One highway out of Victoria will not address this and building more lanes only compounds the situation with car dependence and climate change. Even with EVs, the car will still take up valuable space. If there is no adequate alternatives like intercity bus service, inter community transit service and/or rail service, people will continue to drive and only put more pressure on our already crowded road network. A rail corridor sits dormant and could be utilized to take some of that strain away. Giving people alternatives to driving especially those who don’t have driving as an option. Linked with transit services, cycling networks, pedestrian friendly areas and denser development and better ferry services to connect the islan. This is not rocket science. And let’s be clear here, no transportation mode can completely solve traffic, but giving people many alternatives can help. The current situation is not working and it’s time to change that.

Investing in Places People Love: Transforming Transportation with Trails 🚴♂️ At Priority Funds, our investment thesis centers on investing in communities that promote urban vitality and sustainable public transportation infrastructure. A recent article by Smart Cities Dive highlights significant federal grants aimed at transforming old railroad lines into vibrant walking and biking trails. These projects not only promote healthier lifestyles but also enrich local neighborhoods, aligning with our commitment to invest in places that people love. Monitoring these trends is essential to our extensive due diligence and strategic investment process. . . . 🔍 Explore Investment Opportunities? Reach out to our Investor Relations team to learn more about our new fund opportunities and how you can be part of transformative community projects. [email protected] Full article: https://lnkd.in/ePZbha8b #sustainabletransport #urbandevelopment #investincommunity #activetransportation #infrastructure #investment #greencities #priorityfunds #communitybuilding #trailtransformation #investing #placespeoplelove

The @USDOT just announced the latest round of Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grants—and trails, biking and walking are in demand! Nearly 25% of the grants awarded were for projects 𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗹𝘆 focused on trails, walking and biking and 64% included elements to support safer walking and biking. Among the awards were several significant trail networks—including RTC TrailNation projects! "These are the investments that make communities function better for everyone—necessary improvements that local leaders are championing and Congress is celebrating.” While the RAISE grants are a big step and show support for safe, affordable, more equitable and climate-friendly ways to get around and get outside, these investments fall short of the level of demand. To help meet the growing need for trail, walking and biking projects and help speed along their development (so people can use and enjoy them sooner!), sustained, dedicated funding is necessary. Learn more about the demand for trails and how RTC is advocating for federal investment: https://ow.ly/Q6N450Srp2u