Rob's Ramblings

First Nations elders are being arrested in Northern B.C. after blockading roads to prevent mining and oil field development. It seems to me that these actions are significant from both the perspective of first nations rights and environmental protection. Yet there is not that much coverage of the issue in the mainstream media. A good blog of the events can be found at http://tahltan.blogspot.com

Talking points for the Burrard Street Bridge bike lanes in Vancouver: - The bridge currently has over capacity for automobile traffic. - Changing the signal configuration at Burrard and Pacific would overcome some of the problems from the 1996 experiment. - In the past 20 years demand by cyclists and pedestrians has doubled on the bridge while vehicle demand has not changed. - Converting vehicle lanes to cycling lanes as opposed to widening the bridge could save the city $11 million dollars. - People have been seriously injured because of the current narrow bike lanes. If someone is killed the subsequent lawsuit will cost the city much more than doing nothing.