Re: We might lose free parking in Toronto
Before reading on I want say I do think it would be a bad thing to rid the core of free parking. Would a few riders sell and get out of the sport altogether, yes.
Will there be fewer parked 2 wheelers DT, yes. Fight the city on this no doubt. I have even sent an email myself but please get the facts right.
I think the only real facts on our side worth mentioning is/are that bikes do not take up nearly the same space as cars and therefore should not be paying the same price.
The pay and display receipts are stolen by cagers or blow away.
OK read on.............................
If this happens....and if they start charging full amount as they do on cars therefore maybe $20 bucks a day for a full day 8 hrs. (1)I believe there would be a great amount of these bikes listed on Craigslist asap.
I for one can't afford to pay an extra $400 a month to park. Most of the bikers to the downtown core are probably in the same boat. I would be hard pressed to justify this extra expense and the alternative is having to have a bike sitting at home fully insured 5 days a week and 3-4 months in the garage under a tarp. How do I justify insurance on it?
I get most of my riding pleasure riding into work. I know many hate the downtown traffic and don't find any pleasure in riding in during rush hour, but I enjoy it more than the alternative- TTC.
So if commuting on the bike is not viable anymore than many will either sell their bikes or just have sitting at home. (2)Now selling these bikes will have an adverse effect on the whole economy as well. (3)Dealers will suffer as well as other vendors that cater to the motorcycle community. I don't think all the downtown bikers will hop into the cage and drive in, I won't cause the extra cost, (4)(car guzzles more than a bike (5)plus oil changes and maintenance on car is more and will be more often than if you drive into downtown).
So many will just take the TTC which will help the city. Rather than making it more attractive and going green Ford Nation is doing well with their agenda of (6)less-green and pro car. The cagers will definitely be more happier if this goes through, more parking spots and less bikes whizzing around them.
Thought I dealt with this already but it seems we need to go through it again......coles notes version.
1-Highly Doubt it
2-No it won't
3-Again,I Doubt it
4-True on that
5-No it's not cheaper
6-Bikes are not greener than modern cars
(1)So that line up of bikes on front St. will continue you think? Do you really think all those people will be around $20 per day to ride in from 10 minutes away or even an hour away (like me). In my office I just asked the only other guy who rides in and right away he said he won't pay that much to ride in and park.
(2)I do seriously think the bikes in downtown core have increased after 2005, I've been working here since 2005 and every year I notice an increase in motorbikes and scooter riders all around. Even in our office I know a few whom in the last 2 years have gotten into riding because the attractiveness of free parking.
C'mon $400 bills a month is a large amount to shell out, add that to a year your looking at $2000 even if you ride 6 months.
1-The large line on Front street will NOT continue nor will any large line of bikes in the core. I didn't say anything like that anywhere. I didn't even say anything remotely like that. In fact I never even eluded to that, never implied that, Hell never even eluded that I implied about
THINKING about that. There can be absolutly no doubt that bike parking in the core will decrease if free parking goes away.
2-Yes they have. I've lived DT since the late 90's and you are 100% correct............BUT to say that's because of free parking is so very unfounded. As stated, I've lived DT since the late 90's and have seen a steady increase of all M/C's since then and not just since '06. So how does your argument explain the increase from '98 to '06? There was pay parking all through that time period.
We should also get the dealerships behind this since it will effect their business and if it effects business this will be a priority for them.
Just before I was sending my email out to our Councillor of ward 44 I got the idea and since the owner of Snowcity Marine lives in my ward I thought I'd give them a call to see if they have heard anything about this.
I was spoke to one of the sales reps. She didn't know about this motion, when I told her she was quit the ears. She
confirmed that after 2005 when the free parking came into effect for downtown they have seen a steady increase in interests/sales in bikes, and the reverse will definitely have an adverse effect on their business, she told me to put the owners on the cc line of the email since they will be interested in voicing their concern to the councillor as well.
In my email to councilor I mentioned the adverse effects to these business thus to the their employees whom also live in my ward. I also cced HD of Toronto although not in my ward perhaps with their economic muscle they can sway things as well.
I also cced
Cycleworld Super Store...now get this they are in the same ward as budget chief Mike Del Grande! Maybe this will help although Mike made his mind up but come election time and when votes are in the line politicians move their words from right wing to left wing all the time. (I know that most voters in the area won't seem to concerned as we are a small number anyhow)
I suggest everyone send their councillors emails and phone calls as been echoed on this forum, and also cc any of the dealerships they know and also talk to their local dealerships, I'm sure they will be interested as it will directly will impact their business, and any dealership will confirm that sales are increasing since 2005 and this motion will impact them directly, especially the downtown scooter dealers.
Look people if we just lay hear and whine nothing will come of it...you might as well stop voting if you don't want to try to stand up for what you believe in. You might as well swap places with someone who wants their voice heard and would pay with their one life for that freedom like those in Syria, Egypt & Lebanon.
Just because you live in a democratic society (or think you do) doesn't mean anything if you just accept the leaders views every time.
At the very least just email or phone your councilor to put your name the the cause so you can ride another day....(into downtown smoggy sunset with-out being gorged for parking), maybe some day many years from now if we still enjoy this freedom you can say you were one of the freedom riders...You stood up for the cause to ride another day....
As far as your Snow City stuff, I know Vira and George. If you had bothered to ask if they saw an increase in sales from 2000 - 2006 you would have heard her say that yes they sold more bikes in '06 than '00. What would you contribute those sales numbers to, cause it was pay parking all during that time period.
My original reply to your original post was to point out that a number of "facts" you were using to make your argument were not totally correct or outright wrong.
Now let
me use some unfounded numbers. Out of all the bikers who live within 1 hour of DT how many of them need to park in the core all day? 1 or 2% Hell even if it's 5% and 75% of that 5% sell their bikes. Do you really think that will cause all this financial turmoil you elude to?
Scooter sales have been well documented as being on a steep rise for much longer than free parking has been around and what about the fact that there is a new limited speed license that lots of people are getting. Couldn't that have SOMETHING to do with the increased sales????
Keep up the fight, it's a good cause but one of my pet peeves is when people take 2 or more unrelated facts and make a stronger connection between them than really exists.
Fact #1 My Grandfather, my dad and I all have the same initials and there is this sterling bracelet with our initials engraved that has been handed down to me.
Fact #2 I've never been attacked by a crow or a dog when wearing it.
Therefore the bracelet must be keeping me safe from crow and dog attacks.................right?
Come to think of it, no animal attacks at all. Must be a really powerful bracelet
