Ben Bull, Columnist –
The more time I spend in this city, the less I understand.
Why are downtown streets promptly ploughed, yet two days after the latest snow storm the sidewalks are still swimming in slush?
Why does it take three weeks to resurface a city street and three months to repaint bike lanes?
Why do drivers keep blocking the intersection box?
Why do we set aside so much asphalt for single-occupancy vehicles while the rest of us battle for space on the sidewalk? Would a few more one-way streets be so bad? How about closing a few lanes?
Why are big concrete blocks still scattered outside Union Station? Isn’t there a less obtrusive way to protect our sidewalks?
Why does the downtown core have only two pedestrian scramble intersections in? Those crosswalks are awesome! More pedestrians than drivers move around in the city – make the drivers wait.
Why does nobody take to the stage at Sankofa Square? And what are we supposed to do inside that obtuse concrete concourse? Have a picnic?
Why do so many civic projects never get off the ground? The Jack Layton Ferry Terminal redesign never happened. Nathan Phillips Square is still boring and bland. Ontario Place is … well, let’s not get into that.
Why are so many bike paths closed for construction? Four or five years ago I used to pedal along the Don River. What are they doing there? Why is it taking so long?
Why is the south side sidewalk on Wellington Street between Scott and Church Streets ridiculously skinny?
Why are there so few buskers in this city? And why are hot dogs the only street food you can eat?
Why did we replace little blue bins with the massive wheelie bin ones? They clutter up the street. Mine are wedged in a snowbank at the back of my house. I almost pulled a hamstring last week, yanking one out.
Why are our streets always so congested? We used to have rush hour. Is that an all-day thing now?
Why do people drive when they know a snowstorm is coming?
Why does the digital display at the King streetcar stop show “3 minutes” when they really mean 20 – and counting? There’s a problem down the line – can’t they find a way to tell us about the delay?
How come the city never seems to have enough money? Even when our taxes go up, we have to raid the piggy bank. And why do the police always need so much extra cash?
Why doesn’t the waterfront have a boardwalk?
Why does the Gardiner Expressway forever look like it’s falling down?
Will we ever solve the homeless problem?
Will bike lanes ever be safe? I mean properly safe, like ‘let your kids ride on them unsupervised’ safe.
Why are landlords allowed to let their buildings decay? I used to be a regular at Betty’s on King Street. It’s been an empty shell for two years.
Why do some business owners refuse to shovel their sidewalks? At a restaurant at Church and King Streets the other day, it was standing room only. There was plenty of salt on the cocktail glasses but none on the street.
Why can’t we be a real winter city? Ottawa has the Rideau Canal ice rink. Quebec City has Petit-Champlain Street – a ‘Living Christmas Card!’. What do we have? Tiny ice rinks and slush.
Why are so many ice rinks so tiny? If you swoosh around the one at Sherbourne Common, you’ll be going round and round like a ballerina in a music box.
How is Andre, the publisher of the bridge, able to keep this little newspaper going? Perhaps it’s because he believes in the strength of our communities. How good is that?
