Thread by @PaulSeale2

Even the best intentions don't excuse the lack of research or reasoning. Where to start? Obvs, motor vehicle licenses barely cover their own plate and admin costs and they are "permissions" to take giant dangerous moving objects through public space, a public trust. 1/n #ldnont

https://twitter.com/lfpress/status/1180241658824335360

Next, obviously people on bikes are pretty much regular people even if they are BIKE RIDING PINKOS and, although they should get tax breaks for riding a bike some of the time (I mean it, they should), they don't. They pay taxes & pay for roads even if they only use a sliver. 2/n

In fact, it's motoring that is subsidized by the public purse. In ever so many ways that include propping up a failing industry, for example, but also directly. It takes many more of us to pay for roads than actually use them. A simple search tells you about costs of modes. 3/n

I am all for civility. Truly. For everyone. And Chip's right that civility is declining with the opportunity for impunity. But failure to treat the awesome destructive power of one kind of vehicle is about more than manners & the "shared responsibility" trope doesn't cut it. 4/n

As for the King St @LdnOntBikeLane, it's easy to forget it was installed as a potential life-saving measure when all York & Dundas traffic was diverted to King during construction. If we saved a life, we also saved millions of $ 'cause, weirdly, loss of people costs us, too.* 5/n

Emergency measures are exactly what we need now. We can't be having tired "shared responsibility" convos anymore. We need a total re-think and re-design of how to get people around the city in light of shrinking public spaces and, fer cryin' out loud, a #climateemergency! 6/n

Yes, please, practise kindness always. But think, too. If we all need "to do better," it's not just at manners. We need to do better at taking a hard, honest look at our streets & point at the real culprit. It's us & our willingness to let engineers build arenas of conflict. 6/n

So be nice. But be relentless about demanding that @CityofLdnOnt honour its @VisionZeroCA and #ClimateEmergency commitments & re-build a #ldnont for the future. And don't publish or parrot platitudes. It's not helping. 'Cause this part is true: Lives really are at stake. 7/7+

*Building for people and for life usually has the best ROI. Economists regularly figure the $ value of a human life to assist in spending decisions. Turns out, "Unless you’re a total jerk, $7,000,000 a life is probably a serious understatement." -30-
econlib.org/archives/2014/…

Dammit. I had a feeling I'd lost count there. Throw in a footnote and the whole thing's a jumble.
10/8.
(#Editbutton please. Good talk.)