Greater Nanaimo Cycling Coalition Letter to Mayor and Council

Dear Mayor McKay and City Councillors,

Last September when you took part in the Veloworks Conference in Vancouver, we spoke at length about transportation and the need for a change in Nanaimo with the Nanaimo Transportation Master Plan that was adopted a few months earlier in hand. Since then it has been very, very quiet on the vision and plans for transportation in Nanaimo except on the transportation of water over, under or through the dams. Also very important.

Around the time of the municipal elections, the BC government announced its ideas on transportation with the B.C. Master Transportation plan and we were so lucky to be allowed to comment on the plan and make suggestions. On that front we, the Greater Nanaimo Cycling Coalition and the BC Cycling Coalition, have some good news to report!

Welcome to Twitter Greater #Nanaimo #Cycling Coalition. @InfoCycling Give them a follow! https://t.co/SkqLNolhU7

— NanaimoCommons (@NanaimoCommons) May 9, 2015

Vancouver deems 26-storey Waterfront Tower “too tall” Nanaimo oks 35-storey tower on harbour sea walk

Can we do better? MT @VancityBuzz: New 'Origami' office tower proposed next to Waterfront Stn http://t.co/HxADEJQosZ pic.twitter.com/d3hXRG1FAT
— Mike Klassen (@MikeKlassen) January 12, 2015

What kind of fresh Liebeskind hell is this? @MikeKlassen @VancityBuzz
— TheSidewalkBallet (@1sidewalkballet) January 12, 2015

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Author of The High Cost of Free Parking @DonaldShoup will find you a parking spot...

Author of The High Cost of Free Parking @DonaldShoup will find you a parking spot... http://t.co/Y48y2gfKb5 http://t.co/dffBFaT72B

— NanaimoCommons (@NanaimoCommons) January 9, 2015

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@Helijet to launch flights between ‪#‎Nanaimo‬, Vancouver

Post by Nanaimo Commons.

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Seaspan Marine railway barge connecting Nanaimo to all of NA Class 1 Railways @ICF_IslandRail

Post by Island Corridor Foundation.

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Part of making multi-modal cities is designing great experiences - like this, in #Montreal — @TODUrbanWORKS

Part of making multi-modal cities is designing great experiences - like this, in #Montreal: http://t.co/qH15oDlIAH pic.twitter.com/KfirEszHyy

— TODERIAN UrbanWORKS (@TODUrbanWORKS) July 11, 2014

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From The Sidewalk Ballet — Nanaimo Transportation Master Plan Goes to Council Monday

How to critique a Transportation Master Plan that says all the right things? All the current urbanist jargon and concepts are here. The first part of the plan could have been written by algorithm mining from on-line content trendy notions of "complete streets", "walkability" and "a good transportation plan is a good land use plan." So, no fault can be found in the introduction and one is encouraged that based on these urbanist concepts, visionary and transformative actions are surely to follow.

But, I'm reminded of the band leader who, when asked to play a dreary old chestnut that both he and his band loathed, said no they didn't play that tune but you'll like our next selection instead — it contains many of the same notes. Read more: The Sidewalk Ballet: Nanaimo Transportation Master Plan Goes to Council Monday

@neil21 @spirit_of_urban There is a salvageable, city in #Nanaimo’s core. 1st rate walk/ bike infra, modest transit are doable today...
— TheSidewalkBallet (@1sidewalkballet) November 6, 2013

#Nanaimo Transportation Master Plan — Credibility has to be earned. Otherwise meaningless bromide

Transport MPlan—Perhaps #Nanaimo's last chance to face 21stCent realities http://t.co/7IsTmHH2ai @JeffSpeckAICP @thehappycity @michaelgeller

— NanaimoCommons (@NanaimoCommons) May 8, 2014

—@neil21 @spirit_of_urban @NelsonNygaard Bad decision. Makes it worse: they've used the traffic engineer's rationale. http://t.co/I5ulqEWQuG
— NanaimoCommons (@NanaimoCommons) May 8, 2014

That the plan doesn’t call for the cessation of this road project, costs it all credibility. @neil21 @spirit_of_urban @NelsonNygaard

— TheSidewalkBallet (@1sidewalkballet) May 8, 2014

—@G_Anderson1 2.2 page 12 Vision criteria: Boxwood project fails on every point. Credibility has to be earned. Otherwise meaningless bromide
— TheSidewalkBallet (@1sidewalkballet) May 8, 2014

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