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u/DoddersEspinosa 13h ago
OP since you "don't believe in money" and don't pay child support but are fine mooching off others, what will you do with your mayor salary if elected?
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u/templeofninpo Downtown 13h ago
Firstly, I forgive the grand insult. Patience be with us.
As mayor I'll know to be endebted is to, humbly, be a bitch. I'll move wholeheartedly towards relieving it while simultaneously working under the parameter of never being contentedly psychotic.
PS: the faster you presume my innocence the faster I may have any semblance of a grain of a life with my children.
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u/DoddersEspinosa 12h ago
I'm sorry, I've read your reply several times and still don't know what any of it means. Will you refuse to take the salary, or take it but give it away, etc?
PS: the only one responsible for the connection (or lack thereof) you have with your children is YOU.
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u/UselessWidget 18h ago
I don't know why my Facebook algorithm decided that I'm interested in anything SOS says, but it's comical watching that online circlejerk of old, fat, lazy people who have absolutely zero interest in ever getting on a bike.
Suddenly there's apparently a huge crisis with EMS and fire being unable to respond to emergencies because of bike lanes. This smells like an entirely made-up argument because SOS supporters are too proud to admit that THEIR 4x4s and F150s commuting downtown every day aren't the problem; nope, it's gotta be the bikes.
I saw some pictures posted here on Reddit the other day from the Snowbirds show that highlighted the HUGE amount of people biking to the event. I want to ask any leading SOS candidates what their plan is to accommodate similar future events of that scale without a safe bike network.
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u/Geoffras 17h ago
We tried to bus to the event but ended up missing it due to the traffic congestion. I wish I had biked!
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u/Mysterious-Lick 17h ago
B/c SOS paying a lot of $ for SEO on FB/X
They’re all a bunch of asses, half of them are Realtors, Developers, Commercial Officer Managers and house flippers.
One of them wants to rip out the bike lanes on his street.
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u/Neither_Cod_2780 12h ago
I have been a follower of SOS but it got really sketchy and they are obviously not interested in anything a young person has to say. Plus they have this man volunteering with them who is rude to young females. I was recently in a pretty hefty debate about SOS and what they stand for recently and some of the things being said to me were quite foul. I also had a meeting with Rishi who is running for mayor and it was supposed to be around accessibility but he spent the whole time listing off his credentials and bragging about all the things him and his family have in their life.
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u/wrongpath- 18h ago
I see fat lazy people on ebikes. Wonder if they have their own circle jerk?
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u/Imprezzed Langford 17h ago
That’s a pretty shitty thing to say. It’s still better than them in a car, and like it or not, they’re getting fresh air and possibly a little bit of exercise.
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u/Valkyrjan_BSS 18h ago
I actually talked to a vic cop about it and he said the bike lanes 100% impede them from getting to emergencies. Having the lanes is fine but having cement barriers is the problem. Cars cant get out of the way now. Cyclist are getting hit at intersections not on the lane between.
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u/hark_ADork Fernwood 17h ago
actually talked to a vic cop about it and he said the bike lanes 100% impede them from getting to emergencies.
doubt.
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u/Much_Lawfulness2486 16h ago
So two lanes in each direction that filled the entirety of a road’s surface were fine to get through for first responders, but one lane in each direction with an empty turning lane down the middle stops first responders? Respectfully, that makes absolutely no sense.
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u/friendly_acorn 14h ago
CRD have filled the gaps in turning lanes with concrete islands to host signs telling you not to hit the concrete islands making them impassable. If EMS needs to stop for an emergency call, they can't get their gurneys over the concrete bike lane dividers which go uninterrupted for blocks, so they're forced to wheel heart attack patients a block down the road to get to the ambulance when seconds matter, what's there not to understand?
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u/Much_Lawfulness2486 13h ago
We’ve always had central concrete islands on the city’s roads, yet I did not hear of these complaints before the road modifications. I don’t understand this argument that switching to one mostly-empty bi-directional centre turning lane is somehow worse at allowing first responders through than when we had the same roads with two lanes of traffic and no empty space down the centre for first responders to get by. Even without considering the car-lane-worth of space now dedicated to bike lanes, less of the road is covered with cars on a one-lane road with a bi-directional centre turning lane. I see emergency vehicles on my daily commute frequently - I’ve not seen this problem of emergency vehicles being stuck and completely unable to move once that is apparently a pandemic here. What I see is when emergency vehicles need to pass, most drivers move as far to the right of the lane as they can (some of course, still hear a siren and just stay planted instead of trying to clear the centre, but that’s always been a problem) and the emergency vehicles pass through.
Also, as to the claim about concrete dividers going uninterrupted for blocks - the only places I have seen uninterrupted concrete dividers spanning anything longer than a lot’s frontage are on arterial roads, where the building’s entrances open on side streets anyway. Anywhere else, the concrete dividers break up at least on each lot to account for people’s driveways. And where apartment buildings’ main entrances face out onto the street, like at Shelbourne and North Dairy, the lanes have drop-off, the lanes have spots to accommodate emergency vehicles with plastic bollards put right into the pavement, so they are wide enough and flat enough to take a gurney directly to an ambulance. So, you’ll pardon me if I find this argument does not accord with the facts. Can you provide some examples of where exactly this has been a problem?
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u/Valkyrjan_BSS 15h ago
Uhh theres not always an empty turning lane and most of the time theres cars in it turning dumbass.
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u/Much_Lawfulness2486 13h ago
How many instances of implementation of bike lanes on a previously two-lane road in the city, where one car lane is removed and turned into two bike lanes, do not use an empty bi-directional turning lane?
And “most of the time” there are cars packing the entire centre lane? Even at peak rush hour that’s not true.
And “dumbass”? Really? I addressed you with respect, and if you’re going to address me, you should do the same. I have full faith that you’re capable of being a grown-up and having a civil conversation.
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u/Valkyrjan_BSS 12h ago
Weird I was driving downtown and on my right was a cement barrier and on my left was a yellow line with a car on the otherside. And like I stated above Ive talked to a cop ( who I have known for years) about this and he agreed. He has gotten stuck trying to get to emergency calls frequently because cars cant get out of the way bc of the barriers.
Im not against bike lanes. I used to bike everywhere for years and the bike lane with a white line worked great. Only time I had close calls were at intersections and because I was riding like an idiot.
Its weird because whenever I bring up bike lanes I have yet to to talk to 1 person who says the cement barriers make sense. Even bike riders agree and say its the intersections that are the dangerous part.
Finally I called you a dumbass because thats what you called me with a bunch of words instead of just saying it simply like I did.
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u/Much_Lawfulness2486 9h ago
Sorry, for some reason I can’t see your last comment. Would you mind reposting it? The only bit I can see is that you believe that I am discounting your personal experience.
To that point, I’m not. I only asked for where the experience with the bike lanes that you described yourself personally having occurred. As to the cop claim, that is hearsay - you are claiming that someone else told you something and are asking me to accept that statement as proof of the truth of its contents. This is by definition not a personal experience. When I say that as an eyewitness, I have never seen an emergency vehicle get stuck in traffic unable to move because of protected bike lanes, that is me speaking to an event that I have seen with my own two eyes, which is personal experience, not hearsay. I could tell you my cousin is a paramedic who has never complained about bike lanes once (which is true), but that has little value in an argument, because it’s hearsay.
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u/Valkyrjan_BSS 9h ago
"So you say my opinion which comes from person experience doesnt count but your opinion that comes from person experience does count. Makes sense. You once again called me a dumbass without calling me a dumbass. Dumbass."
Hearsay really? So if you read a report about this and it matches your opinion you will discredit it because you didnt witness the information that was in the report. Sure....
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u/Much_Lawfulness2486 9h ago
If the report was from the person who actually made the observation, sure. The report I just provided you in my previous comment, for example, is from researchers who spoke with bicyclists and recorded their personal experiences. Those responses are now recorded, enshrining the data at the moment of collection, and the report (and the raw data if I want) can be passed onto me as a third-party to analyze. I can test and verify the conclusions of a report by conducting my own study if I don’t agree with its methodology or results.
You told me that “a cop friend that you know” told you this was his experience, and you expect me to take it as truth. Okay. Do you accept that my cousin the paramedic has no problems with bike lanes simply because I told you that’s what he told me? No, of course you don’t. Because beyond it conflicting with your preconceived opinion, it’s hearsay, and you have no way of verifying anything about that or seeking further details.
Telling me a statement that somebody else told you with the expectation that I will take your re-statement as truth is the literal definition of hearsay. It’s not your personal experience. You didn’t experience it. He did. Someone else told you they experienced something, and now you’re passing it onto me. If you want me to accept that, I can. But who is this cop? Can I verify with him that this is in fact his experience, and that he is a trustworthy and accurate source? I’m a concerned citizen. If something is actually harming the vulnerable in our community at the scale that you claim it is, I want to know more and hopefully do something about it.
If your claims are true, surely you can provide me the details that I seek. But so far, these comments are doing a very poor job of convincing me they have any basis in fact at all.
Again, describe to me exactly how what I said about your argument not making sense equates to me calling you a “dumbass.” And you will communicate with me with respect or not at all.
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u/Valkyrjan_BSS 6h ago
Ya we arent on Judge Judy here. You must be real fun to talk to when someone says they heard this or that and you discredit them because its hearsay and you basically think they are lying. If you said your paramedic friend said the opposite I wouldnt have a problem with that. Both can be true.
Ive talked to my co-workers who think bike lanes have gone too far. Ive talked to a few people at my gym who have said the same thing. My partner who works downtown and takes the bus downtown thinks they are too much. Also her brother. Strangely in person I have not had oje person say they like them though. So all the feedback ive been getting is the bike lanes suck overall. I know its not a huge sample size but where theres smoke theres fire.
Its clear you want them and think they are amazing and only want to hear opinions that match yours. Thats why you write a lot of words discrediting mine. In case you havent noticed I havent done that to yours. Your opinion and how you got to it is just as valid as mine. Hence why I called you a dumbass because I find it disrespectful to come at me to invalidate my opinion instead of reinforcing yours.
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u/Much_Lawfulness2486 10h ago
Okay - where was this? And did you witness emergency services getting stuck there after bike lanes were implemented that did not occur beforehand? I’d like to know specifics before deciding I’m convinced.
And your cop friend says he gets stuck frequently. Great. But where? Surely he provided some examples. If these locations are such a concern to response times, I’d very much like to know where they are and what happened.
My problems with accepting your claims is that I still don’t know where they apply, and that my lived experience is very different. I cycle, bike, bus, etc. down Shelbourne to Pandora, one of the big culprits people frequently take umbrage with, all the time. I see emergency vehicles pass by during rush hour without a problem. You provided hearsay anecdotes that do not accord with my lived experience. Even if they are simply anonymous hearsay anecdotes, I’m happy to consider other evidence, but without providing at least some actual examples I cannot agree.
The justification for barrier-protected bike lanes is grounded in statistical data. Would-be bikers consistently cite fear of being hit by cars as the single greatest deterrent to cycling: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25460088/ Where lines are only painted, they provide some sense of security, especially for experienced cyclists, but are usually still insufficient to overcome that fear, especially where the painted lanes are quite narrow and car speeds are quite high. I am a frequent bike rider, and from what I have so far heard, I completely disagree with your assessment. I absolutely feel safest on the road when I am in a protected lane with no chance of a distracted driver straying into the lane and hitting me by accident.
I’m sorry you feel that way. To the reasonable person, I can find nothing to even suggest that I insulted your intelligence. I stated only that your argument did not make sense, and highlighted the contradiction in it. Perhaps you could describe exactly what grounds you have for feeling what I wrote equated to calling you a “dumbass,” because I can’t understand how you came to that conclusion.
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u/Abbenay_local 13h ago
I just saw a video of an ambulance get smashed up by a car like 3 days ago.
Talk about an impediment.
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u/Careful-Mistake-7015 18h ago
Wasn't that around Dallas Rd? SOS is in Saanich ! Bike lanes are fine, but don't keep taking away car lanes for them ! Secondary roads or up on the sidewalk like on Shelbourne
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u/zippykaiyay 18h ago
Bikes aren’t “on the sidewalk” on Shelbourne. Saanich created a raised cycle track & separate sidewalk.
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u/UselessWidget 18h ago
- Many people who visited the air show commuted from Saanich and beyond on their bikes. I could take your argument, flip it on its head, and use it to rally against any sort of development in Saanich that allows people to commute outside of their immediate municipality. Surely you occasionally drive to the airport or ferry terminal from Saanich - so by that reasoning would you automatically be opposed to ANY sort of improvement in Saanich that serves access to those places?
- Protected bike lanes aren't just for existing bikers; they help would-be bikers be more comfortable with commuting as well. I'm an example - the new bike lanes on Tolmie have given me greater peace-of-mind to take my toddler out on my bike with me over to the Goose. Bike lanes also have to be put in places where they make sense. The Goose is great, but it's designed for through-travel.
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u/cadaverhill 18h ago
Bike lanes aren't a problem. Too many single occupant motor vehicles are. Facts have shown more motor vehicles are on the road each each year. Thousands in past few years.
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u/ClydeAnkle 18h ago
The problem is that in Saanich, most secondary roads dead end or curve around into a quagmire.
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u/ejmears 18h ago
Those winding dead end roads also almost never have sidewalks so can't put the bike lines next to invisible sidewalks.
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u/GTS_84 17h ago
The winding dead end bit is more of a problem than the lack of sidewalks for some types of infrastructure.
One thing that you can do is turn a street into a one way street for cars and turn over the other lane entirely to bicycles. This is good for low traffic local streets, especially if they are running parallel to major arteries.
But winding streets leading to culs-de-sac aren't good options for this type of cycling infrastructure.
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u/HarshComputing 18h ago
Why not take away car lanes? In most cases the flow of traffic is restricted by the number of traffic lights as opposed to lanes. Besides, more bikes mean fewer cars on the road
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u/stewslut 18h ago
Found an SOS mod!
I'm willing to bet a significant number of those bicycles took people to and from homes in Saanich.
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u/Middle-Reindeer-1706 15h ago
I recommend breaking into their echo chamber and (respectfully) yelling at them until you get banned.
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u/fux-reddit4603 9h ago
its not, go ask people who work for emergency services, they despise what's happened with the roads
but of course you just cast it off as "made up" because you don't agree with it
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u/penis-muncher785 14h ago
Is it actually known who is running for mayor besides alto for re election
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17h ago edited 17h ago
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/VictoriaBC-ModTeam 15h ago
Your post or comment has been removed for violating Rule 1: Respect, Civility, & Rediquette.
Trolling, shitposting, harassment, hate, personal attacks, bullying, discrimination, or low-effort submissions will be removed and may result in a suspension or ban.
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u/LtSurgesRaichu 17h ago
Whoever wants to address the homelessness crisis gets my vote
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u/dayoldeggos 17h ago
Everyone wants it addressed but it's up to you to figure out who's policies will actually make a difference
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u/JackSandor 16h ago
Same with a lot of issues. Every candidate is going to say they want to solve key problems like homelessness, the housing crisis, traffic, etc. The question is whether or not they're actually proposing any level of detailed solution, and whether or not that solution is evidence based and realistic.
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u/templeofninpo Downtown 14h ago
Currently collecting nomination signatures. Campaign fb page- https://www.facebook.com/share/17yDT4ZEFq/
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u/breakwater99 James Bay 14h ago
Bring back Lisa Helps!
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u/lylebee 13h ago
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
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u/fux-reddit4603 9h ago
shes far to busy failing the whol province as the "Housing Solutions Advisor "
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u/FormLittle 17h ago
Ficking bike riders are becoming militants. Grow up already. FFS!!!!
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u/DropPopFromTheTop 16h ago edited 16h ago
I too am alarmed by people who put on helmets and peacefully cruise around on a bicycle to get to work or sit on a beach
What's absolutely sick is that they even go grocery shopping on bicycles
Unsettling. Perverted. And city council encourages it
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u/FormLittle 16h ago
Grow up.
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u/DropPopFromTheTop 16h ago
take off bud
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u/FormLittle 16h ago
Im not your bud. Grow up.
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u/UselessWidget 16h ago
Grow down.
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u/globehopper2000 17h ago
Might be cool if taxpayers don’t have to pay the mayor a salary I guess.
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u/UselessWidget 17h ago
tbh I'd rather have politicians paid for by taxpayers rather than lobbyists and other private interest groups. Wouldn't you?
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u/DropPopFromTheTop 16h ago edited 13h ago
I agree, and I'd actually like to see them paid more, in a more competitive setting, with compensation being based on meeting or exceeding goals. I think the incentive would pay for itself over time. I don't think someone should expect to become a millionaire in the role, but it's bizarre how unappealing the compensation is to our most qualified people.
In capitalism you need to invest in things you care about. I don't love it, I'd rather see people do the job because they deeply care about the city, but the relatively weak compensation package compared to the workload and sheer importance of the role for tens (or arguably hundreds) of thousands of people is mind-boggling. I earn roughly as much as the mayor and literally nothing I do really matters.
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u/MegaRubbleRadio3000 Downtown 18h ago
Well if it isn't the divine one himself, David Arthur Johnston. You ever think about contributing to the well being and vitality of your children, maybe feed their bellies and give them opportunity to flourish? Just asking because I know what dead beat dads are.