October 5, 2010 - 8:45 am |
Posted by Jonathan Ross
The proposed Hornby Bike Lane route has produced some surprising and thought provoking responses from local businesses when contrasted to a similar exercise within the Bloor West Village and its proposed bike lane in Toronto.
The Canadian Federation of Independent Business is set to speak to City Council this morning armed with their just released survey results comprised of responses from 73 Hornby business owners regarding the impact of the proposed Hornby bike lane trial.
According to the CFIB data, “92 per cent of business owners fear a negative impact on their business, and of those providing a projection, the sales loss averages 23 per cent if the proposed bike lane project goes forward” (as you can see, how many of those 73 business owners actually offered a guess as to what their potential losses could be is ambiguous, making this figure hard to pin down in terms of accuracy or consensus).
Regardless, a recent report about the impact of a proposed bike lane that would eliminate 50 per cent of parking in the Bloor West Village in Toronto shows results that are very different than those offered by the CFIB.
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September 27, 2010 - 10:56 am |
Posted by Jonathan Ross
Hair salon owner David Prior, whose salon is on Hornby, should have his views listened to and interpreted free from the hyperbole and rhetoric of bike lane opponents.
In a younger incarnation, I met Laura Jones, the VP of Western Canada for the Canadian Federation of Independent Businesses via a job interview. And, in successsive, years, I have met her at various events and business functions (although I doubt she remembers). And, just like her husband, she has always struck me as brilliant – one of the power women of the city, and a true thought leader when it comes to economic issues within the province.
And, in that ilk, her column in this morning’s Province is quite compelling. The CFIB’s membership is strong, and as is usually the case with the business community, Hornby have stuck close to the script and banded together to give 92% disappoval to the Hornby bike lane (EDITOR’S NOTE: Although Jones makes reference to “several hundred businesses on Hornby,” she never actually mentions what the CFIB’s sample size for the survey was, and how many returns she got back from the 300 originally sent out). The comments that Jones presents are also quite powerful in conveying her message.
Regardless, where I take issue with the piece is with the hyperbole, a tendency that seems to engulf those that take issue with the bike lanes.
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June 29, 2010 - 10:46 am |
Posted by Jonathan Ross
Competition for Japadog, which for years has become Vancouver's number one street food attraction, is going to have to pony up a significant investment to participate in the upcoming pilot project.
While the plan to introduce new culinary options to Vancouver streets has generally been a welcome decision by most Vancouverites, there were a number of concerns voiced by the Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association.
Quite simply, the $1,000 licensing fee that these new locations would be required to pony up for the city seemed to undercut restaurants downtown who pay through the teeth for their location. Rent, taxes and parking alone make any downtown food proprietor a brave soul that puts their money where their mouth is.
Well, Charles Gauthier et al. should be happy with the following curbside parking fees that will most definitely weed out those vendors who are looking for an inexpensive path to a downtown location.
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