Premier Gordon Campbell and his buddy VANOC CEO John Furlong have done a good job of monopolizing the Olympic spotlight throughout the past few months.
If the 2010 Winter Olympics are Premier Gordon Campbell’s final hurrah, then I’d say he has done about as good a job for himself as humanly possible.
“He’s done a hell of a job linking himself to the Olympic torch run, even though it has usually been the mayor of the host city who grabbed the lion’s share of attention in past Olympic Games.”
And in the accompanying article, the tight public relations strategy that has been employed by the provincial government to have the Premier hoard the local exposure of the Olympic flame has been perfectly executed.
But Gordon’s pissing to mark his territory has gone far beyond the symbolic extinguishment of the flame in recent months.
If only we all acted like the inhabitants in this picture, VANOC's promises of blue skies would undoubtedly come true.
As a former member of the Vancouver Youth Symphony Orchestra (VYSO), and a current member of the West Cost Symphony Orchestra, Sean Bickerton’s outrage over VANOC’s treatment of both the youth and the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra rings very true for me.
I am particularly troubled by the muzzling aspect of the contract signed with the VYSO, as it is indicative of the information/security/cost/etc. vortex that comprises the business of organizing the Olympics.
VANOC is hoping that commuting by car is abandoned during the 16 days of the Games. The City of Vancouver will use it as a trial run for its broader transportation objectives.
“Planning and infrastructure investments are paying off as we prioritize walking, biking, transit and goods movement, while attempting to limit single-occupancy vehicle volumes.”
This statement is not a part of VANOC’s Olympic transportation plan, but rather a quote taken directly from the City of Vancouver’s Transportation department website.
Clearly, Vancouver’s car commuters are going to be hard pressed to continue their preferences for getting around during the Games, as exclusive Olympic traffic lanes, severe parking resrictions and closed off streets will make getting behind the wheel a monumental test of patience. Here are just a few facts and figures:
No. of vehicles now into and out of downtown: 400,000 per day
No. of vehicles that will be affected by 2010 security closures: 80,000 per day
Reduction of vehicles into and out of downtown during the Games: 20 per cent.
Peak hour capacity in/out of the downtown to/from the east: 13,000 vehicles/hour
Peak hour capacity on same roads during the security closures: 6,000 vehicles/hour
Reduction of vehicles on east-west roads downtown roads during Games: 50 per cent.
No of vehicles per day on Robson: 2,000 (near Cambie), up to 8,000 (near Burrard)
No. of vehicles per day on Hamiltion: 4,000 (near Robson)
The City of Vancouver, however, will be looking very carefully at the successes and failures of such extreme measures to gauge the next steps towards making sustainability the defining feature of our transportation options.
So, apparently the Olympics have already happened, and Vancouver lost $1 billion.
Nonethess, when conservative wingnuts and left-wing Olympic opposition both start using the Vancouver Olympics as their example of why a city would be well advised NOT to hold the Olympics, the final rose petal on VANOC’s business case has officially fallen to the ground.
In 2010, Vancouver had fewer than half the number of murders than it had in 2009. There were nine homicides within Vancouver’s city limits, down from 19 killings the previous year.
Quote OF THE DAY
“Perhaps it was my silk dress or the new perfume I’ve been wearing lately. When I asked Suzanne Anton what her New Year’s resolution was, she replied, “To kiss a pretty girl!” and pecked me on the cheek.” – Writer Emily Barca describing her encounter with the lone NPA City Councillor on New Year’s Eve.
