What kind of infrastructure spending would you like to see?

[Machjo]

I'd like to know what you would like infrastructure spending to focus on if it must come to that.

Here are some examples of what I'd like to see.

These are some of the criteria I'd be looking for in an infrastructure project. It would have to meet at least one of the following criteria:

1. It benefits children.
2. It benefits the less fortunate.
3. It benefits the environment.

Some examples of infrastructure that could meet these criteria could include the following:

Building solar-powered pedestrian tunnels and bicycle tunnels. They could provide ventilation in summer and heat in winter. They could also connect all elementary schools and secondary schools to main roads. This would allow not only children to walk and cycle to school more quickly and safely (some of these tunnels could even go underground or be elevated above main roads), but could do so year-round, rain, shine, storm, hot or freezing. Teachers could use these paths too, and of course anyone else who wants to use them to get to their destination. After all, though the tunnels could connect schools, they would likely pass by various other residences, shops, restaurants, parks etc. and so would be beneficial for any pedestrian or cyclist, especially in less-than-ideal weather conditions.

They would also encourage more walking and cycling year-round, thus helping the environment and improving general health. They would also help the poor who can't afford cars.

Developping our telecommunications infrastructure. This could encourage more people to communicate via the internet, possibly encouraging more telecommuting and conferencing, which woudl help to take more cars off the roads and save people and companies money.

They could also be of benefit to people with more limited mobility who don't want to get their wheelchair wheels stuck in snow.

Spin off industries from these projects:

Direct spinoffs: cement, solar panels, fiber-optics.

Indirect spinoffs: shoes, bicycles

Savings: medical costs owing to improved health and reduced pollution levels in larger urban areas. Lower gas prices owing to reduced competition for gas.

 

[Kreskin]

I would like more roads and expanded highways. Each major centre should have a 72-storey parkade. All of the homeless should be hired as valets.

 

[Unforgiven]

Flying cars please!
And flying bike lanes.

 

[JLM]

I would like more roads and expanded highways. Each major centre should have a 72-storey parkade. All of the homeless should be hired as valets.

I think before we build anything we should first fix up what we have, that needs fixing. Check existing structure for earthquake and tornado durability. Check for leaking sewers that are contaminating the soil. There are empty buildings across the country that can be refurbished or adapted for change of use. Schools are being closed while we need more health facilities to accommodate an aging population. Let's see what we can re use before building more while the existing just rots.

 

[Machjo]

I would like more roads and expanded highways. Each major centre should have a 72-storey parkade. All of the homeless should be hired as valets.

I'd love to see enclosed highways to trap the p:smile:llution in. The parkades should be enclosed too, and the homeless valets should be paid for through a car tax.

 

[Machjo]

Flying cars please!
And flying bike lanes.

And we could pay for the research for these through the car tax too.

 

[darkbeaver]

Any infrastructure expenditures should be in the areas of primary food production, mass public transit, including rebuilding the rail system and lighter than air transports, education, (vocational especially). Those are the easy things to do, the hardest will be wresting the control in all these areas from the present hierarchy, the very reason we are sorely deficient in all those necessities.

 

[Machjo]

I think before we build anything we should first fix up what we have, that needs fixing. Check existing structure for earthquake and tornado durability. Check for leaking sewers that are contaminating the soil. There are empty buildings across the country that can be refurbished or adapted for change of use. Schools are being closed while we need more health facilities to accommodate an aging population. Let's see what we can re use before building more while the existing just rots.

I could agree with that except for any outdated stuff. For the most part I was taking what you typed here for granted, as common sence. I was referring more to if people thought that wasn't enough and were dreaming of building more. In that case, I'd rather see the projects suggested above over new highway projects. We've seen what happened to LA when they tried that, and Vancouver was heading in that direction too at one point before the skytrain. I think LA has improved its public transit too more recently.

Of course public transit would be preferable to new highways too.

 

[Machjo]

Any infrastructure expenditures should be in the areas of primary food production, mass public transit, including rebuilding the rail system and lighter than air transports, education, (vocational especially). Those are the easy things to do, the hardest will be wresting the control in all these areas from the present hierarchy, the very reason we are sorely deficient in all those necessities.

I can agree with primary food production. In fact, having a store of dried grains, fruits and vegetalbe, etc. could be useful in case of prolongued or multiple simultaneous emergencies.

Rebuilding the rail system. As in urban or inter-urban? If urban, maybe I could agree with that. if inter-urban, our population is qhite small. Maybe then it would be wiser to work together with Amtrak, connect our tracks to theirs (which is already the case anyway) and have Canadians travel east and west together with their American counterparts, with Canadian rails going mainly north to south. I know this might touch on some people's naitonalism, but le'ts be real, we have a low population density and that's not an advantage. Perhaps we could look at similar considerations with the highway system too. Amalgamate with the US and save money on unused roads.

 

[Machjo]

I also agree with education, but that's not infrastructure, that's a service. No relation to this thread.

 

[darkbeaver]

oops

 

[darkbeaver]

I can agree with primary food production. In fact, having a store of dried grains, fruits and vegetalbe, etc. could be useful in case of prolongued or multiple simultaneous emergencies.

Rebuilding the rail system. As in urban or inter-urban? If urban, maybe I could agree with that. if inter-urban, our population is qhite small. Maybe then it would be wiser to work together with Amtrak, connect our tracks to theirs (which is already the case anyway) and have Canadians travel east and west together with their American counterparts, with Canadian rails going mainly north to south. I know this might touch on some people's naitonalism, but le'ts be real, we have a low population density and that's not an advantage. Perhaps we could look at similar considerations with the highway system too. Amalgamate with the US and save money on unused roads.

Certainly rebuilding the rail system would be cooperative with the other nations on this continent but that in of itself would be a monumental job not because of the physics but because of the entrenched interests who continue to ensure that it does not happen. While there are many areas of social improvement which have been identified and proposed for decades, we are, in the end, always left with the same unsurmountable problem of private wealth maintenance. We are and have been working at cross purposes all these decades that is itself the root of many chronic social problems. It's well enough identified, no change, except tiny incremental resentful little dabbles, is possible without sea change at the helm.

 

[Kreskin]

Won't an expanded railway system create more hobos?

 

[JLM]

I could agree with that except for any outdated stuff. For the most part I was taking what you typed here for granted, as common sence. I was referring more to if people thought that wasn't enough and were dreaming of building more. In that case, I'd rather see the projects suggested above over new highway projects. We've seen what happened to LA when they tried that, and Vancouver was heading in that direction too at one point before the skytrain. I think LA has improved its public transit too more recently.

Of course public transit would be preferable to new highways too.

Yep, rather than building more roads we should be encouraging growth and industry in less settled areas. We already have thousands of miles of roads through unsettled wilderness, we have a huge port at Prince Rupert.

 

[DurkaDurka]

Toronto should take its share and fix and expand the TTC. There are already plans to expand the light transit system throughout the city, perhaps if infrastructure money becomes available this will become reality instead of some pipe dream.

Toronto could also use money like this to tear down the gardener expressway and make decent use out of the surrounding lake area which is a dump right now...

 

[Kreskin]

I propose that we build a national trolley system. Lines would be needed on every street in the country, including logging roads. All future vehicles would require overhead connectors.

 

[Machjo]

Yep, rather than building more roads we should be encouraging growth and industry in less settled areas. We already have thousands of miles of roads through unsettled wilderness, we have a huge port at Prince Rupert.

Canada has a low population density, and that is by no means an advantage. Not by a long shot. To populate the countryside, we'd have to move people from the cities. Heck, just look at Ottawa's population density. Geographically, Ottawa is huge, but just walk through many streets and they're practically empty half the time. The city is geographically way too big for its population already, and that brings road costs and taxes up too.

If anything, I'd say we do the exact opposite of what you're suggesting. Increse population density in key areas, and just abandon the roads in the rest.

Alternatively, if we don't want to do that, then le't open the floodgates and start accepting a lot more immigrants. Because that's the only way we're ever going to be able to maintain the infrastructure of a country this size without exorbitant taxes.

 

[L Gilbert]

Population growth is pure idiocy. Fresh water supply is dwindling as it is. The planet will not be able to feed us indefinitely. All people have done so far environmentally is shoot ourselves in the foot. We have done nothing except crap in our own nest since we evolved. Yeah, plug up Canada with people and watch the environment suffer even more. Brilliant.
Did it ever occur to you that more people means more money must be spent on them and their wants and needs? More people = more roads, more healthcare, more education, etc. less environment, less food, less freshwater, etc.

Update and upgrade what we have and look at what more intelligent countries are doing..

 

[Liberalman]

Toronto should keep the Gardiner Exressway open.
The city should extend the 400 highway and Allen expressway to downtown Toronto
All highways in the GTA should be tolled with the money going to fix all the pot holes.
The tolls should be in effect weekdays from 6am to 8pm

All bus and train service should be taken from the taxes so no has to pay.

Toronto should build incinerators to burn the garbage they don't recycle which can create electricity by producing steam

This will never happen because we have a mayor would rather spend a half a million dollars on recreation facilities in Aids plagued Africa than keeping toronto's recreation program opened for our kids.

 

[JLM]

" To populate the countryside, we'd have to move people from the cities."- Exactly what I had in mind, you could move 1/2 million people out of the lower mainland (of B.C.) and redistribute them between Cache Creek and Prince Rupert, drastically reducing the need for more infrastructure in the L.M. and without need for much new infrastructure throughout the new location. The smog and pollution in the L.M. would also be greatly reduced.