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Candidate: Robin Vinden
Office: Councillor
Ward: 6 - Etobicoke-Lakeshore
Website: www.robinvindenbooks.com
Email: robin_vinden@hotmail.com

Survey Results

1) Are you familiar with the Toronto Bike Plan and will you support its implementation of as one means of reducing car dependance as outlined in Toronto's Official Plan?Somewhat Support
Comments: We must first come to grips with the very poor financial status of the City. Priority services such as Garbage, sewer, water, etc. must be safeguarded first before addressing secondary issues.
 
2) Would you support requests to amend bylaws to exempt bicycles from traffic calming turn restrictions and entry restrictions on streets in your ward?Strongly Oppose
Comments: Bicycles if ridden on the roads must adhere to ordinary traffic rules and regulations without exception
 
3) Do you support measures to ensure that the City of Toronto's policy of keeping bike lanes clear of snow is carried out; and would you support expanding this policy to off road paths?Strongly Oppose
Comments: Quite frankly it takes the city 72 hours to plow my road of snow after a snow fall. This is unacceptable. More unacceptable would be the thought that bike lanes were taking precedence over ordinary city streets.
 
4a) To build the Bikeway Network over the next three years, the Bike Plan recommends that the following amounts be spent by the Works and Emergency Services to build new bike lanes, paths and signed Bike Routes, and by Parks and Recreation to build new bike paths.
YearWorks and Emergency Services% of Works Capital BudgetParks and Recreation% of Parks Capital Budget
2004$3.0 M1.23%$1.2 M1.66%
2005$4.5 M1.85%$1.2 M1.66%
2006$6.0 M2.46%$1.5 M2.08%
** Based on 2003 Parks capital budget of .1 M
* Based on 2003 Works capital budget of .67 M
Will you support the above budget requests to implement the Bike Plan?Strongly Oppose
Comments: No, I would remove it. I would work to have this budget removed. The money can be better spent trying to drag us from the edge of bankruptcy.
 
5) There are bike lanes and routes proposed for your ward over the remaining eight years of the Bike Plan. Will you be working to get these bikeway routes through the approval process and installed? View Map Somewhat Support
Comments: I will support any bike lane that is off the street grid ie bike paths on common ground, and will support some effort to designate side streets for bike lines to link the bike paths between common grounds
 
5b) Do you support the idea of starting the approval process on one of the proposed bike lanes, paths or routes in your ward by hosting a community meeting during the first 6 months of your term? If so which route do you think is a priority?No Answer
Comment: I don’t mind attending the meetings, at any time, at any place, but I would not guarantee it would result in any new bike path designations.
 
6) Do you support improved integration between Cycling and The Transit system by such measures as: Bike carrying racks on TCC Buses, and, building secure bike parking facilities at TCC stations?Strongly Oppose
Comments: I find it hard to believe that anyone would propose such a thing. The street car and bus service is too slow as it is. No one would tolerate any delay that would be caused by someone wanting to strap his/her bike to a rack on the bus, or take the time to remove it. We all want the TTC to speed up, not slow down.
 
7) Do you support an expanded city-funded bicycle safety program for adults and children?Strongly Support
Comments: Any community or school effort to teach children safety in the use of bicycles would receive my support.
 
8) Would you support dedicating more resources to promote bicycle commuting by employees of private and public sector employers, including City of Toronto staff?Strongly Oppose
Comments: If the city wants to send a memo or two around promoting bicycling to work, and wants to designate a safe area to park their bikes during working hours, I would support it. I would not support hiring of staff to do any more than that. Same applied to private sector but they can spend as much as they want and assign staff as they see fit.
 
9) Would you support initiatives to promote Toronto as a Bicycle Tourism destination?Somewhat Support
Comments: If private enterprise can rent bikes to tourists, go for it. They can supply maps for paths, etc.
 
10) Would you support the extension of the former City of Toronto's Zoning Bylaw regarding Bicycle Parking Requirements (which requires bike parking facilities as well as shower and change facilities) to cover all new commercial and residential buildings across the rest of the Megacity?Strongly Oppose
Comments: By all means encourage people to bicycle to work, but I would not support any by-law that compelled employers including the city to provide shower and change room facility. It is not our mandate to do so.
 
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