Quote:
Originally Posted by Blader
That's what Stalin thought in the 1930s Soviet Union - when it came to building dams, he chose to exile many of the engineers to Siberia (many died and of those that survived, many were subsequently executed). He replaced many of the engineers with salt of the earth proletariat (end users) with no knowledge of dam building. I don't have to tell you what that resulted in.
I don't think our planning department is unfamiliar with local needs, quite the contrary. That's not to say that their recommendations should go unchallenged.
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Stalin? Really? I wasn't advocating sending our planners to Siberia (or Quebec lol). And I think you know that. My simple point is that a planner from San Diego for example may not be the best choice for Calgary - unless of course he makes an effort to find out what the end users need.
Our planning department is asking about an HOV lane on a section of roadway that narrows to 2 lanes with traffic lights. That to me shows that they have a basic misconception about the problem. Fine, perhaps they're just gathering info - but I think us end users are suspicious that the planners are hoping to institute HOV lanes all over the city. And they aren't needed now. Simple expansion of roadways that have been ignored for years is all we need.
It isn't unsustainable. You see all kinds of examples where money is poorly spent or "planners" missed the ball. The key is to plan wisely but to not lose focus.