Vancouver is # 1 in Canada when it comes to traffic congestion

[cabotp]

Originally Posted by jhausner

Unfortunately in metro Vancouver many commuters don't actually know ways to and from their destination outside of the minimal major routes. They should pick up a map and find alternates so that the traffic ends up being more distributed.

A big reason for this is a lot of people are not spatially oriented.

They can go from point A to point B by following a list of instructions. But during the entire journey they really have no clue where they are in relation to where they are going, where they came from, and most important where anything else is. So if they suddenly had to detour they are lost. And because of this they are afraid of going on a detour that is self imposed.

Having said that I feel a lot of people should just go for a drive and find out where a road leads.

[ruggedscot]

By all means chaps use public transport - but what about 2.36 am in the morning what about then ? Until they can provide a transport solution that addresses the needs of the masses at the time of requirement then I shall keep my car, and I shall request decent roads and transport that meets with the requirements of the public.

When will people wake up and smell the coffee ? congestion tax ? its a way to drain revenue from the public while hiding it under some worthwhile cause.

London is looking at readresing its charges against the emissions as low emissions cars have become popular and the city isnt making the revenue it used to from the charges - yep cynical I am not but a realist - we are being taken for a ride when we drive our cars and its about time we all stood up and said enough.

Use my tax dollars to build me a ten lane freeway, not to put to foreigen aid - Im paying taxes for my benefit not to give some faceless individual a bottom less purse to spurge on things that will not benefit our country and way of life..... Its about time we stood up and said enough of this stupidity !

[aberdeen5698]

Originally Posted by ruggedscot

By all means chaps use public transport - but what about 2.36 am in the morning what about then?

Do you really think that road congestion is going to be an issue at hours so late that transit isn't available?

[Echowinds]

Originally Posted by ruggedscot

Use my tax dollars to build me a ten lane freeway, not to put to foreigen aid - Im paying taxes for my benefit not to give some faceless individual a bottom less purse to spurge on things that will not benefit our country and way of life..... Its about time we stood up and said enough of this stupidity !

Things like foreign aid is useful for Canadians to travel unimpeded in the world and to generate greater business interactions which some countries, which can be good for Canadian businesses. From a realist angle, it is useful to make sure the less democratic states don't randomly do their own thing, which can of course create a less stabilized world.

A less stabilized world means a weaker global economy, which in turns weakens the Canadian economy. It may also mean a requirement for greater military spending, which can easily balloon to the point where it becomes far greater than the foreign aid cut backs.

Also, a 10-lane freeway may ruin some Canadians way of life, while using their tax money to do so.

[tybuilding]

Originally Posted by ruggedscot

Use my tax dollars to build me a ten lane freeway, not to put to foreigen aid - Im paying taxes for my benefit not to give some faceless individual a bottom less purse to spurge on things that will not benefit our country and way of life..... Its about time we stood up and said enough of this stupidity !

A little off topic but you brought it up.

Not one for helping out others eh? Its me and only me. I don't care about others in other countries. They can suffer under oppression, famine and other natural disasters. But I will be upset if the price of coffee and gasoline goes up.

I hope you are being sarcastic or change your mind and think about giving back. We as Canadians are very much blessed and we should be a blessing to others. Whether that is though foreign aid or donations to the local food bank. Canada's percentage of foreign aid per GNI has dropped in the recent years.

http://finance.mapsofworld.com/aid/f.../canadian.html

Brief history of the foreign aid activities of Canada:
The foreign aid activities of Canada can be traced back to the 1960s. In 1969, Canada was known to have allocated 0.7% of its Gross National Income to the Official Development Assistance, in the form of international or foreign aid. In the year 1995, as an OECD nation, Canada held the 6th position in the world. This ranking of Canada was determined on the basis of the total percentage of GNI contributed in the form of overall development assistances. By the year 2002, the rank of Canada declined sharply to 18th in the world, among 22 different nations. The 2003 foreign aid budget of Canada was merely 0.26% of the GNI. This is because the country is not sufficiently motivated to employ appropriate methods to increase foreign funding to considerable extents. Very little encouragement comes from the Canadian government on this issue, as the government itself seems unenthusiastic about making concrete plans to initiate Canada's foreign aid activities.
Present status of Canadian foreign aid:
Today, Canada holds the 13th position world-wide in terms of its foreign aid activities. Despite being an active member of international organizations such as Millennium Development Goal and signatory to the Millennium Declaration of the United Nations, Canada has yet to reach its basic goal of bringing down the total number of people living below the poverty line by the year 2015 unlike countries like Sweden, Norway, Netherlands, Denmark, Luxembourg, France, the United Kingdom, Finland, Spain and Belgium. According to the present Canadian government, Canada's annual foreign aid is on track to increase to $5 billion by 2011 &.it has also doubled aid to Africa to more than $2 billion a year.
Canada can take action:
Reach the UN target of 0.7% of Gross National Income (GNI) by 2015 by committing to a timetable to increase aid by 12% in each of the next 3 years and by 15% thereafter.
Enact legislation to make "ending poverty" the exclusive goal of Canadian foreign aid in a way consistent with our human rights' obligations.

[Mousey]

Originally Posted by cabotp

A big reason for this is a lot of people are not spatially oriented.

They can go from point A to point B by following a list of instructions. But during the entire journey they really have no clue where they are in relation to where they are going, where they came from, and most important where anything else is. So if they suddenly had to detour they are lost. And because of this they are afraid of going on a detour that is self imposed.

Having said that I feel a lot of people should just go for a drive and find out where a road leads.

It's weird knowing I am good at never getting lost, but probably 90% of the people I know don't have the slightest clue about navigation. You could never get me lost in Metro Vancouver with the exceptions of the North Shore. I know every single major road, and know which roads are quicker during peak times. That's not a real skill, other than remembering where you are. It's frustrating driving with people who can't do this. They'll be driving down Oak or Granville, and ask me "Are we in Vancouver yet?"

Back on topic:
One of the reasons that we are not the world's most liveable city anymore, does relate to our congestion problems. At least it was listed as a negative.

[renthefinn]

Originally Posted by Mousey

It's weird knowing I am good at never getting lost, but probably 90% of the people I know don't have the slightest clue about navigation. You could never get me lost in Metro Vancouver with the exceptions of the North Shore. I know every single major road, and know which roads are quicker during peak times. That's not a real skill, other than remembering where you are. It's frustrating driving with people who can't do this. They'll be driving down Oak or Granville, and ask me "Are we in Vancouver yet?"

Back on topic:
One of the reasons that we are not the world's most liveable city anymore, does relate to our congestion problems. At least it was listed as a negative.

I share your frustration, I don't think I could get lost in Metro Vancouver, though I've been here for 6 years now, so that's lots of time to learn. During all that time though, I never managed to get lost. I have friends who've lived in the same city for over 30years and still rely on a GPS to navigate around a smaller city (Victoria). My daughter's mother can't find her way to my place if she leaves from a different location than she is used to leaving from, and she's lived in Vancouver for 2 more years than I have..... end rant

[moosejaw]

Well this made my automotive website
http://www.autoblog.com/2012/10/16/t...western-world/