Traffic Congestion

To: Letter Editor, Ottawa Citizen

Date: November 30, 2006

As a member and Past President of the Community Council of Overbrook, I attended the Rockcliffe Development Open House held on Wednesday, November 28 at the Aviation Museum. I brought with me concerns expressed in my own community about the impact of traffic on the surrounding neighbourhoods. Arriving by local transit, I initially thought that perhaps community interest in this project was waning, as I was the only person to get off bus #129 at the Museum. Such fears were quickly dispelled upon entering a crowd of several hundred people. A quick survey of the parking lot showed me how people were arriving.

Unsurprisingly, the impact of traffic topped the list of concerns expressed by CARAD (a consortium of area community groups). Isn’t it curious, I thought, that all these people hopped in their cars to express concerns about traffic congestion?

When are we going to realize that we will only come to grips with traffic congestion when we start taking more seriously the impact of our own transportation choices? If you find yourself sitting in your car complaining about congestion, remember that you are part of the problem from every other driver’s perspective.

Leonard Poole

Future Article Ideas

1. Long term vision versus short term gain.

Conservatives always say they are trying to reduce our taxes, so they always want to invest in the short term tax reduction, ensuring we pay even more later.

2. Saying no to expanding our road network.

Now, there is an example of an expensive inneficient tax funded way to move people.

3. What I want the electorate to understand. (see topic #1)

4. How the current municipal tax system works against us.

The most regressive tax we know. The amount paid has no relationship to the cost of providing the service nor to the individual's ability to pay. No wonder people get upset and demand a tax freeze! If only they could realize that a tax freeze is the best way to guarantee that we pay higher taxes in the long term.

5. Has capitalism has served its purpose? Is it time to move on to something better?

Yes, it has fostered competition, which can encourage efficiency. However, these benefits are being outweighed by the relentless pursuit of thoughtless over-consumption. We are drowning in our own excess. Such consumption is unsustainable.

6. How to explain that caring for others in society is in our collective best interest.

Do I really have to explain this?

7. Why we need to aspire to enjoy life with less, not more.

I am finding that as I have less, I appreciate what I do have more.

8. For the last time, let’s debunk the climate change skeptics.

Why are their virtually no peer reviewed articles published by the "skeptics"? Yes, there is debate about aspects of climate change intensity, and possible effects, but to suggest that humans have nothing to do with it? How can one possibly argue that it is worth risking taking no action?

9. An introduction to the articles. What they are and why I want to write them.

I guess I am doing that now.

10. Climate Change – The consequences of getting our response wrong.

In a word - Disastrous.

11. Unnecessary greed, consumption and waste.

The consumption of those in the developed nations is staggering.

12. How Personal greed narrows our focus and reduces our sense of vision.

You fail to appreciate what is right in front of you if all you are focused on is consuming and acquiring more.

13. When we can’t see the big picture, we can’t connect the dots.

So often we fail to recognize that there are consequences for every decision we make. We nickel and dime our social services to save a few bucks and wonder why our police budgets keep escalating. Having to call the police is a symptom of the failure of our social system. They are the high priced help who come in to clean up our mess.

14. A failure to invest in prevention leads to the need to spend more on the higher priced solutions.

For now, as above.

15. Capitalism: How it has served us well. Why it is time to move on.

I guess I already touched on this in #5

16. We know how to do things better. Why don’t we?

Once I again, because of our failure to think and act long term. It is one of the deficiencies of democracy. (Nothing against democracy, it isn't perfect, but so far it is the best we have come up with.) However, if this is a democracy, I want to do what I can to convince more and more people to THINK LONG TERM!

17. Am I dreaming to think that we can fix this?

I hope not.

18. A relentless pursuit of a greed driven market focused belief in the ability of our economy to continually expand is leading to the destruction of civilization.

Now, there is an angry rant. However, even with quiet reflection, I believe it to be true. If capitalism does "suceed" in getting all of us to consume more, and more, it will collapse.

19. Is it possible to persuade someone who believes that only capitalism can solve our problems to believe otherwise? If so, what are ways that have been discovered that work?

I don't know, but I'm going to try.

20. Perjorative bombast in political writing turns me off. I don’t like to be insulted. Explain it to me and own your bias. Don’t preach to me.

I wrote that and then thought, "But, am I preaching?"

21. My life as my vocation.

Nice thought. I'm doing what I can to do my bit this time around.

22. Am I alone in these thoughts, or do others have similar concerns?

Writing and publishing is one way to find out.

23. How does society truly capture the full cost of its consumption?

That is something I want to learn a lot more about. Capitalism is all about getting someone else to pay for your external costs. We need to put a stop to it.

24. A conversation with my Mother – The Merits of multiculturalism.

25. A province wide transit card. An idea worth exploring.

26. What impact are the climate change skeptics having on the debate?

27. Driving to a community meeting to complain about traffic congestion: and other stories.

This is a funny story. I meet over 500 people at a community meeting who drove to complain about traffic congestion. Go figure!

28. What I do not like about car advertisements.

Zoom Zoom. What a mentality.

29. The need for every person, organization, and level of government to have a strong environmental vision.

30. Why we must challenge any increase in transit fares.

I thought transit was the most efficient way to move large numbers of people?

31. What I do not like about blockbuster movies.

Billions of dollars spent for an adrenalin rush? There must be a better way to invest our resources!

32. What I do not like about marketing

Consume more, don't contemplate the consequences.

.

33. Every public meeting should be required to plan for and provide details of transit access.

Such a simple step. Why don't they?

34. What is the true extent of the subsidy of our road network? What does society pay for roads versus the revenue collected?

I really want to know the answer to this one.

35. The vision of every social service organization should be to put itself out of business.

36. If we recognize that travel by automobile is the least efficient way to travel, why do we continue to invest in expanding the road network?

37. The western world is over compensated for what it does. It leads to over consumption.

38. We need limits on air travel.

Let’s Walk the Talk on Crime Prevention

(The following presentation was submitted to the CBC for their series Beyond the Badge in the spring of 2006.)

Crime Prevention and Community Policing are phrases that have been in use for many years. It involves collaborative work between police, social agencies and the community to prevent crime. The logic is clear. It is much more cost-effective, financially and socially, to prevent crime and avoid a call to the police than to wait until criminality unfolds. At an annual estimated cost of $100,000 per year per police officer, they are the “high priced help” when it comes to responding to social problems. Involving the courts and the prison system multiplies the cost. These figures don’t begin to speak to the social implications of so many lost lives and failed human potential.

Upon reviewing the Ottawa Police Service (OPS) website, one easily feels that they fully embrace this principle. The words are quite stirring. Their Vision Statement starts with “A partnership within our community… “ The Mission statement speaks of “Working co-operatively with the members of our community…” The first of its values speaks of “being an integral part of our community”. “Outreach is a key heading on the web page. These are lofty words befitting of a progressive policing organization.

What is the reality in our neighbourhoods? Does the Ottawa Police Service “Walk the Talk” in their outreach to work with us in developing healthy, liveable communities?

From Overbrook, the reviews are mixed, but are showing some tentative signs of improvement. It was an inauspicious beginning when, about three years ago our resident’s association attempted to develop a neighbourhood watch program. The community police officer of the day failed to arrive for a scheduled appearance as Guest Speaker at our Annual General Meeting. Subsequent telephone enquiries were not returned. Interest waned, and nothing further happened.

Reports from our Community Resource Centre, however, have become more encouraging. After years of feeling “disconnected” a greater rapport between staff and the Police through a local Community Police Centre (CPC) has developed. There are regularly scheduled meetings that allow for the sharing of information and ideas. Another Community Police Officer works very well with us at a community house.

It appears then that the community police officers we now have are well intentioned, wanting to make a difference. However, we do not believe they are being provided with the resources to do the job.

For example, our CPC offices are staffed with volunteers. Often the lights are on, but no one is home. It would be completely unacceptable to have a call go unanswered when we need the police to react to an emergency. Why do we treat proactive police involvement as secondary by expecting these facilities to be staffed by volunteers?

The OPS website speaks of “OUTREACH”, yet through the entire development of our community’s relationship with the Police Service, it was us who did the reaching out. Once again, the local CPC either does not have the will, or perhaps the resources it needs to be more proactive. In hearing about the dedication of the officers we work with, I expect it is the latter.

It is not that the police need more resources, but better allocation of what is available. For example, agencies such as community resource centres, recreation facilities, Boys and Girls clubs, to name but a few, have excellent working relationships within their respective communities. They are the front line agencies deeply involved in working proactively to reduce social problems. This is the core work of addressing social issues, often providing alternatives to criminal activity. Instead of setting up separate Community Police Centres that are inadequately staffed and under utilized, better integration with existing agencies could make more sense.

Who then, can we hold responsible to ensure that the Police Service fulfills its vision of “a partnership within the community”? Should we be challenging Chief Bevan to “Walk the Talk” and ensure there is adequate resources made available for Community Policing and Crime Prevention? As Chief of Police the buck does stop with him with respect to how the department is run. However, he cannot make this happen alone.

Community policing and Crime Prevention works best as a partnership. As a community we must all recognize that Crime Prevention is one of the most cost effective investments we can make in ensuring we have a healthy liveable community. All of us, residents, businesses, and elected officials alike, must share in the responsibility to move towards this partnership vision.

I challenge Chief Bevan to be a strong champion of the value of Crime Prevention initiatives in our communities. I urge him to be forceful in his arguments. He should urge all members of his force to accept the value of this viewpoint. He should promote this vision by fighting to have the necessary allocation of resources.

To do this, he needs our help. First, we need to support these initiatives by demanding that our elected officials recognize that our Police Service needs to do more than just “react” to problems when they occur. They need to use their current resources to truly “reach out” to the community and develop meaningful Crime Prevention strategies. Time to meaningfully work with the community should be identified in their job descriptions.

Secondly, we, as citizens, need to recognize that investment in social infrastructure is key to promoting a healthy, liveable city that minimizes demands on our police service. Sadly, when we must call on the Police to respond to a situation, it is an admission of societal failure. Our long-term goal must be the continual reduction in those calls for service. This can be realized if our Police Service strives in its long-term vision to shift its focus from Crime Reaction to Crime Prevention. We all envision the same thing, a healthy, liveable city. Let’s Walk the Talk together and make this vision a reality.