To Edmonton? You heard that right, to Edmonton, thanks to our totally lefty city council.
Having said that, the current social trend of environmental bandwagon jumping approaches the nauseating and ridiculous when public officials begin to suggest that, at minus-15, you should only idle your car for 10 seconds, and that above that, 30 seconds should suffice.
This is, of course, rankly stupid to anyone who doesn't own a garage; that includes a lot of Edmontonians and disproportionately targets people by income. It's the kind of dumb idea that comes from listening to environmental zealots -- the far-extreme of the green movement, not the average person who has some concern.
In fact, the average car heater isn't going to need less than about three minutes -- and in some cases five or six minutes-- to get to a temperature that will keep windows free of frost at -20 C. And if you can't see, you can't drive.
The only conservative, Mike Nicols was dumped by the university elites in Ward 5 for ultra lefty Iveson.
I met this guy during the campaign, the only thing he had done was force ALL university students to pay for transit passes, whether they used it or not. A truly lefty dream, make everyone pay for the few. He was actually proud of making all students pay the way for only those students who use the transit. This was his crowning glory! Oh, and his wife told me that all post secondary education should be free!
Now, he's out to make a name for himself, by imposing a 30 second idle rule in Edmonton. Today, it is -25 in Edmonton, try warming up your car for just 30 seconds. Iveson appears to think that driving with only a tiny peep hole defrosted is a good thing, and let's just bundle those kids up better, who care if their little noses get frost bite, IN THE CAR!
Now the left-wing zealots at city hall -- the same happy gang that brought Edmontonians a 7% tax hike and jacked up user fees -- seem determined to bring the state into the driveways and carports of the city.
Word leaked out of silly hall that a "tough" idling bylaw is being readied by the bureaucrats. It's being urged along by rookie Coun. Don Iveson, determined to set himself up as council's Kyoto Kult high priest.
Iveson, a former student radical who appears never to have had a real job, now thinks he has the left stuff to run a billion-buck city, and impose his wonky idea of how the world works by having bylaw enforcement officers hand out fines to taxpayers who get caught warming up their vehicles.
Here is my solution.
1. All Edmonton city councilors must park their cars on the street.
2. They may NOT use extension cords to keep their blockheater's warm, this is against a city bylaw that prevents cords across sidewalks.
3. They can only warm up (idle) their cars for 30 seconds.
4. They can not drive their cars unless all windows are frost free and their license plates are clearly visible. (another city bylaw)
5. Because after 30 seconds idling, their cars will not be frost free, they must proceed to the nearest bus stop. Iveson should be in full support of this step, after all he loves the transit system.
6. If the bus does not come in 30 seconds, they must proceed to the next bus stop, and wait 30 seconds for that bus, if it does not arrive in 30 seconds, off they go to the next bus stop.
7. Once they have walked to work in -25 weather, because we all know, that no bus is ever going to arrive in 30 seconds, maybe their heads will thaw out enough to start thinking about real issues.
I suggest Edmontonian's enforce these 7 rules on all our city councilor's and let's throw some of the bureaucrat's on the list as well.
It will not take me 30 seconds idling to vote NO to Iveson next election, heck, if Mike Nicol's runs for Mayor, I would run in Ward 5 to beat these lefties. Here is a comment from way back during the election:
I agree -- Mike Nickel needs to be ineffective and negative somewhere else. Any councillor that can vote down a nine- year old's proposal for anit-idling in front of her school, and even an anti-idling educational campaign, needs to go. As well, I was amused to hear that Mr. Nickel wanted transit prices in edmonton to be on par with other larger canadian cities. Too bad Edmonton transit does not offer the same accessability that Vancouver, Montreal and Toronto do. So, we should not be paying the same prices unless we are receiving the same service.
Posted by: Mark | September 29, 2007 08:29 AM
The fix was in, and it was mainly university lefties that voted for Iveson, the same lefties who got another greenie, the NDP MP here in Edmonton elected, Duncan. Where is she lately, in hiding after wholeheartedly supporting the coalition?
Time to take back South Edmonton from the university weenies, who are only in this area for 4 years, then leave to do their damage elsewhere, while we are stuck with the likes of Duncan and Iveson.
30 second idling, an econuts dream. Let them protest today, in -25 weather, then I might start listening, but they must go first and lead the way!
