CTV News Reporter Scott Cunningham interviews Jim Routledge & John Ruttan. Jim arrives by bicycle - wants a bridge to Newcastle Island and Supportive Housing on Uplands.
Here is the link to the broadcast on you tube: http://youtu.be/CaNFbQzZugs
I need to connect the dots on this one. I grew up in Vancouver, or to be more specific, up on the hill in West Vancouver. It was a real trek to get anywhere fun as a kid. But we did. Alan Debou & I would catch the bus over town to the bike rental shop on the corner of Burrard & Denman. We would rent bikes with wheely handle bars and a banana seat. We would cruise around the trails of Stanley Park for hours. I am quite sure the bike rental shop owner cursed us - we thrashed those poor bikes, jumping logs, flying down rocks and thru puddles - it was heaven. Amazing too as it always baffled me that our adventures were always downhill all the way. How does that work?
We would do this after school, on weekends, long summer evenings, anytime that the sprit moved us.
I want that for kids in Nanaimo and their parents and grandparents who search for really fun things to do for little expense.
The idea of a bridge to Newcastle has been percolating in my mind ever since I was Manager of the Pavillion Society there in the mid 80's ( see: http://jimsworld2012.blogspot.com/2011/09/newcastle-island-videos-from-8586.html)
The missing link, the connection to reality, was given to me for Thanksgiving last weekend. It was a pivotal part of my decision to run for Mayor. I was heading in that direction but this lifted me off the launch pad. I did not sleep that night.
I have been to this place and have seen it work. It is efficient. Time waiting for either boat or pedestrian traffic is reasonable.
The relative economic impact of a Bridge to Newcastle is, to me, as obvious as the impact of Stanley Park to Vancouver.
One of the things I did in the 1980's when I was NIPS manager was a development study that detailed how to "interpret" Newcastles history in a responsible way. It was a $50,000 study at the time. It involved top experts in their fields at the time in each of the 5 Major Historical Features of the Island - the Native Middens, Japanese Saltery, Coal Mine, Sandstone & Pulpstone Quarry & of course the CPR Resort.
I know this is a blueprint for Nanaimo's Economic Success. The missing link came for Thanksgiving.
I am curious to see what Nanaimo residents think of the idea on November 19.
A bridge is a wonderful idea whose time has come.
ReplyDeleteA bridge would destroy everythings that great about Newcastle island. I frequently take my daughter there by boat or canoe. Many times we've camped there. There's no way I would do that if there was bridge access to town. Perhaps you should go for a walk along the waterfront first thing on a Sunday morning. Last time I did that, I found about 50 or more drunks and drug addicts that were pasted or recovering from the previous night. One of them even did decided to take a piss right in front of me and my 3 year daughter. If that element was able to access newcastle the boats docked there would no longer be safe, neither would the camping. It would only be a matter of time before squatters would vandalize/litter and burn the place down. There are canoe rental opportunities available, and a year round ferry could easily be created via the protection island ferry. Please for the sake of this park and Nanaimo, drop this crazy idea. Besides such a bridge is hardly feasable because of the height required to allow harbour traffic to pass underneath.
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