Rise up against the evil, evil traffic circles! Rally! Protest! Stick it to the man!

I came home to a green piece of paper hanging languidly out of my mailbox this evening. I figured it was either a)another solicitation for gutter cleaning or b) some sort of civic election propaganda, since that is what most of the crap in my mailbox consists of.

I was kind of right on account b, but with a twist. It was a double sided letter that admonished Orlikow for failing the people of River Heights while representing us at City Hall and subsequently called for action via a rally on a street corner across from an evil traffic circle at 8 am on Wednesday the 13th. Good for someone for being proactive, but I couldn't help but snicker at the righteous indignation of the writer.

(This was sent out in ALL CAPS!!!! TO PROVE A POINT!!!!!!!)

"AS A RESIDENT OF RIVER HEIGHTS - ARE YOU CONCERNED?

- WE WERE NOT CONSULTED ON THE TRAFFIC OBSTRUCTIONS IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD!
- SAFETY FOR OUR RESIDENTS!
- WASTE OF TAXPAYER DOLLARS, WHEN WE HAVE OBVIOUS CRUMBLING INFRASTRUCTURE!
- OUR CITY COUNCILLOR JOHN ORLIKOW VOTED IN FAVOR OF THESE CHANGES AT CITY HALL AND SUPPORTED THEM AT COMMUNITY COMMITTEE AND CONTINUES TO DEFEND THEM!!!!!

WE DESERVE BETTER!!

Please plan to join us to have your voice heard!

When: Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Time: 8 am
Where: Waverly and Grosvenor.

Further information: riverheights@hotmail.ca

cc: Voters of River Heights, CJOB, CTV, Winnipeg Free Press, Winnipeg Sun, CBC Radio, Global"
-----------
Did you get one of these angry green papers, GOM? Other River Heights people?

I doubt I'd be going to this as it's a) too bloody early for me and kids are getting ready for school b) I don't give a rats ass about the circles, but...the gawker in me wants to go to see if anyone shows up, and if they do, what kind of gong show it is.

I went off on them 2 weeks ago, when I almost got hit at one, and I'm still not sure thee things will be so great when ice and snow cover our streets, but my stance has remarkably softened on them.

That doesn't mean I understand how they help cyclists, but I can deal.

I did not receive one. Nor did I receive any correspondence from the city telling me these were being planned.

Maybe I'll go since I'm on vacation this week.

To Mantha's point... I originally had no problem with them too until I: 1) drove them and b) witnessed cyclist's drive them. In spring, summer, fall at best they are annoying, but at worst dangerous. In the winter, after a snowfall? With ice?

These twits could have created a no less dangerous intersection by removing all stop signs and having an uncontrolled intersection.

But they do accomplish one thing: they do slow most traffic. My issue is these streets did not NEED traffic calming devices. I've always found traffic to be reasonable on Grosvenor, Fleet, Wilton, Warsaw and wherever else they built these things in Fort Rouge and River Heights.

I'M HAPPY TO SEE SOMEONE TAKING ACTION AGAINST ORLIKOW AND THOSE STUPID OBSTRUCTIONS!!! (caps and all)

an official complaint has been put in.

http://www.winnipegsun.com/news/winnipegvotes2010/2010/10/12/15663296.html

the incumbent is 100% certain its his challenger doing this....


"Orlikow said his office has traced the flyer to Jan Currier, the wife of Geoff Currier, whom Orlikow beat in the River Heights byelection in March 2009."


How the F would they trace that?

It wouldn't be hard to trace a flyer really.

Especially one with a name or number on it, or with the name of a group listed (like the flyer mentioned does).

Plus, most people think the same...so figuring out where things are printed is pretty easy too.

Odds are several hundred (if not a couple thousand) of the flyers were printed. So it's not something someone will typically run off on their inkjet printer.

A couple phone calls to local copier companies can track who was in making copies of the flyer.

"A couple phone calls to local copier companies can track who was in making copies of the flyer."

That would be an invasion of privacy and the provider of said information can be sued.

Deank wrote:"A couple phone calls to local copier companies can track who was in making copies of the flyer."

That would be an invasion of privacy and the provider of said information can be sued.

good call...but then again...

i didn't say it was all legal...just possible.

and...depends on how it was presented.

if i went into staples and asked the girl working there "oh, my friend was in here making copies the other day...she was going to give me one but forgot...would you happen to have one left?" and she gave me one...

it's really a matter of what you want and how to get it...but not difficult...

and...in Orlikow's case...he doesn't have to PROVE anything here...just present enough doubt as to the authenticity of the "campaign" to cast suspicion.

Obviously, he said enough to make the press ask them if they are really working for the other guy.

It wouldn't be hard to trace them? There are hundreds of places one could make those fliers.

Sounds like orlikow is growing desperate.

well... this throws some fuel on the fire


"
Below is a transcript, sent by John Orlikow's office, which he believes shows his opponent is behind a flyer attacking him on traffic issues in the name of a local resident's group “Concerned Residents of River Heights.”Orlikow’s campaign team released phone messages left by Peter Smith, the co-ordinator of an “independent” citizen’s group, which he says prove the anonymous campaign against Orlikow is being run by his opponent.Here is the transcript sent by Orlikow's office (minus a few personal phone numbers):"

http://www.winnipegsun.com/news/winnipegvotes2010/2010/10/12/15666046.html

Nothing in those scripts say's anything about the specific fliers in question. I'd say there needs to be more conclusive evidence before I can connect the dots...

I met Kowalson before I met Orlikow. He was friendly, and he engaged me and my dog. He got personal for a few minutes and deviated from poli-speak.However, he and his door knockers were very one track about getting support via focusing on the traffic circles. He was willing to discuss back lanes and infrastructure for a few minutes, but didn't want to deviate from the choice nugget of the hour, which was the circles. When I told him I wasn't bothered by the circles, he made a speedy exit. The only flier I've received via Kowalson was handed to me personally by Kowalson.

Orlikow skipped over me entirely, despite having his people at my door and me on the porch. His door knocker was friendly and welcoming, and engaged me, but Orlikow didn't come up to the door at all. He nodded at the canvasser, and moved on to another house. I didn't ever get to prod him. His canvasser wanted to know if I was happy with the job he did as the incumbent, and I told him that I just moved here from Vancouver blah blah, have no opinion, had never heard of him prior to this moment. Canvasser said to me "Here's a pamphlet about John. Since he's going to be your representative again soon, you can feel confident in contacting us if you have any future questions or concerns." Alrighty. I have had THREE pamphlets from his campaign stuffed in my mailbox. I ran into him and two of his door knockers when I was walking the dog and kids tonight, and again, he failed to engage me at all or even acknowledge me, which is piss poor.

I was planning on heading out to the gong show tomorrow, perhaps with a camera in hand, but life has sh1t all over my plans again tonight, and I doubt I'll be able to make an exit from this dump with two kids and a dog pre-8am.

I'm apt to agree with GOM - a few nebulous taped messages proves nothing.

ETA: I went for a bike ride this afternoon, and I am convinced that whomever "designed" the traffic circles on Grosvenor has a hate-on for cyclists. The complete absence of stop signs, coupled with four way traffic AND bike lanes that close up INTO the circle with a giant shoulder blocking out the top of the lane? Recipe for death. As for motorists, I'm fairly certain that the majority of the problem is the drivers themselves who are still treating as a 4 way stop, and disrupting the flow instead of yielding. They have not been problematic for me on foot.

Hopefully this is large enough for y'all to read. This is the flip side of the note, with the letter to Orlikow, scanned for your viewing pleasure:



Ignore the Beautiful Mind writing all over the propaganda. My husband clearly thinks that anything I put down next to the computer is a note pad.

but but but.. traffic circles help stop crime!

http://www.winnipegsun.com/news/winnipeg/2010/10/12/15669721.html

christ could they have it at a more inconvenient intersection to get to from anywhere else in the city?

I've spent time in England. These things don't even fit the description/intent of traffic circles. They're nothing more than dangerous road obstructions. This incident should have been the expected result - not unlike if they were to drop a slab of concrete in the middle of Pembina Hwy tonight.

It's funny that nobody is taking responsibility for the design of these obstructions.

Deank wrote:but but but.. traffic circles help stop crime!

http://www.winnipegsun.com/news/winnipeg/2010/10/12/15669721.html

Heh, that didn't take long eh? Now add in icy roads and snowy conditions. Any bets the accidents pile up?

And when there is an accident and they knock down those BEAUTIFUL signs in the circle, how many more accidents will follow?

Look at the traffic circles on Waterfront Drive and on Lakewood

Contrast them with the POSs in River Heights

Not even close to the same thing.

I don't understand Orlikow's complaint. So they are having a rally and it may or may not have been organized by his competitor.

Is that against election rules?

I live in Ft. Garry which is also part of Orlikow's ward, but it seems like he is concentrating all his efforts in River Heights, can't even get a reply for an email or phone call from him.

"Is that against election rules?"

The financing part is what makes it against election rules.

ie.. who is paying for the flyers.

The reality is, until June 1, 2011 he does not even have to file his election finances so the candidate can say anything he wants about him paying for it or not but as long as he comes clean when filing his papers, nothing illegal happened. (provided it did not push him over budget)

I drove by there around 8:10am. Lot's of people showed up. A car almost hit me while I was IN the circle. That would have been pure poetry.

From there I drove past two traffic circles on Warsaw: Rockwood and Wilton. My point was to see the damage to the circle at Wilton. As I made my right turn at Warsaw off Rockwood there was a fair amount of sand around the circle. I thought maybe the accident happened there. But no, there was the same sand at Wilton. But seemingly no damage to the signs. Perhaps they'd replaced them already.

So I continue east on Warsaw to Harrow. There I turned right, with the right-of-way, only seeing the two very fast south bound vehicles approaching the circle. Two seconds later? Who knows?

grumpy old man wrote:So I continue east on Warsaw to Harrow. There I turned right, with the right-of-way, only seeing the two very fast south bound vehicles approaching the circle. Two seconds later? Who knows?

Thank. You.

THANK! YOU!

This is EXACTLY the scenario I'd experienced during my first encounter.

Well, technically the directions were different, as I was heading southbound, but you get the gist!

grumpy old man wrote:A car almost hit me while I was IN the circle. That would have been pure poetry.

You got good reflexes, I'll try to be quicker next time.

USApegger wrote:

I live in Ft. Garry which is also part of Orlikow's ward, but it seems like he is concentrating all his efforts in River Heights, can't even get a reply for an email or phone call from him.

He is totally hanging around River Heights. More specifically, North River heights. If you hang around Academy/Waterloo long enough, you'll see him. I wish I was being hyperbolic, but I'm not.

I did not get to go to the gong show, but I heard the gossip machine at the school discussing it. The slack jawed locals are pretty convinced that Evil Michael Kowalson is trying to ruin poor Orlikow.