Hamilton Set to Open its First Multi-lane Roundabout

[go_leafs_go02]

Originally Posted by raisethehammer

Rymal road was always a country road. The city refused to curb sprawl and focus on rebuilding the city's infrastructure, so now you have both poor urban and suburban/rural infrastructure since the costs of sprawl make it impossible to keep up.
The city allowed development in an area where it never should have been allowed - some of the best farmland in Canada. Rymal is simply still the country road it was supposed to be.

What makes Rymal road farmland better than farmland anywhere else in Canada? Or let's narrow it down, and say Southern Ontario.

[raisethehammer]

southern-southwestern ontario farmland is among the best in Canada.
It's a known-fact, and one that's pretty easy to figure out when you see the range of foods that can grow here.
But hey, who needs that when we can just go through a mcdonald's drive-thru for our food.

[adam]

That area of Hamilton is a major section of the Niagara fruit belt

[Hammer Town]

rymal Road as well as upper Wellington are going to be upgradesd over the next fews. years ans as far a cheapness. Thats just due to no money.

[go_leafs_go02]

Originally Posted by raisethehammer

southern-southwestern ontario farmland is among the best in Canada.
It's a known-fact, and one that's pretty easy to figure out when you see the range of foods that can grow here.
But hey, who needs that when we can just go through a mcdonald's drive-thru for our food.

Oh I concur with that. I just was wondering why Rymal Road region for some reason was the golden strip of farmland. Makes sense now.

[raisethehammer]

well, it USED to be golden farmland until Hamilton council did their thing. Lol.

[SteelTown]

The Mountain was never really big for farming fruits and veggies, just livestock. Limestone and rocks in the soil wasn't suitable. Below the Escarpment is perfect for fruits and veggies, hence the Fruitland.

[raisethehammer]

there is still some fruit above, but mostly a ton of other veggies crops. The fruit region is a small stretch from Hamilton-Niagara.
All of southern/southwestern Ontario is rated as some of the top farmland in Canada.

[markbarbera]

Thanks for pointing out that clarification, Steeltown. Fruit Belt is the strip bordered by Lake Ontario to the north and the escarpent's lower edge to the south. Pitted fruits and vinefruits do exceptionally well in that area. Hamilton's Stinson neighbourhood was once a renowned soft fruit orchard, until it was lost to the urban sprawl of the late 19th century

[adam]

And might I add those areas below the mountain are waiting for renewal - all the infrastructure is already there waiting for new developments. If you don't like country roads on the mountain, try below the mountain where the roads are already well established.

[Millstone]

Originally Posted by raisethehammer

southern-southwestern ontario farmland is among the best in Canada.
It's a known-fact, and one that's pretty easy to figure out when you see the range of foods that can grow here.
But hey, who needs that when we can just go through a mcdonald's drive-thru for our food.

Are you saying McDonald's does not source their food from farmers?

[markbarbera]

The basic laws of supply and demand are at play here. Land available for redevelopment into intensified residendial will not be redeveloped until there is sufficient demand for that kind of product. Currently there is not strong enough demand, but I see that changing in the not-too-distant future. Single family homes are being developed on the south mountain because there is overwhelming demand for that kind of residential development. Personally I do not prefer that kind of development, but obviously many people do.

Given that fact, the south mountain residents' desire to have adequate road infrastructure is justified. And, since the average property tax bill on these properties is easily double that of a lower city residential homeowner (like myself), I really don't think we are in a position to tell them they should do without the same infrastructure we enjoy down here (not only roads, but proper transit service as well). Having said that, it is obvious that the developers making the money selling these new developments should be obliged by the city to contribute more towards providing the infrastructure required to support these new developments.

[raisethehammer]

Originally Posted by Millstone

Are you saying McDonald's does not source their food from farmers?

If you've never read 'Fast Food Nation' you should. It's a real eye opener.

[SteelTown]

There used to be a big farm around Mohawk College and the Psychiatric hospital. It was mostly livestock (cows and pigs) and cornfields. I'm guessing corn and grain was the only thing able to grow healthy on the Mountain. Psychiatric patients would often help out the farmer during their spare time.

[raisethehammer]

just so nobody has misconceptions on here about what can or can't be grown above the escarpment, see more info on this link:

http://environmenthamilton.org/eatlo...y/location.htm

Our family routinely goes to one of several farms in Hamilton (above the escarpment in Ancaster through to Waterdown) to pick our own apples, strawberries, rasberries, pears etc..... the 'tender fruit region' below the escarpment is just that - tender fruits: peaches etc.....
Also, a ton of veggies are grown above the escarpment. Do some reading and research and you'll come to appreciate why it's considered among the best farmland in Canada. The variety of food that can be grown here is truly amazing....equally amazing is the rapid pace which we are paving over this world-renowned treasure.

[realcity]

Originally Posted by adam

Its a well accepted fact that overall supply of oil will decrease every year for the remainder of our lifetimes and well beyond. If we get out of this economic slump, gass prices will have to shoot up unbelievably, then what?

This is the cycle that repeats at the top of a Peak Oil predictions. Now that gas is cheap again the party is back on for SUVs and driving up and down your driveway for no reason.

People are dreaming when they think the entire or even the majority of the reason of the spike is crude prices was because of market manipulation. Since when did successful investment in capitalism become market manipulation. When home prices rose nobody was accused of market manipulation then.

It was a supply and demand problem. Through the $150 barrel days the world still only continued to pump out 85 million barrels per day just the same as when oil first hit $80 a barrel.

I don't care whom believes this. When oil hits under $50 im putting $10K in oil futures. I'm willing to bet $10K that oil will hit $100 again in two years. Double my money in two years... not a bad good investment. Or is this called 'market manipulation'. There's no such thing in 'free markets' either they're free or not. If they are, then anyone is free to make money from buying and selling.

[BrianE]

Originally Posted by realcity

This is the cycle that repeats at the top of a Peak Oil predictions. Now that gas is cheap again the party is back on for SUVs and driving up and down your driveway for no reason.

People are dreaming when they think the entire or even the majority of the reason of the spike is crude prices was because of market manipulation. Since when did successful investment in capitalism become market manipulation. When home prices rose nobody was accused of market manipulation then.

It was a supply and demand problem. Through the $150 barrel days the world still only continued to pump out 85 million barrels per day just the same as when oil first hit $80 a barrel.

I don't care whom believes this. When oil hits under $50 im putting $10K in oil futures. I'm willing to bet $10K that oil will hit $100 again in two years. Double my money in two years... not a bad good investment. Or is this called 'market manipulation'. There's no such thing in 'free markets' either they're free or not. If they are, then anyone is free to make money from buying and selling.

Until recently I too used to rail at speculators manipulating the price of oil on the market. Then I read a few articles on how this speculation is actualy useful in knocking down the demand of oil before actual shortages at the pumps occur.

Some folk have said that the recent $150 per barrel oil of the summer was all because of speculators on the market trying to find a safe place to put their money during times of great market turmoil. And to some extent this is true. But ask yourself, why were so many people betting on the price of oil increasing? Could it be that the fundamentals of supply and demand indicated an ever increasing price of oil and therefore a better place to invest your money.

This past summer has also conviced me that the price of oil should definitly not be regulated. The free market wonks have it right on this point, the price of oil must be speculated upon in order to drive up the price and reduce demand artificialy before actual shortages at the pumps drive up prices even higher anyways.

Oh.. this was off topic. Anyways. back to the roundabout.

[ryan_mcgreal]

Originally Posted by BrianE

Until recently I too used to rail at speculators manipulating the price of oil on the market.

If anything, speculation tends to smooth volatility by averaging price spikes over longer time periods.

Originally Posted by BrianE

Some folk have said that the recent $150 per barrel oil of the summer was all because of speculators on the market trying to find a safe place to put their money during times of great market turmoil. And to some extent this is true.

On the other hand, oil inventories did not grow significantly during the run-up in prices over the first half of the year, as we would expect if the price were significantly the result of speculation rather than supply/demand. What eventually happened is that the prices got so high that demand plummeted (amid a general recession in economic activity). As soon as reserves started piling up, the oil price started falling again.

Originally Posted by BrianE

This past summer has also conviced me that the price of oil should definitly not be regulated.

It's probably impossible to regulate oil prices as such, but I strongly support regulating the price of gasoline by imposing a very large fuel tax (i.e. regulating a floor price rather than a ceiling price). Here are my reasons:

1. When the fuel tax is a higher proportion of the total, fluctuations in the price of oil have less influence on the price of gas. For both consumers and businesses, a high but predictable price is superior from a planning perspective to a highly volatile price.

2. The steadily higher prices send a clear price signal to automakers to invest in more fuel efficient cars. It's no surprise that car companies whose primary markets have low but volatile gas prices are struggling with business models for gas-guzzlers while car campanies whose primary markets have very high gas prices have thrived during the run-up in gas prices and are still financially sound through this recession.

3. Industrialized countries with very high fuel prices have living standards that are comparable to ours - and even drive about as much as we do, albeit with more fuel efficient cars. The common explanation for why Europeans can get away with smaller cars is that their cities are more compact and closer together, but the evidence does not support this view. North Americans drive around 18,000 km/year on average, whereas Europeans drive a little over 17,000 km/year - only slightly less. The difference, of course, is that European cars are far more fuel efficient than North American cars.

4. Higher gas prices provides stable funding for better municipal and regional transit systems while simultaneously sending a price signal to consumers to choose transit over driving for some trips. It also sends a price signal to developers to build more compact, walkable residential/commercial developments.

5. Finally, higher gas prices amount to a user-pay system for drivers, who currently enjoy subsidized travel on a transportation system that is paid out of general tax revenues.