Jim Mayer 🇨🇦

@pentastich.bsky.social

788 Followers 804 Following

Urbanism, utility cycling, rowing, food, vintage cocktails, and city living. Victoria, BC, Canada. He/him. Blog: https://www.boomin-in-victoria.ca Mastodon (rarely) https://urbanists.social/@pentastich Formerly @pentastich on Birdland

The Victoria Air Quality Health Index from Weather Canada is 6 or of 10 (10 is the worst) as of 8:00 p.m. This is a screenshot from the Weather Canada Android app.
"The decision to change that first and foremost will be taken by the provinces themselves, each individually, and should only be taken, in my judgement, as part of an overall agreement. And that's what we'll work to accomplish," he said.
A British police car with Battenberg markings.
A dragonfly resting.
A dragonfly in flight.
A dragonfly.
A Google Earth picture of the Dockside Green area, showing that the Greenway is just a small swath down the middle.
A duck eating a crayfish!
A mother duck.
The cash-in-lieu rates are representative of the costs of accommodating the TDM on-site and would be as follows: (1) Car share (for residential use): $90,000 per required car share vehicle (2) Car share (for office or retail trade): $35,000 per required car share stall. (3) Long-Term Bicycle Parking (for residential, office or retail trade use): $4,000 per long-term bicycle parking stall (only applies to the additional 20% bicycle parking TDM measure and not baseline bicycle parking rates)
In summary, the proposed new regulations would exempt residential developments of three to six units from motor vehicle parking and required TDM measures throughout the City. However, bicycle parking would still be required. Once these regulations are implemented it would be monitored and managed accordingly (i.e. staff would report back to Council with any recommended revisions to the off-street mobility regulations or on-street parking strategies to address unanticipated negative impacts).
A picture of a cute fuzzy duckling.
An illustration from "Where the Wild Things Are" showing Max in the forest.
Canada’s involvement Under the Canada Shipping Act, 2001, most aspects of the MARPOL Convention have been adopted while legislation such as the Arctic Waters Pollution Prevention Act (AWPPA) has placed stronger restrictions regarding sewage discharge in Canadian Arctic Waters
From: https://www.imo.org/en/ourwork/environment/pages/garbage-default.aspx Port reception facilities The effectiveness of ships to comply with the discharge requirements of MARPOL depends largely upon the availability of adequate port reception facilities, especially within special areas. Hence, MARPOL Annex V also obliges Governments to ensure the provision of adequate reception facilities at ports and terminals for the reception of garbage without causing undue delay to ships, and according to the needs of the ships using them.
A picture of Nancy Regan posing with children and a fan that says "JUST SAY NO".
Smoke rising above a building near Kings and Dowler.
My cargo bike with two cannot chairs that I just bought.
The route of the 95 "Blink" bus from downtown Victoria to Langford.
Interim and long-term recommended cross sections on the Island Highway in Colwood North of Goldstream. The explainer before these cross sections said: Island Highway north of Goldstream Ave is part of the future alignment of the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) or Light Rapid Transit (LRT) that is planned between Downtown Victoria and Langford. In the interim, Colwood will pursue an enhanced multi-modal road cross section.
An illustration of the proposed "offset bus lane" concept for one section of Douglas Street.
Survey results showed that the majority of respondents lived in Parkdale, or close by, and used active transportation (walking or cycling) to get to the Study Area. Over 90% of visitors use active transportation or public transit to get to the Study Area. Visitors who used active transportation also reported coming to the Study Area more often and spending more money overall than visitors who used public transit or drove. Merchants perceived things differently. They overestimated the share of their customers that drive to the Study Area and underestimated the share that use active transportation. A majority of merchants preferred the current streetscape to an altered layout with improved infrastructure for active transportation. Most merchants preferred the current layout if changes to the streetscape would result in a loss of on-street parking. In contrast, most visitors supported changes to the layout of Queen Street to facilitate walking and cycling. These preferences may be influenced by perceptions of how customers get to the Study Area.
A three part graphic titled "The Bottleneck". The top reads "if this is your problem" and shows a road bottleneck approaching a city and illustrates it by four lanes turning into two. The middle reads "then this isn't your solution" and shows six lanes of traffic merging into the same two lanes. The bottom reads "this is!" and shows dedicated bus lanes, cycle lanes, and limits on the number of cars entering the city.
A map showing different sections of the trail and when different work is being fined in them.
A screenshot from the newsletter that says: In 2027-2028, we will be constructing the GGRT section from Switch Bridge to Grange Road, with priority given to the section leading to the new Tillicum Active Transportation Bridge to coordinate detours. We will also be constructing the section of the GGRT from Gorge Road to Selkirk Trestle, including the trestle rehabilitation, and the Lochside Regional Trail from Switch Bridge to McKenzie, including the rehabilitation of the Swan & Brett Trestles.
A screenshot from VicMap showing the segment of Esquimalt Road between the E&N and Dominion.
Bikes waiting to cross a raised lift bridge in Victoria, BC
A field of camas at Beacon Hill Park in Victoria, BC.
A screenshot of the map of the bike lane from page 15 of the PDF.
A screen shot from "VicMap" showing the "Expanded Cycling Network" in the OCP cycling layer.
A map of the Victoria CMA, of which the city is a geographically small part.
Figure 1: Association of Housing Unaffordability with Regulation Score, Select CMAs, Provinces and Territories
"crosswalk" means (a)a portion of the roadway at an intersection or elsewhere distinctly indicated for pedestrian crossing by signs or by lines or other markings on the surface, or (b)the portion of a highway at an intersection that is included within the connection of the lateral lines of the sidewalks on the opposite sides of the highway, or within the extension of the lateral lines of the sidewalk on one side of the highway, measured from the curbs, or in the absence of curbs, from the edges of the roadway;
Shelter In Place Crystal Pool area, Victoria, BC April 10, 2026, 1:38 PM Status: Active Critical Shelter in Place Critical Source: City of Victoria Description Due to a an ongoing hazardous material incident, those near the Crystal Pool are required to shelter in place for your safety. This alert will remain in effect until the incident has been resolved. Another update will be provided within 2 hours. Affected Areas (1) Crystal Pool area, Victoria Instructions Go inside your home or avoid the area. Close all windows and doors and turn off ventilation systems. If you have symptoms of exposure (burning eyes and lungs), seek medical attention. Follow the directions of local authorities. Do not call 911 for information or updates.
An illustration showing the height of single egress buildings allowed around the world.
A screenshot with a section of text highlighted. I've surrounded the highlighted section by "***" in the text below: VicPD remains fully committed to protecting the right to peaceful assembly but ***strongly urges all participants not to march on roadways due to the serious and immediate safety risks this creates.*** We will continue to engage openly and consistently to ensure this transition is thoughtful, well understood, and as smooth as possible. We are sincerely grateful to community members and business partners for their ongoing support, understanding, and collaboration as we move forward together.
A time lapse video of Bear Mountain in Langford, BC. The mountain is all forest in 1984. The forest is gone by 2022.
(1)The amalgamated municipal police board established by the reorganization order is continued. (2)The amalgamated board consists of the following members: (a)a member of the council of Victoria appointed by the council of Victoria; (b)a member of the council of Esquimalt appointed by the council of Esquimalt; (c)one person appointed by the council of Victoria; (d)one person appointed by the council of Esquimalt; (e)not more than 6 persons appointed, after consultation with the director, by the Lieutenant Governor in Council.
A screenshot from Part 5 of the BC Police Act: Municipal police board 23 (1)If the council of a municipality is required to provide policing and law enforcement by the means referred to in section 3 (2) (a), the municipal police department must be governed by a municipal police board consisting of (a)a member of the council appointed by the council, (b)one person appointed by the council, and (c)not more than 7 persons appointed, after consultation with the director, by the Lieutenant Governor in Council. (1.1)A person may not be appointed under subsection (1) (b) or (c) if (a)the person is a councillor, or (b)the person is not eligible to be elected as a councillor. (2)Subject to the approval of the minister, the councils of 2 or more municipalities may enter into an agreement to establish a joint municipal police board under subsection (1). (3)An agreement under subsection (2) must contain terms respecting the establishment of the municipal police board, membership on the municipal police board and division of expenditures.
A screenshot of the YouTube transcript: 2:56 Don't let things slide. We have let so much slide over the last few years because it's loud. You know, stand up for the things that you believe in. 3:06 Stand up for climate change. U we know from surveys that climate change is actually supported or understood by the vast majority of can Canadians, but a 3:15 loud voice and a lot of lobbying and some very targeted um groups have said that it's not. Um some big money has said that it's not. 3:25 The same thing goes with most social issues.
The Palm Ave garage in Sarasota, FL.
A rock by the beach in Tofino. The surface is rough and wet.
Rain falling on a path. There's a wooden boardwalk on the right. To the left is a puddle with a young plant shooting up. Further to the left are moss covered branches.
Yield Lines (‘Shark’s Teeth’) Yield lines, also known as ‘shark’s teeth’, feature a line of solid white isosceles triangles pointing in the upstream direction (towards oncoming traffic). Yield lines are intended to provide a visual cue that motorists or bicycle users should yield. They may be used 6 to 15 metres in advance of a marked and signed crosswalk that crosses multiple travel lanes as a means of discouraging motorists from stopping too close to the crosswalk when yielding to pedestrians. They may also be used prior to on-street merging zones and on bicycle facilities to encourage people cycling to yield at pedestrian crosswalks. Yield lines should not be used at crosswalk locations that are stop or signal controlled. They also should not be used in advance of crosswalks that cross an approach to or departure from a roundabout. On-street parking should be prohibited in the area between the Advance Yield to Pedestrians Line and the crosswalk. Yield lines are not a common pavement marking in North America, so users may not readily interpret their meaning. However, the intent is that they provide ‘visual friction’ on the roadway that causes motorists and people cycling to intuitively take note and proceed with caution. Yield lines are not currently defined in the B.C. MVA and are thus not used on roadways under provincial jurisdiction.
Hills of dirt and crushed stone in the foreground, with the city in the background.
Yellow flowers against a backdrop of pink blooms on the Galloping Goose Trail.
Recommendation That Council direct staff to: 1) Prioritize expansion of the All Ages and Abilities (AAA) bike and roll mobility network on Pandora street, east of Cook, to connect with both Oak Bay Junction and the Shelbourne protected route via Begbie by the end of 2026. 2) Provide a verbal update to council on the current plans for the expansion of the cycling network in 2026 and what the implications to the 2026 financial plan would be, if any, to complete the Pandora East Begbie/Shelbourne project by the end of 2026.
A screenshot of the deleted post. It says: Really, CTV News, you couldn't not put quotes around the word "successful" in an article that made it obvious just how successful Tiny Town was? What's so terrible about getting people of the street and into stable homes? #yyj #housing
A screenshot with the words "property crime spree" in quotes.
Our table at Boom+Batten with our helmets hanging on the hills.
A panel from a comic by Matt Bors in which a medieval peasant says "We should improve society somewhat" while a modern man, emerging from a well, replies, "Yet you participate in society! Curious! I am very intelligent." See https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/we-should-improve-society-somewhat
A screenshot that reads: And although local governments have developed some spectacular new low-income housing in recent years, their capacity to do so is limited by the enormous amount of money required: In Boston, new affordable units cost the city about $650,000 each. New market-rate construction, by contrast, usually contributes money to the public coffers through fees and taxes. Vacancy-chain research does not suggest new buildings can replace the type of deeply affordable housing that public subsidy enables. But the potential for market-rate construction to help even low-income renters is significant.
A screenshot that says: The City of Victoria, the Traffic Safety Commission and the CRD Board have all advocated to the Provincial Government for more automated enforcement. There is broad public support. The next steps rest with the Provincial Government. I hope they will do the right thing, and the popular thing – the thing that will save lives, and save the government and drivers money. If you want to join the advocacy, write: Hon. Nina Krieger, Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General, PSSG.Minister@gov.bc.ca
A screenshot from the blog post. There's a picture (it's a video frame) of a truck blocking a narrow street. The text reads: An illustrative view of the guidance a fleet response agent provides a Waymo vehicle as it navigates a particularly complex scenario on a blocked, narrow street. Traditionally, the Waymo Driver doesn’t traverse private driveways. Fleet response provides the Waymo Driver guidance to make even more room to efficiently clear the street and make way for the truck.
A screenshot that reads: Allowing mobility scooters and wheelchair users to use bike and roll lanes just makes sense: • Victoria's AAA network is far superior to our sidewalks for wheeled vehicles. • Many mobility scooters can travel much faster than walking speed. • On a sidewalk, a mobility scooter moving faster than people typically walk is dangerous—most users recognize that and limit their speed. • Allowing mobility scooters to use the AAA network has the potential to greatly increase the independence of people with mobility issues. People will be able to leave their home and travel, in a reasonable amount of time, virtually anywhere in the City of Victoria to shop, go to a park, access services, visit friends, or see a show. Finally, for all of these reasons, many people who use mobility scooters are already travelling on the AAA network. We should be celebrating people who strive to live independently, but, instead, we criminalize them. It's just wrong.
A screenshot that says: Highway 1 enters View Royal just west of Mackenzie Avenue and exits after Six Mile Road. Within that section, 278 collisions occurred between 2020 and 2024, according to ICBC data. Of those, 131 resulted in an injury or death.
A chart showing the average number of affordable, family suitable, units plummeting from 400 in 2012 to zero in 2024.
A screenshot that says: Ryan Sharp, the city's transportation director, said when roads need to be repaved, Hoboken takes the additional step of cordoning off the street corners to widen curbs and shorten crosswalks. It's already illegal to park at an intersection in Hoboken, but drivers often do anyway if there aren't physical barriers. Some of the new concrete structures are equipped with bike racks, benches and even rain garden planters that help absorb stormwater runoff. If there isn't enough money for an infrastructure solution right away, the city puts up temporary bollards. "There really isn't a silver bullet or any magic, innovative thing where we've cracked a code," Sharp said. "Our approach has been more about focusing on the fundamentals. We've created a program where we're layering these things in year after year."
Executive Summary "Growth should pay for growth." This slogan-the common justification for development charges-is rarely challenged in municipal circles. The principle that those who cause new urban growth should pay for the infrastructure associated with it has generally been taken for granted, at least for the last few decades. Development charges evolved from post-1945 subdivision agreements and were initially accepted by most developers as a mechanism for enhancing the likelihood that current residents in a municipality would agree to new development. They now add as much as $90,000 to the cost of a new house in some parts of the Greater Toronto Area. If we are serious about attempting to lower the cost of housing in our prosperous cities, it is time to consider reverting to the past practice of having municipalities pay for the cost of new infrastructure associated with development. Such a policy-still largely in place in metropolitan Montreal-would lead to increased levels of municipal borrowing and modest increases in property taxes in some places. This report explores the origins of development charges in the United States and Canada, examines how they have been assessed in the academic literature, and looks at some of the alternatives as experienced in other countries. Prescriptions for future policy are cautious because other countries seem to be increasingly adopting similar charges and reducing them where they exist in Canada could lead to injustice for recent home buyers and other possible unintended consequences.