Who really pays to build cities and howThe question was asked: who really pays to build a city and how is it done? And the answer is as I always say to many including my young son; cities are built on the backs of the poor, the young and the ignorant. One might ask; how so? And I would say, take a look at the video above and tell me, what do you see At a glance, it seemed very clear that a truck has got pulled over by a transport authority personnel (driver of the car behind the truck with flashing red lights). Nothing strange about that, it happens all the time. Transport authority people does (random) spot checks all the time to ensure that motorists, especially truckers do observe and obey the rules as well as making sure that these vehicles are safe enough to operate on the roads and highways. But, and there is a BIG “but” here, in this particular situation, this is not just any ole random stop. If one had been traversing these roads over the past couple of weeks and months, one would have noticed that this has become a regular occurrence of late. And what’s the catalyst you asked. Let me try to tell you. A while back, maybe a month or two, it was announced that; the sources south ramp to the westbound highway 20 is in need of major repairs. A Transports Quebec engineering report from November 2016, shows page after page of corroded metal, exposed rebar and crumbling asphalt. However, the minister responsible for the Montreal region, announced that there was no money available to repair the overpass in 2017. “Ideally, the City of Pointe-Claire would like to see that overpass torn down and reconfigured and rebuilt brand new Rebuilding is going to cost a lot of money But Transport Quebec said it will take between $10 to $25m, as is now needed, in order to fix the structure. Repairs are only planned starting in 2018. Meanwhile, the authorities have had to put up Jersey’s [concrete barriers] to prevent vehicles from touching the walls, and have been diverting heavy vehicles away from the westbound ramp onto highway 20 west. This detour sends heavy vehicles towards the eastbound 20 where they need to loop back around if they wants to go west. So the signs are placed there at the top of the ramp (I was told since I haven’t gone that way to see them for myself) but I also know how these things work. In the meantime though, a transport Quebec inspector or "personnel" may be seen sitting in his car there at the bottom of that ramp (sometimes two of them) and their job is, (it would appears) to catch and fine every heavy vehicle driver who comes down off of that ramp. Over the first two weeks or so since they have instituted those changes and detours I’ve grown tired of seeing those red flashing lights there at the bottom end of that ramp, right there at the sources overpass as I drive pass by there back and forth several times per day.
A nice and easy way for them to amass the necessary funds to effect the repairs don’t you think? So let’s dig in a bit deeper here. What if that overpass was really in danger of crumbling under the weight of a heavy vehicle? Would they have left it accessible any at all to those vehicles (even with the warnings)? Or, Wouldn’t they close it off totally before the tragedy occurs? Furthermore, and this may be the most important point here which you need to grasp in order to understand how cities are built on the backs of the poor, the young and the ignorant. Every time a heavy vehicle is caught coming down off of that ramp, the cash register goes; chi-chim, at the transport authority offices. That was a working person, someone who is most likely to be at or close to the bottom of the economic ladder, yet, it was s/he who was just taxed, again. Maybe he is a young driver too who hasn’t been hit and hurt hard enough yet to begin to learn and start really thinking things through, and/or he's foolish enough to be constantly doing the same thing (wrong) and be expecting different results. (Right one for him/her). Say it ain’t so So you may wish to dispute my theory and try to prove me wrong but consider this: As was said earlier; if the structure was as bad as you say that it is, (and I’m not saying here that they aren’t in a bad state, but) why not close it completely and prevent those vehicles from getting on and risking a terrible disaster? Ok, I hear you. You want to allow access to smaller vehicles which don’t pose such big a threat. I hear you too. But seriously though. Why didn’t you think to place those (same) transport authority personnel and the vehicles which they are sitting in down there at the bottom, why not place them at the top of the ramp, to stop them from venturing on before they do? Stop them up there before those: poor, young and/or foolish heavy vehicle drivers actually gets onto the ramp and risk a catastrophe, why take that risk? Could it be because it is worth your while? Could it possibly be because you did think about this long and hard, and you did take the conscious decision to go this “route”? Because! Oh, no, it's not that at all. So... Could it be though? Could it be that the intended purposes from the get go was to mitigate the cost of repairs at the hands of these “certain” types of people who you have learnt by experience that they will come through for you every time, could it be? Could it possibly be? Just asking.
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AuthorE Lloyd Kelly is an Author, poet and blogger born in Jamaica W.i. to Raglan and Alma Kelly. Now lives in Montreal Qc. where when not writing, he drives a shuttle bus between campuses at McGill university Via: Poetry Foundation
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January 2019
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