Finally, I would just like to say something about "NIMBYs".
I often find that when I am in disagreement with others and I complain about their stance or ridicule their belief on a basis which I view to be rational, informed, altruistic, and correct beyond any shadow of the doubt, I later discover that the issue was deeper and that I wasn't so right.
Take the issue of the Erin Mills station, along with the article that Drum posted.
Was the station perfect? No.
Was there room for improvements? Yes.
Who made us discover that the washroom could have been located elsewhere at a more suitable location from the get-go, with Metrolinx's admission, thereby revealing a design flaw in the original plan and leading to a better station design in the future? The NIMBYs.
Ultimately, through the efforts of whom will there be less light polls, and consequently, less light pollution? The NIMBYs.
Ultimately, through the efforts of whom will there be 14-metre high trees, making the station more green and attractive? The NIMBYs.
Really then, and regardless of the opinions and beliefs being held, it was the NIMBYs who actually improved things in a very real and tangible way, in the real world. Certainly more than my meaningless, self-righteous cyber complaints behind a computer screen.
I, the "good guy" who cares about the city and the way it looks and functions... the guy who is educated and informed about what is good and bad for the city... the guy who would sacrifice his comfort and convenience for what could benefit the city... I turn out to be a phony.
Here are people whom I thought only cared about themselves with no regard to their city, and who could not possibly know what is good planning... and yet they sacrificed their time and effort to get off their computers and put pressure on Metrolinx to instigate positive changes and improvements that could very well become part of a best-practice blueprint for the future.
Are these people doing this only for their own personal interests and not the city's?
That's not the point, and it's not for me to judge. I don't have the full story.
Do these people hold outdated, misinformed opinions about what constitutes good planning? Maybe, but insults will not make them change their minds. Difference of opinion is a fact of life, let's deal with it in a civilized way without insults.
None of this would have happened if I wasn't so binary. I don't have to choose to be with one side or the other. I don't have to be either pro-Metrolinx or pro-NIMBY. It's almost never black and white.