The Bridge Animation Story---Another Star Rewrite

I will admit it.

I am surprised, no, shocked that the Star ran the story on the video. I was on the phone around 9:30 PM Sunday night talking to a friend and decided to surf to the Windsor Star online. I literally gasped when I saw the front page.

I could not believe that an off-hand comment that Dan Stamper made on Melanie Deveau's show about putting the animation video on YouTube.com was now the top story online and with a photo too!

And the icing on the cake for the Bridge Co. was that the first line of the story instructed people how to find their video:

• "To view the bridge video to go youtube.com and type in Ambassador Bridge in the search engine."

If that does not generate thousands of YouTube hits, then advertisers better seek another outlet for their ad dollars. Frankly, the story and the word-of-mouth already should produce a ton of views for the video (over 1500 on the week-end up until 11:15 PM). The Bridge Co. could not have bought better publicity! This will be true "viral marketing" showing the power of the Internet.

As expected, the West end activists and politicos are bad-mouthing the video. Of course, those who actually look at it will learn to ignore these nay-sayers who only see bad in everything the Bridge Co. does.

But it is the pettiness that bothers me: “It doesn’t look very professional at all. It doesn’t say much,” “It’s nothing more than a subterfuge on the part of the bridge company to confuse the people.” “People on the west side do not need to be afraid.” “a Utopian view.”

The reality is that the video makes it abolutely clear that Sandwich will not be destroyed and that Delray will not be destroyed when the enhancement project is built. The West end activists and politicos have just had their legs cut out from under them. And how will DRIC justify what they are going to do including disrupting all of the homes and businesses on both sides of the border.

If the obvious location had been picked, then millions of taxpayer dollars did not have to be wasted drilling bore holes.

I was amused as Councillor Jones tried to pass the buck to the Bridge Co. respecting road-building. It's not their job, Councillor. That's YOUR job! They build bridges and operate them, not roads.

Unfortunately for him, HE as a Councillor will have to make the decision as to the road to the bridge, not the Bridge Co. That is why he got elected. It is a decision that he and his colleagues have ducked for years. There is $300M sitting around that would create many high-paying infrastructure jobs that are badly needed here and Jones and Company dither and dither and dither. Disgusting!

It's easier to be against isn't it than to be for something. But if Councillor Jones and his colleagues actually made a decision then someone wil be angry at them so pass the buck to the Senior Levels and then say that it was "imposed" on Windsor. So many martyrs at our City Hall.

Oh Council has a solution, it's called the WALTS Road. That was their choice for a road to the Ambassador Bridge years ago but they do not have the guts to implement it. You see, the Ambassador Bridge's proposed road that they engineered was actually the WALTS ROAD. I guess that the Mayor and Council do not want people to know that since they would have to disown what they supported and approved:

• WALTS REPORT---"Option 2 Expand Existing Bridge Capacity
  
  In this option, widening or twinning the four lane Ambassador Bridge to 6 or 8 lanes would be associated with operational enhancements at or associated with the Bridge Plaza (customs, inspection, tolls, etc). The Canadian Transit Company has proposed that this twinning would link with the Plaza via Indian Road, where the Company has acquired almost all property along the east side.
  
  WALTS forecasting data and analysis shows that this option would also require further, concurrent improvements on the connecting link to Highway 401. This could be accomplished in at least two ways. The first would be to improve Huron Church Road capacity at least from the Bridge to EC Row Expressway. At this point, improved access could be provided to Highway 401 either via the existing Huron Church Road/Highway 3 connecting link, or via a new easterly link from the EC Row Expressway south to Highway 401 via an improved route such as Lauzon Parkway/County Road 17 and the 10th Concession Road
  
  A second connecting link option would be from the Bridge Plaza to Ojibway Parkway or EC Row Expressway via a route parallel to College Avenue and the ETR Railway line. Both of these, and other connecting link options warrant further study. Whichever solution is followed, significant roadway capacity and operational improvements would be required along the chosen route, depending on further route selection and functional planning.
  
  Finally, in considering the Bridge twinning proposal, traffic forecasting and analyses conducted by WALTS and MTO both show a significant need for capacity improvements on Huron Church Road between the Bridge and Expressway to accommodate a doubling or tripling of bridge traffic. In this case, providing up to 8 lanes on portions of the Road may be required, with associated major land acquisition needs along one or both sides of Huron Church Road to accommodate the widened right-of-way. A final traffic operations concern along the Road involves the need to accommodate growing intersecting traffic from the suburban southwestern LaSalle growth areas across Huron Church Road. This crossing need would be most critical at Tecumseh Road West and Todd Lane/Cabana Road."

The significance of the video is that it has changed the debate. Now there is a real alternative that can be built. The disinformation can be stopped finally. The Mayor and Council won't be able to shirk their responsibility any longer in figuring out the best way to get to the Ambassador Bridge.

If the City does not start acting responsibly, after the Provincial and perhaps Federal elections, a solution will be imposed on Windsor by the Senior Levels. Perhaps it is time that the Three Blind Mice force the Mayor and Council to talk to the Bridge Co. Interestingly, those three are being proven to be the only ones who can see clearly.

Now here's some more Windsor Star re-writing of stories. Comparing the Sunday night Online edition and what the Star published in the newspaper. Isn't this the second time that Dale Molnar has been re-written? Last time it was the Assumption meeting.

Dale better learn that he better NOT put anything good in his Star stories about the Bridge Co. or else he will be sent back to do CBC TV news again.

Have some fun...see how many changes were made and whether the impact of the story changed as well. Is there an ONA prize for editing?

ONLINE EDITION

• Video shows new Ambassador span
  Dale Molnar, Windsor Star, March 18, 2007
  
  
  To view the bridge video to go youtube.com and type in Ambassador Bridge in the search engine.
  
  Sandwich Towne residents say are unimpressed by a new computer-generated video that shows what a proposed second span of the Ambassador Bridge will look like.
  
  The Detroit International Bridge Company posted the artist concept video on the website YouTube Friday to show Windsorites what the bridge has in mind for a second span just west of the current bridge.
  
  “It doesn’t look very professional at all. It doesn’t say much,” said truck watch coalition co-ordinator Mary Ann Cuderman.
  
  The “fly over” video sweeps over and hovers above the existing plaza on the U.S. side highlighting the areas for the plaza and proposed plaza expansion to the west as well as the Michigan Department of Transportation interchange at I-75.
  
  It flies over the new six-lane suspension bridge with traffic flowing in the both directions.
  
  The 67-second video shows the bridge with towers nearly twice the height of the Ambassador Bridge.
  
  On the Canadian side, the video hovers over the current plaza plus the additional plaza to the west for six truck inspection lanes.
  
  
  It highlights the streets around the bridge but identifies College Avenue as College Drive.
  
  Ward 2 Coun. Ron Jones says the video leaves a lot out, such as a new access road along the Essex Terminal Railway tracks, the 32-hectare plaza the new bridge would have to have to accomodate secondary truck inspection and the VACIS X-ray machine.
  
  “I don’t think the people in the west side are going to buy into it,” said Jones.
  
  “It’s nothing more than a subterfuge on the part of the bridge company to confuse the people. If they don’t realize they have to have a plaza then why are they trying to buy up land on Indian (Road) on Bloomfield (Road) on Edison (Street)?” said Jones.
  
  “People on the west side do not need to be afraid. They don’t have to go and sell their homes,” said Jones.
  
  “They’re not going to be expropriated. The bridge company does not have expropriation powers.”
  
  He said some residents have been approached by a real estate company which has told them if they don’t sell now they won’t be able to get as much for their homes later.
  
  Jones and Cuderman said the bridge is trying to buy up homes along Bloomfield Road for an access road that would lead to the E.C. Row Expressway.
  
  The bridge has presented plans in the past which include the access road.
  Sandwich resident Terry Kennedy thinks the smoothly flowing traffic depicted in the video is “a Utopian view.”
  
  “We think it’s going to be a parking lot in the sky than anything else. This is a bad work of fantasy for anybody viewing it,”said Kennedy.
  The video does not show traffic flowing on the current bridge.
  
  One of the anonymous comments entered on the YouTube website was, “Congratulations Mr. Moroun. We can hardly wait.”
  
  A spokesperson for the bridge could not be reached for comment.

PUBLISHED VERSION

• Bridge video 'subterfuge' Dale Molnar, Windsor Star Monday, March 19, 2007
  
  Town of Sandwich residents appear unimpressed by a new computer-generated video that shows what a proposed second span of the Ambassador Bridge will look like.
  
  The Detroit International Bridge Company recently posted the artist's concept video on the website YouTube to show local residents what the bridge has in mind for a second span just west of the current bridge. "It doesn't look very professional at all. It doesn't say much," said truck watch coalition co-ordinator Mary Ann Cuderman.
  
  The fly-over video sweeps over and hovers above the existing plaza on the U.S. side highlighting the areas for the plaza and proposed plaza expansion to the west as well as the Michigan Department of Transportation interchange at I-75.
  
  It flies over the six-lane suspension bridge with traffic flowing in the both directions. The 67-second video shows bridge towers nearly twice the height of the Ambassador Bridge. On the Canadian side, the video hovers over the current plaza plus the additional plaza to the west for six truck inspection lanes.
  
  LEAVES OUT A LOT
  
  Ward 2 Coun. Ron Jones said the video leaves a lot out, such as a new access road along the Essex Terminal Railway tracks, the 32-hectare plaza the new bridge would have to have to accommodate secondary truck inspection and the VACIS X-ray machine.
  
  "I don't think the people in the west side are going to buy into it," said Jones. "It's nothing more than a subterfuge on the part of the bridge company to confuse the people. If they don't realize they have to have a plaza then why are they trying to buy up land on Indian (Road) on Bloomfield (Road) on Edison (Street)?"
  
  "People on the west side do not need to be afraid. They don't have to go and sell their homes. They're not going to be expropriated. The bridge company does not have expropriation powers."
  
  Jones and Cuderman said the bridge is trying to buy up homes along Bloomfield Road for an access road that would lead to E.C. Row Expressway.
  
  Sandwich resident Terry Kennedy thinks the smoothly flowing traffic depicted in the video is "a Utopian view."
  
  "We think it's going to be a parking lot in the sky more than anything else. This is a bad work of fantasy for anybody viewing it."
  
  A spokesman for the bridge could not be reached for comment."