car oriented

After walking to the Public Information Centre for the Hamilton Cycling Master Plan at the Downtown Education Centre (it's good to have it downtown), much to my dismay, I encountered a familiar problem: the sign on the front door directing attendees to enter via the rear doors, off the parking lot.

So many public buildings, be they schools, churches, or this downtown ed centre, have altered the original architectural design's function (i.e. front doors) to favour access to parking lots as the way in and out of the building. To be fair, this was an evening event and I was told that the rear doors were used because security for the building wanted it that way. Still, to me, this is a symptom of a culture that expects people to drive cars, and not walk, take transit or cycle to these destinations.

And on the subject of cycling: no bicycle parking was available for those who arrived on two wheels. Shouldn't all public institutions (at least) have adequate bicycle parking to encourage active modes of transportation? Of course they should...