LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Poor roads give buses a beating Re: “Hundreds of buses stuck in garage” (Montreal Gazette, Nov. 13)

I’m not surprised STM buses average only 4,152 kilometres before needing maintenance, given the very poor road conditions many of them travel on. Pierrefonds Blvd. west of St-Charles Blvd. is a good example. Imagine the stress on the suspension as buses bang their way along this stretch of road in either direction — including the new hybrid models that cost more than $1 million each. The STM should check every route and insist that bus lanes meet a certain level of smoothness. Something as basic as this would significantly increase the average number of kilometres travelled before maintenance is required. If the city can’t pay for repaving, then the STM should set aside a fund for this purpose and treat it as a long-term investment. As it stands, the beautiful new STM buses are only a short-term investment and the older ones are doomed with these poor roads. Gary Kukulsky, Pierrefonds

Flying saucers and fuel gauges Re: “Buses routinely run out of gas: union” and “Retired McGill professor says UFO may be extraterrestrial” (Montreal Gazette, Nov. 14)

There has to be “intelligent life” out there in the universe. The recent sightings of unexplained phenomena off the coast of Ireland is proof enough for me. It’s obvious they were heading for Montreal to witness the phenomenon of a city under siege from orange cones. Yet, as soon as they detected a city under siege from non-intelligent life, they high-tailed it home. How else to explain an international city with a fleet of buses that don’t have gauges to show how much fuel is left in the tank? Barry Beloff, Montreal

How to keep the fun in hockey Re: “Blowout leads to calls to keep kids’ hockey fun” (Sports, Nov. 7)

I applaud efforts to contain runaway scores in a bid to preserve the fun in kids’ sports. However, not posting the score on a board fools no one and does little to buoy the battered team nor develop skills in players who remain unable to touch the puck or engage in play. Similarly, requiring the dominant team to pass the puck a number of times before scoring, or worse, to maintain possession without being permitted to score at all, is arguably more patronizing and discouraging than an honest blowout. To revive fun, and to ensure balanced play, halt the official game and mix up the teams. Throw sticks into the centre, swap jerseys or don pinnies. In sport, as in life, there is little so transformative to perspective as having your opponent one minute become your linemate the next. Ingrid Kovitch, Westmount

Time for Habs to move Price

Here we go again. It seems to me the trouble with the Habs is an overpaid Carey Price. He has had physical problems and now, it seems, mental ones. He should be traded ASAP; otherwise, it is going to be another lost season for the Canadiens. So much for GM Marc Bergevin’s five-year plan, now in its seventh year. John Schwetlich, Cartierville