More ferries needed, not new tunnels and bridges
City of North Vancouver Mayor Darrell Mussatto is living in a time warp, calling for a tunnel under Coal Harbour.
We are about to phase out a perfectly functional tunnel in Delta and replace it with a bridge that will never seriously address the traffic problem. The main problem with tunnels or bridges is the roadways and traffic that merge into those connectors on either end, causing gridlock.
The main aim of the SeaBus was to reduce the number of vehicles entering downtown traffic on the existing bridges. Phasing out the SeaBus and replacing it with a tunnel would be a step backward.
I recently visited Sydney, Australia, and Auckland, New Zealand, which, like Vancouver, are blessed with large and scenic harbours. Those cities take advantage of their waterways with an extensive ferry system that is used by commuters and tourists.
I believe if we are serious about Vancouver being a green city — even though I smile every time I read it since we are the SUV capital of the world — we should expand out harbour ferry system. Alan Scott, Vancouver
Trees fall for bikes?
I can’t believe how quiet the Greenies are about the chainsawing of 19 beautiful, half-grown Japanese cherry trees this week near Granville Island along the seawall for — you guessed it — an expanded bike lane.
Where is the outrage from the save-the-planet crowd? These trees use up carbon, are a nice tourist attraction, and now they are gone. Nice job, Mayor Gregor Robertson. You have tax money to sue Kinder Morgan, but saving trees is not on your agenda. Hal Genzel, Delta
Courts are the problem
I’m tired of the opinions of Kash Heed, Mike Morris (both ex-cops) and NDP critic Mike Farnworth with respect to gang violence and crime.
The problem is our inefficient judicial system. The police work hard to put cases forward only to have the courts put really bad dudes back into circulation. It is impossible to shoot a rival or steal a car when you are behind bars. Jim Girdlestonoe, Surrey
Brexit vote wasn’t fair
Former British prime minister Tony Blair was wrong about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq in 2003, but does it mean he has to be wrong about other issues? Not at all.
Last month, he said the Brexit referendum had been a bad idea because people were not made aware of the terms of divorce from Brussels. Also, because Brexit could destabilize the U.K., the First Minister of Scotland is demanding another referendum on Scottish independence because Scotland was and is against Brexit. David Cameron, a more recent former British prime minister, could have prevented this mess by setting one condition on the vote: All four U.K. countries must be in favour for Britain to remove itself from the European Union. Jerzy Rudowski, Langley
Bully apologist
It is unbelievable that trucking columnist John Stirling would even consider defending the bullying action of semi-truck drivers in his March 14 column. The ho-hum attitude of these drivers who will pass on two-lane highways, forcing oncoming vehicles onto the gravel shoulder, is far more common than most people realize.
How convenient of Stirling to blame the roads rather than the truckers. Years ago, truckers were considered to be the knights of the highways — now they’ve become the nightmares. Gerald Baskett, Coquitlam