Driving is a privilege, not a right

Re: “The Folly of Victoria’s war on the car,” column, July 26.

Shame on Steve Wallace and anyone else who complains — especially in an oblique way — about bike lanes or free bus passes for youths.

We are a city that purports to be all about being “green,” yet are collectively so hung up on whether the alternatives to cars are fitting into our vehicle-centric lifestyle.

So what if you have to be more alert at the wheel because you are sharing the road with cyclists, or you actually have to plan your trip around parking?

This sort of myopic “off my lawn” sentiment just shatters any credibility that we have as a city. And credibility matters, at this point, as those very youth who suck up your tax dollars are looking to us to secure their future, and Alberta jeers about how we are “all talk.”

Our lifestyle is not compatible with the necessary reductions to avoid catastrophic warming, and cars are a part of this — especially in a city like Victoria that is well suited to alternative forms of transportation such as bikes.

I understand that not all seniors can hop on a bike (although I would be delighted to pay more tax to subsidize free bus passes for them), but we need to start looking at driving as a privilege, not a right. An indulgence, even.

I know I’m treading on a few lawns by writing this as a bike-boosting millennial, but good grief, we need to stop fussing and start changing the way we live.

Becky Radermacher Victoria