To the editor,
I have to respond to Chuck Warren's response (Letterhead, "Twinning is
Winning," Nov. 28) to Tim Bousquet's article ("Dual Nature," Nov. 22) on twinning the 103 Highway. His solution is a much better one in terms of lives saved. If this province were to get serious about reducing car traffic, we would see a commensurate decrease in car-related deaths, to a much greater extent than we would see from the highway being twinned. This is such a simple concept, even Chuck should get it. If more people are riding trains and buses, there are fewer people to kill or be killed in the cars they're driving. Not only that, but the environment wins, too.
For too long in this province and this country, car drivers have felt a sense of entitlement to unfettered access to driving their cars wherever and whenever they want at taxpayers' expense for road-building and maintenance and the health costs of accidents. While they, too, pay taxes and love the freedom, they want zero responsibility for the negative impacts cars and driving have. The sweet deal needs to end—for our planet, for our safety and for our tax dollars.
By Edson Castilho