Hard-to-house housing will make life safer
I am greatly relieved to read that Island Health is planning facilities for hard-to-house patients in Nanaimo and Victoria.
The article in the Tuesday edition mentions that there is a 12-bed segregated space at the Summit long-term care home in Victoria. As a long-term volunteer at the Summit, I can attest that although these patients may reside in a segregated unit they are free to access other spaces in the building.
In the past few weeks I have witnessed two residents having a fistfight at the main reception desk and a woman swearing loudly at staff while elderly residents sat a few feet away trying to enjoy musical performances.
I have seen an Island Health security officer at the Summit but I feel that this should not be a necessity in a long-term care home. Most of the elderly residents are frail and should not be subjected to this behaviour.
Alanna Wrean
Victoria
A second opinion on Shelbourne’s future
Re: “Ill-conceived bike lanes along Shelbourne,” letter, Aug. 15.
I live near Shelbourne and commute along it frequently. I support bike lanes on Shelbourne.
Shelbourne is unsuitable for cars for the following reasons: We ride bicycles for many reasons and will continue to do so; the city has actively encouraged increased density on this street, thereby increasing the number of people needing to get to and from their homes; people who live on this street require services (medical, home repair, delivery, gardening, emergency vehicles, utility companies, etc.) that could more easily reach their destination if on-street parking were removed and Shelbourne turned into a primarily pedestrian and cyclist street, with lanes dedicated to transit and other priority traffic; people have visitors who need to safely access housing along Shelbourne without the threat of being struck by motor vehicles driven by unskilled drivers moving at 50 km/h.
Multi-family housing often has no more than one visitor parking space. This space could be most efficiently used for bicycle parking as opposed to a single car, taking cars off the road and easing the load on Shelbourne’s side streets.
Shelbourne is heavily used. It is a major route for bicycles, buses, emergency and heavy construction vehicles. Removing cars from Shelbourne would free space for all of these important road-users to pass through without being held up by cars.
Separated bike lanes won’t protect cyclists from conflict at intersections, bus stops, crosswalks, driveways and other interruptions in barriers that would be required. Removing cars altogether would solve this problem.
As it stands, with all the cars and on-street parking it is more difficult for emergency vehicles to move through Shelbourne than if cars were absent. Bicycles and pedestrians can clear a roadway for emergency vehicles significantly faster than cars.
For too long, cars on Shelbourne have been disruptive and unsafe. Just because cars have ruled for decades does not mean it is sensible for Victoria to maintain the status quo.
Why not make Shelbourne Street like Government Street, where important throughways for vital motor vehicles to access buildings are maintained, and pedestrians and cyclists can safely navigate the roadway during peak hours?
Why were some of the original road users on Shelbourne, pedestrians and cyclists, not considered when Shelbourne was turned from a quaint country road to an inter-city stroad?
Alexander Darby
Saanich
Take a second look at Shelbourne plans
Shelbourne Street between Hillside and Haultain is a residential area and not suitable for these bike lanes. It is home to many people, among them seniors.
One family of seniors pays the city for a business licence to operate a stand on their property. They sell flowers and vegetables from their garden. This supplements their income.
They also require various medical services and help. People who buy from their stand will no longer be able to stop to purchase items and people coming to offer medical assistance will have no place to park. I am one of those people who come to help and buy items from the stand. Losing parking on this street almost feels like the people on Shelbourne are being discriminated against while others on streets around them have residential parking only.
The city should reconsider its decision on this part of Shelbourne and come up with solution that will provide parking for these residents and bike lanes as they have done on other streets or make bike lanes on Scott Street or other streets in the area.
Barbara Beckwith
Saanich
Photo radar was not the perfect solution
Re: “No more patience on Malahat upgrades,” letter, Aug. 9.
The suggestion that photo radar be returned does not understand that the previous photo radar did not work.
The process that was in place to distribute the tickets was an utter failure, and while the concept seems good, the application didn’t work.
At the time photo radar was in place, I was in a traffic enforcement unit of a large mainland centre. At one point, we set up an enforcement operation about one mile down the road from a photo radar van.
We found that the vehicles were driving much faster than they usually did on that stretch of highway. Making up time for slowing down through the photo radar?
We found that the photo radar sites became well known to most drivers, and their behaviour changed while driving though the zone, only to be followed by a huge increase in speed once it was passed.
Most police departments are running well below their ideal staffing levels, causing a removal of members from traffic enforcement into general policing, allowing drivers free rein to go as fast as they please.
Drivers: You are on an Island, what’s your rush, you’re only going to run into water sooner or later!
One question I have is how the writer “clocked” other drivers at 160 km/h plus? Did she pace them at the same speed, or has she her own radar/laser unit?
The province, rather than wasting money on photo radar, should copy Alberta’s example of tasking provincial sher iffs with traffic enforcement duties.
This has been quite a success, and speeding in Alberta has been reduced somewhat.
G.D. Kilvington
Duncan
Ferries and railways to fix Malahat mess
I’ve been driving the Malahat since 1963. Boy, have things changed since then!
Although the changes that have been made over the years such as widening, creating extra lanes, adding barriers etc. are called “improvements,” I don’t consider them as such.
I honestly feel that I am taking my life in my hands if I need to drive up-Island. What has resulted from these so-called improvements is: Drivers behaving as if they are on a racetrack, often clocking 100-110 or more; drivers tailgating impatiently behind a driver who is following the speed limit; added difficulties for emergency vehicles needing to access accidents; more accidents blocking the route caused by excessive speeding.
Something needs to be done.
Possible solutions include increasing capacity and frequency of sailings from Brentwood to Mill Bay and the reinstatement of passenger rail.
The railway should be the top priority. Think of the millions of dollars being spent yearly on these Malahat “improvements.” There is no point in adding buses to the mix as they will be stopped in the Colwood crawl.
I know all these things have been talked about ad infinitum, but something needs to be done. I have voted NDP for years. However, any provincial party that puts forward a proper transportation plan for the lower Island, (and for that matter, a real plan to improve our medical system) will get my vote.
Annie Weeks
Victoria
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