Stick to your guns on McKenzie changes
A recent letter-writer thinks that Saanich’s plan to replace car lanes on McKenzie with dedicated bus lanes is naive “unicorn and rainbows” thinking.
What is really naive is thinking that providing ever more space for cars will solve our congestion problems. This has been tried in cities around the world for the past 100 years and it has never been successful in the long term: when you provide more capacity for cars, more people will drive, and eventually the congestion only gets worse.
That is why the strong consensus among transportation planning professionals is that the only way to deal with traffic congestion in cities is to reallocate our limited road space in order to move more people rather than cars. This means providing people with more transportation options by improving transit and making it easier and safer to get around by walking and cycling.
Dedicated transit lanes on McKenzie will be a game changer for transit service, making it a much more attractive option compared with being stuck in traffic.
I really hope that Saanich sticks to its guns on this one, and doesn’t listen to the armchair critics who think they know better than the professional staff.
Rob Maxwell
Victoria
15 minutes — to get through intersection
It looks like Saanich’s “15 minute neighbourhood” actually means the amount of time that it will take to get through the McKenzie/Quadra intersection, if they reduce car traffic to one lane each way.
John Chase
Saanich
After Trump’s victory, let’s craft a strategy
Leaving reactions to the U.S. election outcome aside (not an easy thing to do), it’s hardly too soon for Canadian political and economic leadership to assess the implications for Canada of what may be a very different trade relationship with the U.S. than what we have been accustomed to.
From what I read, Trump will favour economic policies that ensure American, rather than other national interests, including Canadian.
Yeah, I know, brothers from a single mother, and all that maunder; but I think it would be a lot more open-eyed to assume we will be lint on Trump’s sleeve.
I pose a simple question: should Canadian leadership just wait and see what happens (too often the Canadian reflex), or craft an economic strategy, including global trade relationships, that anticipates U.S. challenges and Canadian setbacks?
A vast percentage of our trade is with the U.S. That trade represents a lot of Canadian jobs and goes a long way to supporting our economy and the vaunted Canadian standard of living.
I think we don’t want to be caught with our pants down on this one.
Gene Miller
Victoria
Reflections on the U.S. election
Benjamin Franklin was once asked what was at stake politically, a republic or a monarchy? His reply was “a republic, if you can keep it.”
Perhaps he might better have replied “if you deserve it.”
They do not.
Bob Beazley
Victoria
Governments follow different deer ideas
The federal government is killing deer with helicopters and rifles, while at the same time netting them for cougars in a bizarre animal version of skip the dishes.
They do this because the deer are eating the wrong plants.
Meanwhile, municipal governments allow deer of all shapes and sizes to wander freely.
Can someone introduce the left hand to the right hand before we end up with helicopters strafing Uplands Park?
Bill Carere
Victoria
Humans are too destructive
It’s almost 2025 and in the past two weeks alone I have read very disturbing news articles regarding the glorious surrounding ocean and the events that have recently occurred and we should all be deeply concerned.
Articles, for example, about a sick, emaciated baby orca, netting removed from a sea lion in a gut-wrenching rescue, a Canadian Coast Guard ship filled with illegal shark fins, scientists discovering microplastics in the breath of dolphins, a Canadian missile aborted and irretrievable so more trash at the bottom of the sea, and finally one million cruise ship visitors this summer in Victoria so more pollution from those gigantic vessels. It all begs the question: Why are we still such a destructive species?
Perhaps it’s time to retrieve our critical thinking skills from the back burner and we better hurry.
Anne Forbes
Victoria
Consider where municipal taxes go
Even though I’ve moved, I still like to read the local paper — after all, Victoria was home for most of my life. Occasionally, I get a chuckle when I read a letter, and feel I have to share my amusement.
A letter writer thinks that a fee should be charged to park one’s vehicle on the street where you live. Putting aside the fact that we all pay taxes to live there, I ask myself “what would be next?”
A permit for walking on the local sidewalk? How about one to use the trash can? We all pay taxes for a reason, it helps maintain things like a residential street, or a sidewalk.
I’ll keep reading, but I’m just saying …
Timothy Hill
Burnaby
Clean downtown to encourage tourists
Re: “Victoria needs to stay competitive in attracting world travellers: tourism head,” Nov. 5.
The comment: “If we don’t have a plan and prioritize a plan, then we won’t actually get to a future vision of where we’re competitive” refers, in part, to the vision held to encourage greater tourism possibilities.
Those outlined are encouraging. But, for whatever reason, one significant thing left out of their plan is: Cleaning up the streets in the downtown (beyond the Inner Harbour area).
They are not in appetizing condition, something locals complain about. So how will that sit with visitors as they relate their experiences in Victoria with relatives and friends — potential future tourists?
Dave Hockley
Victoria
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