Editor: Re: Uptown development stirs up controversy, the Record, May 3.
In regards to Coun. Mary Trentadue’s statement: “We need to stop building for cars and build for people.”
I take umbrage with (that) statement. People drive cars, so when we build for cars, we are building for people. I am not too concerned about the development on Sixth Street because I don’t live in that area, but I do agree with Mr. Beckett about street parking. Even if you add only 10 per cent more cars to the current number of cars parking on New West streets, there is no room for them.
I don’t believe that cars are going to go away. Even when we run out of gas, people will find a way to propel their vehicles with alternative fuels, and the reason they will do that is because cars are so convenient. There is no other mode of transportation that has provided the ease and convenience of the automobile.
Perhaps it is time governments took their head out of the sand and started dealing with this issue in a constructive manner, and I am not talking about more fuel taxes, congestion taxes or any other means of penalizing people who are just trying to get to work every day.
People rarely live in the same neighbourhoods where they work. They haven’t done that for a long, long time.
Services are not always conveniently located in every neighbourhood. Some people have to travel great distances to get to work or access services, and some people simply don’t have the luxury of using public transit.
It is unconscionable to allow all this new development and not deal with the traffic congestion in that area, or the many other traffic congestion problems in other areas of the city. I’ve lived in New West for four years and I haven’t seen any improvements in these areas. I don’t drive anymore.
I take public transit everywhere and I think we have a wonderful public transit system, but it doesn’t solve all our transportation issues and never will.
New West doesn’t have a lot of area to grow, but it is going to grow anyway and it is inevitable that increased density will increase traffic congestion. We would be wise to deal with it now, before it gets much, much worse.
Betty R. L. Gray, New Westminster
