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No to bridge; we need to get people out of cars

The goal should be to get vehicles off the road and drivers into rapid transit
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No to bridge; we need to get people out of cars

Dear Premier John Horgan:

I fully support your idea of getting rapid transit, if not trains, running on the Island’s sadly vacant rail tracks.

However, any idea of building a bridge across the eco-sensitive Saanich Inlet is misdirected and money wasted.

The goal should be to get vehicles off the road and drivers into rapid transit on our (once repaired) rail tracks, or into a fleet of electric/hydrogen-cell buses on our roads.

Additionally, rail and bus service needs to be far more frequent to accommodate commuters and tourists wishing to park their cars.

A bridge or another costly highway between Cowichan and Victoria would merely pander to more cars, continuing the current deadly cycle of crashes and air pollution — not to mention millions in taxpayer dollars for those projects.

Our reliable, time-saving Mill Bay ferry also needs to be modernized, with more daily sailings added, to help diffuse gridlock and operate as an alternative in case of Malahat crashes.

By the way Premier Horgan, fuel trucks should drive the Malahat at night when there’s less traffic and should be guided by support vehicles to prevent rollovers and fuel-dumping accidents.

Smart thinking now for more residents and tourists arriving on the Island is needed now, not after they come and contribute to our growing gridlock.

Picture it this way: Would another freeway solve L.A.’s traffic woes? I think not.

Peter W. Rusland

Duncan