Editor:
I've been following the debate over replacement of the George Massey Tunnel with great interest and growing bewilderment.
Those who support spending billions of scarce infrastructure dollars on a massive bridge ground their argument on the claim there is a huge problem with traffic congestion at the Fraser River crossing that must be solved.
This is truly mystifying. I regularly use the tunnel in both directions at various times of the day and am never delayed more than a few seconds. Most of the time I barely have to slow down before heading into the tunnel.
Of course, I am either riding my motorcycle, taking the #601 bus (public transit is a wonderful thing) or driving with one or more companions. That means I get to use the HOV lane, travel at reasonable speed and merge seamlessly into traffic heading under the river. In case you are not familiar with the term, HOV stands for "high occupancy vehicle."
It is true that during rush hours one can't help but notice a significant back-up of cars and trucks not using the HOV lane. That is because they are what you might call "low occupancy vehicles" - one person taking up an inordinate amount of road space and burning an unconscionable amount of climate-destroying fossil fuel.
This is exactly what we need to discourage: the most inefficient form of human transportation ever created. First, by not facilitating it with irresponsible highway and bridge expansion and secondly by creating efficient and user-friendly public transit alternatives.
This is why it is so disappointing to see Jurassic Jackson and her band of Neanderthals (otherwise known as Delta's mayor and council) continuing to beat this horse that if not yet dead at least appears mercifully close to expiring.
We don't need freeways choked with gas-guzzling, single-driver cars.
Our communities south of the Fraser need 21st century transportation solutions focused around safe, clean and efficient mass transit.
That is the future we need to create.
Bob Ages
