Hiking and cycling
In the Feb. 14 Morning Star article “Ellison trail connection urged,” Brian Quiring raises the need for a bike trail to Ellison Provincial Park. Great idea! But we need to stop building cycling and hiking trails on road shoulders. It’s dangerous and unappealing!
People hike and cycle for recreation and health. Who needs to suck in noxious vehicle fumes or have a potential fatal accident with a vehicle? We need to plan dedicated cycling and hiking trails. That’s why rail trails are becoming so popular! Cycling tourism is growing and tourists don’t want to cycle on road shoulders. Nor do local residents. Scenic trails are much more attractive.
Whistler is an excellent example, with dedicated trails through its residential communities to parks, beaches, attractions, shopping, etc. It can be done. So, let’s get on with it!
Roseanne Van Ee
Vernon
A different way
Regarding Lysh Faulders’ letter about plastic straws: of course we all want a healthier world. And it does seem to be going the other way. As she says, the massive growth of the industrial system, has created an unhealthy growth in entertainment and drugs. With the advent of the “bomb,” the U.S., in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, became God. If we can’t solve the atomic possibilities, then this civilization will be replaced with a new one.
So if we have to go, turn up the music and open up the vials. We may as well go with a smile! But there is an option. Humans learned to walk upright, to talk and to write (unfortunately), now they have to learn to be honest and upright. You don’t believe me? We have no choice!
Merlin Wozniak
Political Observations
Regarding the letter in the Feb. 16 edition, “Trudeau and Notley: Honesty needed.”
As one peruses the readership letters you post, quite often one is encouraged by the insight expressed by the writers, but there are also exceptions?
As an example, “Honesty in government?” Historically honesty in government has not existed for eons, as subscribing to such beliefs would amount to political suicide. Disinformation and fake news has existed and flourished as an essential tool in the governing tool box, long before the reference to fake news was ever born. Why as an example are whistle blowers not recognized as bonafide patriots? Most of the ills we are struggling with are the product of lack of vision on the part of those we elected/hired, to better manage our affairs?
Was it ever invisible that being on one’s cell phone, in traffic, or even while navigating in parking lots, was somehow not distractive? So how come it took as endlessly long for the authorities to wake up to that irreversible reality? In the meantime we are periodically reminded that if we did not remunerate our politicians more handsomely, they will get better paying jobs in private industry.
The press, in the role of being the public’s conscience and right to know, also apparently missed that glaring point of contradiction. Clearly, there are far too many sacred cows in which miscalculations by those we elect and hire, can be exposed as not being citizen friendly or even useful?
Consider some of the groups of mail boxes around, how many of them provide flat access for the citizens to access their mail box contents, or even allow for the citizen to access their mail box contents without partly blocking the traffic lane on that side of the street? Are none of our civic politicians capable of visually recognizing hazard, if they are why are such instances not hard to encounter as one drives around the various communities. What level of training is needed to recognize and respond to such glaringly injurious circumstances? Must someone elderly break a hip for this sort of not accidental oversight, to be regretfully recognized (not so different from the cell phone issue needing several years, to expose itself as a legitimate hazard)?
Thank you for considering this very legitimate outline of observations.
Frank H. Lucianovich