Rosemary Baxter
Comox Valley Echo
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
We've had to make six trips over the twisting road to Port Alberni over the last month and the traffic has been constantly heavy and challenging.
Yesterday's trip back to Courtenay was even more so with increased truck and RV traffic, not to mention the many small cars carrying surf boards and bikes, and it leaves us wondering what increased truck traffic from a prospective coal mine in the Valley will do to the safety of driving.
Personally? The drive will become a nightmare for everyone.
I was carefully driving the speed limit through the many miles of narrow curved roads that have very few 'slower traffic' lanes but there always seemed to be a truck right behind my back bumper ... and when these trucks passed me it wasn't long before they were 'tailing' another car. But what would have happened if anyone had to make a sudden stop? I'll leave that one for you to visualize!
The general public can't be held hostage to the money-making plans of any corporation, but it's also time all levels of government listened to the majority of it's citizens who call for more protection of our local environments (not less) and stop looking at us, the taxpayers, as collateral damage.
Rosemary Baxter
Courtenay