Questionable decisions at City Hall
What a brilliant collection of comments in the Dec. 20 letters. They highlight the poor judgments (a kind description) made by Victoria City Hall over the past few years.
Clover Point: Bollards, picnic benches, food trucks and reduced access in fall and winter? The point is best appreciated in the storm months from a sheltering vehicle, be it car, bus or whatever. It is also too windy for picnics, or have the paragliders got it wrong?
Centennial Square: A perfect letter, implying the misguided “re-planning” put forward by millennials and hipsters. Is the square’s renovation a make-work project?
Fort Street: A writer decries the costly and unneeded bike lanes which have negatively altered the street, and calls for better governance through amalgamation.
Kudos to the brave letter writers. There are many who would agree but remain silent.
Martin Segger should not be alone in his campaign to save the Centennial Fountain. Let’s flood the newspaper with comments and maybe City Hall will get the message.
Then, the mayor would not have to “look under every rock” to find extra funds to support the many questionable projects that continue without the full public input which could be honestly considered.
Fix and maintain the fountain. It is a part of Victoria, period.
As for free bike parking: Hasn’t Victoria already paid enough money and disruption for more facilities for an exclusive group which does not represent the majority?
Perhaps motorists should demand free parking as well. That would be “fairsies,” and perhaps the surrounding districts’ residents will enjoy shopping downtown again.
Perhaps amalgamation really is the answer.
S.P. Cummins
Former Oak Bay and Victoria resident
Sidney
Clover Point works as a compromise
Why do some people want Clover Point fully re-opened to cars? Half of the loop is open and there is plenty of parking with great views all along Dallas Road.
I would prefer the point to be fully closed to cars, but the current arrangement seems like a reasonable compromise.
I’m a senior who enjoys the relative car-free serenity of Clover Point in just about any weather. I never drive there.
Ed Janicki
Victoria
Free valet parking for cars as well
While one marvels at former Victoria councillor John Luton’s accomplishments on behalf of the biking community, terming valet parking for bicycles an essential service is extreme hyperbole.
Parking is parking and if you want to come downtown by car or bike you should expect to pay for it.
Cyclists already get the free ride on licensing, registration and insurance that automobile owners must pay.
If only we had free valet parking for autos! That would make perfect sense since the number of parking spots available at any given time is rapidly diminishing as each new executive bike lane is installed on our streets.
If bike valet parking is charged “modestly,” Luton states it will erode the number of bikes parked. That is undoubtedly true because bikes can be parked anywhere.
The sense of entitlement pervading the biking community is alive and well.
P.G. (Phil) Leith
Victoria
EVs will put pressure on our transformers
Transformers that step down the electrical current on the grid need the reduced draw overnight to rest and cool down.
With a city full of electric vehicles charging overnight, transformers will fail in years, not decades. There are already transformer supply chain issues.
Not sure transformers are as easy to hoard as toilet paper, but maybe I will start laying aside some coal for my camp stove.
Martha McNeely
Oak Bay
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