Dear editor,
Step outside. The air is clear and you can hear the birds singing. The oversized trucks are mostly silent, as are the roadways and streets. This is not only because larger cities are mostly shut down, but because the Valley is as well, so now you still have a clear view to the mountains in the evening. We are all breathing easier.
What can we do to try and keep it this way?
I suggest that the Comox Valley has too much pavement and little self-regulation. No speed limit enforcement and four lanes on Lerwick, Cliffe Avenue and Veterans Memorial Way have created speedways to the next light. Talk of expanding the bypass is counterproductive in the effort to slow climate change.
Bike shops report an increase in sales, and families are biking again. Remember the fight to get a bike lane on Cliffe Avenue? Come on councils and engineers: this is your chance to think differently and show commitment about the health of our communities and how we tackle climate change. Use the excessive pavement, narrow the streets and install bike lanes.
Mel McLachlan,
Comox