City councillors out of touch with free weekend transit | Letters to the Editor

OC Transpo LRT Photo by Tony Caldwell /Postmedia

Article content

Unbe-leaf-able

Article content

I was agog when reading about the tree damage to houses in Copeland Park and the lack of response from the City, or maybe I wasn’t. It seems, when convenient, the City ‘saves’ trees at the expense of people. The city seems to have no problem allowing small houses like these to be torn down (along with every tree on the lot) to accommodate mega-homes. One need only look around the city’s older neighbourhoods to see the ground scoured of trees, and smaller older homes crowded by the concrete monoliths. In Ward 12, every time a smaller sized house goes up for sale, we gulp, knowing that it is likely to be torn down along with the glorious tree canopy that is supposed to be such a priority. Where is the city in these circumstances? There is an affordable housing shortage here. If we don’t help people stay in these smaller, apparently expendable, houses, we are just spinning our wheels and paying lip service on both the tree and housing strategies in this city. Ottawa you can do better for your residents!

Article content

Article content

Article content

Evelyne Power, Ottawa

Article content

The offer of free transit is out of touch

Article content

How out of touch with reality are politicians? The offer of FREE light rail on a system that is in serious financial trouble is not free when taxpayers are out of pocket four billion dollars. We overpaid….overpaid……OVERPAID! We deserve an investigation as to the costs of this mess. Totally unacceptable.

Article content

Dave Currier, Barrhaven

Article content

Crossing Ottawa’s wide intersections is scary

Article content

Article content

In reading the article on bike and pedestrian safety on our roads, I was struck by how dedicated people like Chris Hircock are to Vision Zero. Anyone who has crossed some of our very wide intersections on foot or a bicycle or witnessed what Chris has in school zones can attest to the frights they have had.

Article content

I would like to add a suggestion: Make safety helmets mandatory for all cyclists and scooter riders, regardless of age, and forbid the wearing of earphones while cycling. Earbuds at least allow one to hear a horn or bell. Earphones do not. With all the stats on head injuries from accidents involving bicycles and scooters, it makes no sense at all to allow anyone to go without this basic safety gear.

Article content

Article content

Joanna Crilly, Ottawa

Article content

Article content

Parking at Tunney’s Pasture should be free on evenings and weekends

Article content

Evening and weekend parking is next to impossible to find at the north end of Parkdale Avenue despite the existence of 3,754 spaces at the Tunney’s Pasture federal employment site of 121 acres. Parking at Tunney’s used to be free outside of office hours. Now, parking is managed by Reef Parking with Parking Indigo operating closer to Scott Street. How times have changed. The word “extortion” comes to mind.

Article content

Article content

Article content

Article content

Article content

Article content