To the Editor,
Re: Gabriola ferry proposals flawed, Letters, Oct 4.
I totally agree with Al Strano that moving the Gabriola Island ferry terminal from downtown Nanaimo to Duke Point is currently a bad idea, for the reasons he outlined.
But what about the future?
Is he and others travelling to/from Gabriola prepared to indefinitely absorb rapidly rising ferry fares for a continued reduction in service, or does he expect taxpayers to build a bridge to the island?
What my article proposed is that in the future we shift away from the private automobile and move toward an integrated (seamless) system that results in actual cost savings, reduced pollution, greater efficiencies, better (physical and emotional) health outcomes and stronger social connections, reducing both crime and taxes along the way.
For the few (like me) who will still need to take a motor vehicle to/from the island, the infrastructure currently exists to accomplish this.
For the many who will be happy to jump on to a new and faster foot/bicycle ferry, transfer to efficient transit (bus, train, sea-plane, taxi, fast ferry to downtown Vancouver, etc.) or grab a car share vehicle, the existing Gabriola terminal area will work very well.
The past does not dictate the future. Good thing, as we cannot continue with the existing ways of moving people around.
Neither the economy nor the ecology will permit it.
Ian Gartshore
Nanaimo