Time to show cyclists more respect
After sending a cyclist a $3,700 bill after he was hurt in a collision, it appears ICBC has declared open season on cyclists.
Apparently it is acceptable if a motorist fails to stop at a stop sign and strikes a cyclist.
ICBC declaring a bicycle the same as an uninsured vehicle is absurd. There is no provision in the Motor Vehicle Act for cyclist insurance, ICBC does not offer cyclist insurance and, in ICBC logic, an injured cyclist seemingly must prove they were not a fault and contributed to their injuries.
It is time police took aggressive action to enforce cyclists’ rights. Too often a driver seemingly refuses to see a cyclist and uses the “get out of jail free card” blaming the cyclist for not being visible enough, or as in one case had too much light and were too visible.
Cyclists riding in cycle lanes in rural areas frequently have to contend with pedestrians treating the cycle lane as a two-way sidewalk and the pedestrian has the right of way, forcing the cyclist to pull out with their back to the traffic to evade them.
Shouts, bells or horns are not enough to have the pedestrians, often wearing earbuds, allow the cyclist to pass safely.
If we are to achieve the goals politicians claim for “active transportation,” we need an attitude change and more respect for cyclists. This is one instance where less than no respect for cyclists is demonstrated by ICBC.
Norm Ryder
Central Saanich
How to treat old-growth protesters
With the Save Old Growth group and Rainforest Flying Squad announcing the resumption of their protests, I expect them to be treated exactly the same as the Freedom Convoy protesters by law enforcement and the judiciary.
Peaceful and lawful protests will be allowed, illegal blockades and encampments will be prevented and removed, organizers will be remanded in custody without bail and funding accounts will be frozen or appropriated for those harmed by the protests.
I also expect Justin Trudeau to denounce the protesters as a fringe minority and John Horgan to publicly say that he feels sorry for them.
Alan Humphries
Victoria
Sunflowers could help with waste
The plan to ship Victoria’s biosolids to Vancouver to the LaFarge cement plant in Richmond for disposing of the byproduct of the sewage treatment system is wasteful and is adding to greenhouse gas emissions.
The diesel trucks for the transport of the “Class A” biosolids emit pollution as does the ferry or tug, or a waste-laden barge that must cross the strait to Vancouver.
If we do spread these biosolids containing “contaminants of concern” upon the landfill, then we could plant sunflowers to absorb these “forever chemicals” from the biosolids. As Helen Chesnut has said, “the roots absorb and eliminate toxins from the soil.”
The plants would require disposal afterward, but the soil would be remediated.
Sunflowers are called phytoremediators and can take up the chemicals to negate the biosolid toxicity. I think the spreading of biosolids from the biodigestor of the Hartland Landfill on the surrounding trees is a short-term solution.
The flowers and stalks after remediation must be disposed of, and by using a pyrolyzer that transforms them into biochar, can be useful in the production of concrete, according to studies from Cornell University.
In High River, Alta., in the 2013 flooding event, this phytoremediation technique was used to detoxify the agricultural soil. I’m certain this process could be duplicated in the flood-ravaged farmlands of Abbotsford and Chilliwack to extract the many toxins that are present long after the waters subsided so that the heavy metals, pharmaceuticals and bacteria would not affect the agricultural products of this region.
For those below the Hartland Landfill site concerned about the toxicity of the groundwater for their vegetable gardens, I think planting sunflowers would show both solidarity with the Ukrainians and a positive means to clean up the toxicity of our landfill’s chemical waste through phytoremediation.
Rafe Sunshine
Victoria
Minimum-wage jobs going to foreign workers
Re: “Lifting of quarantine for foreign workers good news for farmers,” March 31.
In January, 1.1 million Canadians were looking for work, and 663,000 were receiving EI benefits.
I understand that foreign workers are motivated to work for minimum wage, which is helping their families back home. Can’t blame farmers, Canadians don’t want to work for minimum wage. Social programs are too generous, it seems.
Someday, though, Canadians may regret that they are unwilling to work at minimum wage and their kids’ summer jobs have disappeared. And, maybe, good jobs.
Phil Harrison
Comox
Tax benefits from highrise buildings
I read many objections to various councils approving highrise condo development, all complaining about the “downside” of such development.
Nobody ever mentions the huge financial difference for the council, that instead of getting one or a few annual house tax payments, they will receive dozens of annual tax payments, each of which is probably in excess of that for a single home on the lot.
This “extra” income for the council means they have to take less from the rest of their residents in order to meet the needs of their annual budget, which means a lower “mill rate,” thus reducing any increase in the annual tax for those residents who are complaining about highrise development.
Ed Buscall
Brentwood Bay
Quieter balls for pickleball
I have been playing pickleball for a few years and have been hearing about all kinds of courts getting “shut down,” including recently built ones. I think if I lived close to a pickleball court the noise would get to me, too.
There is a simple solution. If everyone switched to the foam balls that are available here in Victoria, the noise would be much reduced. There are racquets available as well that deaden the noise as well, but those are a lot more expensive than a few balls.
I know that some residents don’t like the noise of people laughing and having fun while they are playing, but maybe they should try it themselves with a foam ball and a quiet racquet.
It is a fun game and enjoyed by all ages. Pickleball is here to stay.
Wendy McBride
North Saanich
Pickleball’s popularity might be hurt by noise
Re: “What became of the pickleball players?” letter, April 2.
The letter-writer states that in his opinion the difference between the sound of a wooden pickleball paddle hitting a hard plastic whiffleball and the sound of a tautly strung tennis racket hitting a tennis ball is “pretty negligible.” Oh really?
Ask any close neighbour or any honest pickleball player and you’ll get a different answer.
“Pretty negligible”? Tell that to Spendiarian & Willis, acoustic experts from Tucson, Arizona.
In a report for Port Moody residents who successfully argued for removal of pickleball courts at Chestnut Way Park, these consultants state that “pickleball with its persistent impulsive sounds constitutes a significant change in the acoustic environment of the area surrounding the courts compared to tennis … [and produces] chronic activation of the sympathetic nervous system which leads to stress, fatigue and anxiety.”
Faced with pressure for more outdoor pickleball courts and noise complaints from neighbours, planners are finding it very difficult to identify suitable locations in our region’s existing parks.
Pickleball is riding a rocket of popularity, but it will fall back to Earth without an answer for the excessive, debilitating noise that it creates.
Rob Harvey
Saanich
Making life affordable for working families
Re: “Saving medicare should have been sole goal of deal between Liberals, NDP,” column, April 3.
Lawrie McFarlane missed the NDP’s objective in forming the supply agreement with the Liberals, to wit, saving universal health care. The fact that 90 per cent of right-wing supporters were against the agreement only confirms their decision.
I feel that Tommy Douglas would support programs that extend universality to the most needy in our society. Poor dental care is a factor in the poor health outcomes of the poor.
Being forced to choose between a roof overhead, food to eat or filling a prescription is not a choice anyone in a just society should be forced to make.
A medical system that supports the wealthy over the needy is just wrong. These programs will save money for government in the long run and make life more affordable for working families.
Peter Nalleweg
Victoria
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