Re: “Victoria mayor throws down the Heidelberg Challenge," June 1.
In 2004, my family and I did a house exchange to Jonkoping, Sweden, population 100,000. It felt like we’d walked into the future.
Separated bicycle paths linked the city. One-quarter of the city centre was pedestrian only.
In our two-week stay, I never saw any public drunkenness or homelessness. Sewage was turned into bio gas for cars and a clean, efficient train and bus system linked the city.
Bus stops had screens showing in real time when buses equipped with GPS would be arriving. Grocery stores had recycling stations and used taxes to reduce demand for pollution and junk food: Gasoline was $2.25 a litre, a cheap bottle of wine was $25, a bag of potato chips was $4 and a package of cigarettes was $12.
As it was explained to me, they then used this tax shifting money and high personal income taxes to subsidize bike paths, free university tuition, community rec centres and teen centres.
The Swedes would be shocked to see single-occupancy cars idling in the Colwood Crawl beside the Galloping Goose trail that could be used for commuter rail while still keeping the bicycle paths.
Let’s support Mayor Helps. The future is already working in Heidelberg and Jonkoping.
Jim Pine
Victoria
