The muddying of Colquitz Creek by a number of coincidental events is an example of how hard it is to plan for the unexpected. It makes me concerned, even more, about pipelines for oil and for natural gas and shipping oil and natural gas. Is it possible to safeguard against fog, storms, ship malfunctions, personal error, oil spills at sea, oil leaks along pipelines, gas leaks from pipes on the sea floor, earthquakes breaking pipes?
Secondly, some people are claiming that the new road changes along Shelbourne Street will cause them to burn more gas as travel times might be, at peak times, two minutes longer from Gordon Head to downtown.
I don’t think the longer time is from idling at stoplights but from driving at slower speeds, which I believe would save gas. Could someone crunch the numbers on this for me? If people are concerned about burning gas, perhaps they might consider commuting by our fine and frequent bus system along Shelbourne Street, as the additional weight of a passenger adds only a modicum of cost to the running of the bus. They would also save on the wear and tear on their car, resulting, I think, in less maintenance costs. Perhaps there would be parking savings as well. Just a thought.
Another number question: If the property tax rate is kept constant, then any increase in taxes reflects an increase in property values. Shouldn’t one be pleased to see an increase in property taxes of hundreds of dollars, if your property value has increased by tens of thousands?
Larry Layne
Saanich