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Index of Subjects At the risk of starting a war here, I don't agree with John and Karen on the points about the twinning of HIghway 101. Regardless of the energy and transportation implications, the safety aspects dominate. Both for local people and for tourists, parts of that road are just plain evil, particularly the section from Upper Sackville to Windsor. I know less about the areas beyond Middleton, but surely a major highway to two ferries and several tourist destinations should at least have more passing lanes and some separation of the two streams of traffic, perhaps using barriers as on the 118 in Dartmouth. The issue of getting back to rail transportation of goods is going to be decided on a national, not a provincial stage, since the loading and unloading of trains and trucks is a real issue in costs and behaviour in other provinces has to move with us.. Finally, you dumped on short haul air trips. Very bad idea. Properly run commuter air services are very energy efficient, particularly in that they keep urban workers in more rural areas (viz. Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont with Boston commuters served by Delta Express and other US examples). The absolutely ludicrous fares on Air Nova and Air Atlantic essentially drive away most people except those on expense accounts. It is absolutely correct that we ourselves are far greater polluters taken together than any single point source. However, it's important to ask how can we realistically reduce (e.g.) auto kilometres driven, without causing great amounts of wasted time and hardship. If there were a truly subsidized and frequent van pool service for valley commuters and to the two ferries (Digby and Yarmouth) I think we would start to see some very innovative internal travel changes, for both regular and occasional users. Trips so the QEII Health Sciences Centre could also be more rationally organized, especially from Digby, Yarmouth, Shelburne, Annapolis and other locations similar distances away from Halifax. I don't see any possibility of relaying rails anytime soon...at least until we break the mindset in the House of Commons. Later. OH ________________________________________________________________ Owen Hertzman E-mail: Owen.Hertzman@Dal.Ca Dept. of Oceanography Phone: (902) 494-3683 Dalhousie University FAX: (902) 494-2885 Halifax, NS CANADA, B3H 4J1 On Wed, 29 Jul 1998, John/Karen Pearce wrote: > Transport 2000 Atlantic July 29/98 > The front page headline in today's Halifax Chronicle-Herald hoodwinks the > readers. It's very comfortable (but self righteous) to be able to point > fingers at big bad industries as the evil enemies of the environment. The > truth of the matter is that the biggest polluters, especially in terms of > global warming, is US! But that's uncomfortable so we don't like to talk > about it. We like our cars. Besides "us" are voters, and government is > unlikely to want to offend us. > > By far the largest production of greenhouse gases and use of non-renewal > petroleum resources is by the transportation sector. Trends in the way we > travel and ship our goods are moving us farther away and not closer to > our "Kyoto" goals. We are using our cars and making short-haul air trips > more than ever. More important we are shipping our goods by truck rather > than by rail which would be 3 to 6 times more environmentally efficient. > Read the "Sustainable Transportation Monitor" obtainable from the Centre > for Sustainable Transportation, cstctd@web.net, phone 416-923-9970. > > The recent campaign to twin highway 101 all the way to Digby under the > guise of "safety" is a case in point. Traffic volumes, at least west of > Kentville, cannot justify the 1/4 BILLION dollar expenditure. More roads > just encourages more automobiles and trucks and long-distance commuting. > Why not relay rail tracks west from Kentville at least to Middleton for > freight and run a scheduled commuter bus from Kentville and Windsor into > Halifax. That would ease rush-hour congestion and save lives for a > fraction of the road expansion cost. > > Remember: Loosening your belt is NOT a cure for obesity! > John Pearce, Transport 2000 Atlantic. >
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