To the Editor,
Re: Co-op plans renos for Johnston Road lot, AV News, Feb. 3, 2021
It is great news about the Co-op cardlock facility on Johnston Road not only because it is a reputable and community minded business that deserves our support, but let us also hope it will encourage heavy truck traffic to use Johnston Road, a provincial highway whose maintenance is mostly funded by the taxpayers of B.C., rather than streets funded solely by the taxpayers of the City of Port Alberni.
It would be an opportune time for decision makers at the city to consider how to minimize the financial and safety risk of truck traffic on city streets including Redford, Anderson, and others.
Many communities with heavy trucks in their midst create truck routes so that those routes can be developed appropriately, and other city streets are allowed to develop in a different way.
Finally, it reminds me that as the fossil fuel age winds down we need to push for alternatives, some brand new, some not. No doubt Co-Op is already considering provisioning its loyal customers with “fuel” of the electrical variety. Similarly the Island railway would be an affordable alternative for shippers and passengers alike and can be electrified with relative ease compared to the plodding pace of battery dependent car manufacturers, space bound or not.
It would be in the best interest of the city to strongly advocate and create the conditions for all of the above.
Chris Alemany,
Port Alberni
