As a Vancouver commuter, like many, I’m frustrated by the bumper-to-bumper crawl that’s fast becoming the norm on our major roads and highways. It doesn’t take a traffic engineer to understand how inadequately our existing thoroughfares handle the sheer volume of vehicles during peak hours, nor does it take a surveyor to note the absence of land available for building new connector roads.
While the bicycle, bus and light rail may be feasible for some, these alternative modes of transportation are neither convenient nor practical for 95 percent of us commuters. Flexible use, ease of access and door-to-door portability make the automobile indispensable for responsible citizens who lead varied and, at times, complicated lives — “cattle car” transport, such as bus and light rail, restricts riders to limited schedules, stops and destinations.
Automobiles are obviously a key dynamic in any city’s growth forecasting and planning. Out of our community’s many talented engineers, there certainly is potential for traffic easement and control innovation, surpassing the system currently in use. Could this region’s troublesome problem be the seed bed needed to launch an improved or new technology?
Bruce R. Randall
VANCOUVER
