Dear Editor:
Re: No trucks on Royal Avenue, Letters to the Editor, The Record, Feb. 3.
Do trucks belong on Royal Ave? Nope. Do trucks belong on Front Street? Nope.
Rather than pitting neighbourhoods against each other, maybe we need to unite and start asking, do we need all these trucks transiting our city to begin with?
Yes, trucks deliver products to the stores we shop in, but how many of these hundreds of trucks per day are local deliveries to New Westminster? How many are local goods deliveries for any part of the Metro Vancouver region? And how many are simply shuffling goods from one part of the region to the other before they move on to elsewhere on the continent?
This problem goes far beyond city politics. We have to start asking the tough questions to the provincial and federal governments, and Port Metro Vancouver, about what kind of transportation network is best for the residents of the region.
What kind of economy is best for a sustainable future? And are there alternative transportation modes for the goods movement which are necessary for our region? The depth of thought on this issue from higher levels of government, more roads, more trucks, is scarily shallow for supposed "leaders."
However at the local level, the City of New Westminster is undergoing its master transportation plan review this year, get involved! What better way to make your displeasure about trucks and transportation challenges in our city known?
Let the city know they must be loud and vocal on these issues to higher levels of government that the
status quo of goods movement and car commuter traffic growth in our city isn't good enough. Check the city's website for the next workshop or open house and come join the dialogue. We can make the city and region we want.
Matthew Laird, New Westminster
