Editor, the Times:
Re "Roundabout gets green light".
Let us all leap up and rejoice! We are going to spend over $2 million to fix a problem that could have been done for a fraction of that cost. Let's not make the public look as stupid as you would like them to be. People know that this decision was made long before the public open house; it was made when the property was bought to facilitate this abortion.
Roundabouts are great in the right place. They should definitely not be placed on the second busiest highway in B.C., at an intersection that has a bus depot, an Infocenter, a neighborhood pub, a high school, and a medical centre close by.
The front-page headline has several quotes from the Clearwater mayor that sure makes him look like a politician! Brain in neutral, mouth in gear! He said that people traveling from the east have gone 300 km without slowing down. Maybe Mr. Harwood should go 300 km east; he will receive fines for exceeding speed limits in Avola, Blue River, Valemount, the park, and Jasper.
"Having a roundabout would reinforce to travelers that Clearwater exists as a community." Travelers will say, "We have just entered the centre of the Universe of Stupidity!"
Another objective of the roundabout is to highlight the road to Wells Grey Park. The best way to highlight that road is to fill the potholes and repave rough sections. Two million dollars being wasted on a roundabout would go a long way to doing just that.
Rumor has it that the Fisheries Ministry stocked fish in several potholes before they realized that they weren't lakes!
There was a time in this province when fuel taxes were used for building and repairing highways, not for general revenue. But that was back when we had a government, not a tax collection agency.
The only good thing to come out of this roundabout is that the puppet we have for our MLA will be back doing what he does best: neutering dogs and cats.
Jim Lamberton
The Rambling Man
Clearwater, B.C.