To the editor,
Reading "Keeping the drive alive" (Upfront, December 7) got me thinking about the transportation alternatives for Halifax, for example a light-rail rapid transit. In Metro Halifax there is rail infrastructure that encircles the entire harbour horseshoe and goes well beyond it. We should look at how we could use it while it is still there.
Light rapid transit could go from the city's south end to Halifax Shopping Centre to Rockingham to Bedford to Grand Lake and maybe on to Windsor. From Grand Lake another connection could go to the Dartmouth side of the harbour including Burnside, a stop by BIO, one at the ferry, one at the oil refinery and beyond. Other tracks could head north to Enfield, Lantz and beyond, and southwest to East River.
This can work and it would reduce our dependence on our cars and the need for even more space wasted to drive and park them. The GO trains in Toronto and MBTA in Boston both work and this idea can work in HRM too. These light-rail connections would remove congestion from the city core. As for the infrastructure that would be needed to operate such a light-rail system, most of it already exists and would not need to be altered much.
It is one thing to hark about the environment and complain about emissions, but instead of stirring the pot, let's try to correct the problem.
By M. LeBlanc
