Cheers to Mr. Joe Schwartz for his excellent suggestion in the letters to the editor (Penticton Western News, Oct. 31, How to eliminate fuel costs) along with “environmental woes,” and I would add, permanently.
His suggestion may be something our new city council should consider.
I think we agree that Penticton is, or could be a resort city with beautiful parks, lakes, fresh air, clear skies and plenty of parking. The last nine winters I have spent considerable time in resorts near the Mexican boarder where the popular means of commute, you guessed it, is electric golf carts, bicycles, (some motorized) Segways and electric chairs for the disabled and motor vehicles, all sharing the same streets with respect and consideration for each other.
Golf carts are not turtles; if their usage as inner city transportation was seriously proposed, could easily be designed to travel around 40 to 50 kilometres per hour like motorized bicycles. Golf carts are versatile and due to their simplicity economic to buy and operate.
At present, yes a challenge to city planning that assumes every street to be a miniature race way in one way or another. To move towards Penticton becoming a futuristic “city resort” with careful city planning certain routes could be selected and designated as thoroughfares maintaining the freeway principle for through traffic and between communities. But in-community streets, a motor vehicle may enter but must not pass a golf cart nor exceed a 30 km/h speed limit, whichever is the slowest. Yes, I have a bit of imagination where I see a beautiful, safe and friendly resort Penticton a city of the future, and every city in Canada, wherever possible, follow suit.
My thoughts on our environmental woes are a kind of a final solution. Carbon taxing oil just makes some people rich and others homeless. We must eliminate our dependence of fossil fuels. And that too is futuristic but very attainable. Interested? Please read Breakthrough Power: How quantum-leap new energy inventions can transform our world, written by energy researchers Jeane Manning (I’ve talked with her) and Joel Garbon.
Harry G. Kapeikis
Penticton