My letter to the editor
It’s school holidays now, however I’ve been busy as I had to write a financial report for the Linux Users of Victoria Inc. AGM. Not only that, but I have worked a little and I will have to start on getting my school work done.
Today in my local paper I came accross a letter that I wrote to the editor in response to their article Tram plan a twist for residents by Leonora Elliott, so here is my letter as published:
Negative reponse
I’M DISAPPOINTED to see the negative response from residents regarding the route 109 tram stop. It would seem that they have not considered the increased property value as a result of not only having a tramway outside their house, but having a modern tram stop right at their footstep.
From what I have heard, the tram stop will consist of a long narrow speed hump that will be level with the footpath at the side of the road and act as a platform for the low-floor Citadis trams.
This form of tram stop is much safer as it requires cars to slow down and watch for pedestrians, and it’s much more accessible to elderly and disabled people. I can not see where any fencing would fit into this scheme as pedestrians need access to the trams from the side of the road.
As for the assumption that it would increase traffic, it is quite likely that it will reduce traffic as the number of trips that can be made by public transport increase.
Forcing traffic into one lane is no different than having parked cars on the road.