Friday’s letters: LRT project delays and road closures – what a shock

Re. “Major road closures coming in 2025,” Feb. 12

More closures – what a shock! Do tell me when a project in Edmonton has come in within a reasonable time limit – or anywhere close to one – or on budget.

Downtown and the west end, through 104 Avenue/102 Avenue/Stony Plain Road, have been under construction for what feels like decades, and certainly will be for the foreseeable future. The small businesses along there are suffering, and vacancy rates appear to be increasing.

Article content

It is time that city council have projects of a limited nature started and finished before closing off massive parts of the city.

Zelma Hardin, Edmonton

Turn street parking into bus lanes

As I sit on my usual jam-packed express bus on my way to work, I notice that even though it has limited stop service, it sits in traffic with private cars mostly filled with one person per car. Want the bus to change to a faster lane? That’s impossible. The outer lanes of the road are filled with free or cheap on-street parking and many outer traffic lanes aren’t often maintained.

Article content

Edmonton has a great plan to add bus lanes to at least three major Edmonton transit corridors, but should go much farther with the project as we transform our communities to keep the region functional and resilient. How many roads do you know that are six lanes wide with quiet outer lanes or have street parking during rush hours? Probably at least 12 to 16 roads. That space should be converted to bus lanes to make public transit faster and easier to use for commutes to school, work, and events; and running errands.

Adam Bentley, Edmonton

Article content

Don’t use the word ‘czar’

Why does Canada have to have a “fentanyl czar?” Must we be forced to use American terminology to name a person in charge of investigating cross-border trafficking of fentanyl? Just because Americans find the use of the term czar to be currently popular doesn’t mean that we Canadians should slavishly follow.

Frankly, czar sounds woke to me. Why not use the title of chief investigating officer into illegal fentanyl production? It is more descriptive and accurate, instead of being a convenient sound bite.

Edwin Bodnar, Edmonton

Bar felon Trump from Canada

Our beautiful province has been chosen to host the G7 summit in Kananaskis this June; quite a coup for Alberta. Many of those who will be attending have not been to our province, including the president of the United States. In view of the fact that he has been convicted of 34 felonies, should he even be allowed into our country?

Les Close, Redwater

Letters welcome

Article content