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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
- May 30, 2006
To The Editor;
Members of the local cycling group rode out to Coalmont on Sunday, May 21st, looking forward to a pleasant, quiet off-road experience cycling back to Princeton on the Trans Canada Trail.
We hoped to see some wildlife, stop to smell some flowers, perhaps hear some birds, and enjoy that awesome canyon that most communities would dearly love to have so close.
Instead, we were constantly passed by trail bikers and people on quads, and irritated by clouds of dust, the smell of exhaust, noise, and sometimes threats to our safety. The trail is often difficult to ride because the surface has been chewed up by ATVs.
It is time that the Trans Canada Trail be designated NON-Motorized. The signs saying "No automobiles," on the section of the trail going out to Osprey Lake, are not enough.
As on other sections of the Trans Canada Trail that we have been on, the signs have to be explicit, prohibiting ALL MOTORIZED VEHICLES, and barriers must be put in place to reinforce that message.
There are many other places where ATVers can ride. The Trans Canada Trail is special. It is part of a country-wide trail that attracts people from all over the world. It has huge tourism potential that has already benefited this area, and could benefit it even more.
We know there has been some funding for improvements to the trail in this area. We know many people from the community have worked very hard to make those improvements. However, unless the ATVs are kept off the trail, the improvements will be of marginal benefit.
I don't think the people from out of town, and particularly from out of the country, who were trying to cycle the trail on Sunday, will be back. And that's a shame.
- Sincerely,
Myrna and John Bosomworth, Princeton
To The Editor;
We recently visited the Town of Princeton on our way back from the Vintage Car Club of Canada's May Tour in Castlegar.
Princeton was a convenient stop on the way home to Victoria, providing a break from the awful experience of holiday Monday traffic - in fact we took the Old Hedley Road in from Hedley which is slower but a way more pleasant drive, leaving all the speedballs on Highway 3, and when you drive an old car you should not be in such a hurry!
We stayed overnight at the Best Western. Then next morning, our car would not start. As it turns out, the starter was gone.
We called BCAA and had it towed to On-Time Automotive. This car is 38 years old and there was not a starter in town for it. They ordered one for us to be delivered the next day, and they promised to put it in as soon as it arrived.
They also told us they would push our car into one of their bays overnight so it would not be out on the street. When I went there at 9:30 the next morning, the car was all fixed and ready to go.
We were impressed by the good service we got at On-Time Automotive, and if we were ever in need of auto service in Princeton again we would certainly know where to go. We will also let the other 100 members of our Chapter know in case they ever have a similar need.
On our walk back to the Best Western, we saw a Princeton Visitor's Guide in a rack in a Realtor's office on Vermillion Street. We went in to pick one up to plan our extra day, and the lady in the office was very friendly and gave us some ideas for things to do.
There was a 2 for 1 coupon at Subway in this guide, which we used, and then we walked out to the Red Ochre Bluffs on the Trans-Canada Trail.
We also realized that there are lots of other things to do there and we have never really done anything other than drive through on our way to somewhere else. One of these times we will stop and spend a few days.
- Paul & Liz Taylor, Victoria
