Editor:
With roughly 25,000 vehicles roaring through the Bow Valley on the Trans-Canada Highway, the noise can be heard in almost all corners of Canmore as you walk through town.
Alarming as this figure may seem, it can only increase with further population growth, and tourism demand.
Last week, Finance Minister Travis Toews announced the creation of a wildlife overpass east of Canmore – the first of its kind in Alberta outside of Banff National Park. A start of a legacy some may say.
I applaud the Alberta government with this project, however, I challenge Alberta Minister of Transportation Ric McIver, our MLA Miranda Rosin and our local town council not to fall short of a great opportunity to address environmental issues, as this could be an ideal project to reduce the speed limit to 90 km/hr to the east gates of Banff National Park.
If individual drivers reduced their speed by 20 km, this alone can reduce fuel consumption, and emissions, by 15- 20 per cent through improved driving habits alone, while addressing climate change with the ease of the gas pedal.
My Grade 6 math teacher taught me, that reducing our speed from Dead Man’s Flats to the national park, will be a difference of two minutes and two seconds.
Our local council, though out of jurisdiction when it comes to highway speed limits, I challenge them to be advocates for constructing a green legacy from this project in our valley, which some may say, is a requirement as we move forward to create our new normalcy from COVID.
Sounds like great value for the environment and our ears.
Steve Konik,
Canmore
