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In a democracy, people pay for the greater good

The Editor, Re. "Drivers just keep paying for others to ride transit" (Letters, The Tri-City News, March 23).

The Editor,

Re. "Drivers just keep paying for others to ride transit" (Letters, The Tri-City News, March 23).

Francine Maxwell stated in her letter: "I'm supposed to pay for a transit line I'll never use, so that someone else can have a better ride?"

Yes, Ms. Maxwell, as long a you are a taxpayer in a democracy, then you are supposed to pay.

I don't have kids who attend public schools and I have fortunately never had a hospital stay but I am informed enough to realize people require an education and, if sick or hurt, access to get medical attention. By your logic, we shouldn't have to pay for schools, public parks, recreation centres, health care, employment insurance, roads, etc. if we never use them.

You also have this brilliant idea of clogging up the transit system on a Sunday? Being that you have no clue how the transit system works as you "never" use it, you wouldn't know that is the time of lowest use. (We actually had a fairly good peak usage test of the transit system during the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics. It was crammed but handled the load quite efficiently.)

The state of our road system is solely to blame on poor community planning from prior generations, thus the need for better transit. There was no forethought that this small village of Vancouver could grow to 2.4 million people.

I have a car as well but I do not use it to commute to work downtown. Why? I can take the bus to Rocky Point (eight minutes), then take the West Coast Express downtown (25 minutes) and I don't have to battle the clowns who don't know how to drive. I don't have to drive 30 km/h on a highway that is set at 90 km/h. I can relax in high-backed seats, enjoy a coffee without the stress of overcrowded roads and my commute is the same time 98% of the time. And I get a seat every day because of people with attitudes like yours. Thanks.

So continue driving your car and thinking your me-first attitude is something you should be congratulated for. You are not being punished, Ms. Maxwell. This is how a democracy works. Is it always fair? No, but I would not trade living here for anywhere else, even if you paid me.

S. Hyde, Port Moody