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Port Moody driver tired of paying for others to take transit

The Editor, Re. "Mayors seek car levy" (The Tri-City News, March 21.) I don't know about you, but I am getting awfully tired of being told that because I am lucky enough to have a car, I should be punished for it. Did that sound harsh? It shouldn't.

The Editor,

Re. "Mayors seek car levy" (The Tri-City News, March 21.)

I don't know about you, but I am getting awfully tired of being told that because I am lucky enough to have a car, I should be punished for it.

Did that sound harsh? It shouldn't. Your own local governments have told you exactly that twice in the past eight months.

Don't believe me? Let's recap. Lower Mainland mayors, including those in the Tri-Cities, got together last fall and voted to have all drivers shell out two cents more per litre at the pump to pay for a public transit line. I'm supposed to pay for a transit line I'll never use, so that someone else can have a better ride? I am supposed to ensure my neighbour who doesn't drive has faster, better, more comfortable transit service? Really?

Next, on Monday, it was announced the municipalities now want drivers to fork over a vehicle registration levy fee to pay for TransLink services. Wait, didn't you just finish dinging me two cents extra a litre on already high gas prices? All because I can afford a car?

Wow. Talk about irony. Talk about absolute madness. And yet, no one is screaming. Except for me.

Instead of going on and on about this ridiculous idea, I propose, every single car owner get on the bus on April 1 and shut down the transit system. That's right. I know it's a Sunday, so let's all go downtown for the afternoon. Let's clog up the system they want us drivers to pay for so badly and see how they like us riding their precious system. Because that's what they are banking on, that drivers won't take the bus, and we will be forced instead to pay taxes to get where we need to go.

April 1 is April Fools Day. The joke is on you, the driver. You get to pay for other people's rides, pay outrageous car insurance and still can't get to work because now the roads will be ripped up making way for new transit lines. What's next?

I'm tired of being made a fool of. Stop them before they tax again.

Francine Maxwell, Port Moody