Submitted by: Jennifer Partridge, West Point Grey United Church,
ESL teacher
Jennifer Partridge’s students wrote letters to a newspaper.
They wanted to write about Vancouver’s traffic problems.
The learners also wanted to talk about solutions.
Here are three of their letters:
Think about what issues affect your community.
Write to your mayor or city council or local newspaper.
Jennifer’s class did!
Letter #1
There is too much traffic in Vancouver, especially downtown.
It’s getting worse, and it will cause more pollution.
I think we need more public transportation to reduce traffic.
First of all, there is a bus system in Vancouver.
But it takes a long time, and bus fees are very expensive.
So people prefer driving their own cars to taking the bus.
We need more convenient and cheaper buses.
It is hard to take a taxi in Vancouver.
I think we need more taxis and taxi stands.
Finally, I think there should be a subway system in Vancouver.
The subway is very convenient and fast.
If public transportation is more convenient, faster and cheaper than now,
people will use it instead of driving.
-by Elin Cho
Letter #2
To whom it may concern:
It’s too difficult to find a parking space downtown,
and the parking is very expensive, too.
One time I drove my car downtown to Davie Street.
It took me 30 minutes to find a parking space.
The cost was $10.00 for one hour. That’s very expensive.
There should be cheaper parking.
I think people like to go downtown to shop,
but we need more public parking spaces.
-by Rina Wen
Letter #3
To whom it may concern:
There are too many motor vehicles in the city,
and the number of motor vehicles is gradually increasing.
Traffic jams and vehicle exhaust is intensifying.
Here are my suggestions to solve some of these problems.
First of all, the government should encourage public transportation
to promote green travel. I think the city should provide bicycles
for public use, which can encourage people to use fewer vehicles.
Secondly, the government can set up a lot of bike stops in Vancouver,
so it is easy for people to take or return a bike.
These bike shops can be located near bus stations.
These bikes have the same colour and eye-catching appearance.
Thirdly, when you use a bike for less than two hours, it should be free.
After two hours, you will need to pay a small fee.
These fees pay the day-to-day maintenance of the bikes
and other expenses. I think people will like the cost
of this convenient and environmentally friendly public transport.
-by Susan Song