Driving tests unfair Premier, Gordon Campbell gave 850 hospital employees their notice on December 7 for a Christmas present. Since then he has delivered his lowest blow, getting 80-year-olds off the road [“Tests come closer,” July 27]. While in office, Campbell contracted a private company to computer test all drivers over 80 years of age. We have to go to Courtenay for the test and pay for the trip. My friend failed by two points and her licence was withdrawn. She said that she was tested in a poorly lit office. She has driven a car for 60 years and never had an accident. She has driven my wife and me to our senior centre for the past two years and is a safe driver. She went to Vancouver for a second test at a cost of $336. Then, she went to Courtenay for a road test, then to Powell River-Sunshine Coast MLA Nicholas Simons’ NDP office. She now has her licence back at a cost of $696 ($80 ferry for first computer test in Courtenay, $336 for second computer test in Vancouver, $200 return airfare to Vancouver, $80 road test in Courtenay). The road-driven test worked well for years. This new computer test will put all 80-year-olds off the road as it can be adjusted to fail. Jack Dice Butedale Street
Sunshine Coast ferry service Just a quick note to let you know that we are now winding down from a disappointingly slow summer season here at SunLund By-The-Sea Campground. We noticed that our RV traffic was substantially reduced this year and this greatly affected our occupancy. Feedback from our regular guests indicate ferry fares are unaffordably high [“Commissioner coming to hear concerns,” August 31]. We (Powell River and area) are a ferry-dependent community and find ourselves encased by the high cost of travelling. Single-day shopping trips to Comox or Courtenay are not economical. In fact, most people leave the area only when absolutely necessary, often in a carpool or as foot passengers. No longer proud of our coastal ferry system, we are becoming resentful of being held hostage to high fares and threats of dwindling service. In many ways this makes our community more self-sufficient, however we cannot remain isolated forever so we are eventually obliged to expend the excessive tariff to travel. I hope the ferry commissioners respect our dependence on the coastal ferry system, consider lowering the fares to increase ridership and create community goodwill. Ann Snow SunLund By-The-Sea Lund
