Image Credit: CFJC Today / Kent Simmonds

By Daniela Ginta

THE WAY I SEE IT

GINTA: We cannot afford more train tracks and definitely not through the downtown

Oct 12, 2020 | 3:58 PM

IT SOUNDS A BIT like an April Fool’s joke. CP will add another track through the downtown. Right. Because of course we need more train traffic through the downtown and let’s not even talk about trains that transport coal in open cars. Let’s hope not, because coal dust is the last thing we need, but also, it would not be the first time when that would happen.

Now you see why it sounds like a not so funny joke.

Then there’s the other issues related to trains.

A couple of months ago some friends visited Kamloops and they wanted to experience the downtown properly, so they chose their lodging accordingly. That was for one night only, because the train traffic proved too much. For the remaining of their time in Kamloops they chose a hotel somewhere uptown and that saved their sleep.

Who would think that more train traffic would be beneficial? More so if the extra track is intended to transport extra merchandise to the Lower Mainland. The extras we need right now should have nothing to do with consumerism, but with clean air, less congested roads and less throwaway stuff.

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Anyone who got stuck waiting for yet another long train to pass, and there are many of us in Kamloops who did, knows that more trains are not the answer to a better downtown core.

What’s also startling is that the news has been released with almost no time to ponder. The construction of the track will start soon enough and nothing that you or I say will change that.

One of the charming characteristics of a beautiful downtown is walkability, and on various celebratory days we got to experience that. People walk everywhere without worrying about cars, there are patios that have proven vital for businesses on many occasions but more so as of late with the pandemic challenges and generally, the space becomes a wealth of possibilities and some very attractive ones at that as far as downtown activities go.

At a time when we need to do everything in our power to support the local economy and help it thrive despite the current situation, planning for yet another train track to slash through it seems like the opposite of what needs to be done.

Also, the noise. Trains have a special appeal, I will not deny that. When I was little, my paternal grandparents lived across from the train station and from the balcony I’d count cars and then I’d hear them passing by every now and then whenever we had a sleepover. It was a familiar sound that had an element of comfort. The sound of trains passing was never upsetting. Then again, they were not passing every 20 minutes and they did not have 200 plus cars either.

With every door-crashing sale planned by the big retailers, loads of merchandise is being brought in by trains and truck. Also, trains and trucks go through Kamloops on their way to other centres that needs their own mountains of merchandise.

But as we know, the last thing we need is more stuff. A new single-use plastic ban that will see some items out of our hands is to be implemented next year. I mentioned it before – it’s a great start, but only if we see that the other end, which is the manufacturing, is also being taken care of and the level of consumption decreases.

Imagine having a downtown that would be a delight to stroll through, with more walkable areas than just sidewalks and uncongested vehicle traffic around it so that air quality is not affected by stalling cars stopped behind a train barrier.

If it’s a done deal, which it sounds like it is, there’s not much to be done by Kamloops citizens who would like to see a vibrant and pedestrian-friendly downtown, but let’s hope that other decisions to be made from now on will consider the well-being of the community at large in the first place and the importance of having an inviting downtown core.

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Editor’s Note: This opinion piece reflects the views of its author, and does not necessarily represent the views of CFJC Today or the Jim Pattison Broadcast Group.