City council is preparing its budget for 2021, and it has some very tough choices to make.
Already we have heard of cuts to the St. John’s Regional Fire Department, Metrobus and sidewalk snowclearing. City staff are being laid off, which will result in further service cuts.
Those were indeed tough choices to make, and they will bring hardship to many already reeling from COVID-19 and the economic downturn.
In light of this, one wonders why city council continues to consider the bike plan, which will cost more than $5 million. (Bike Plan St. John’s Master Plan, pages 75-77).
Does the bike plan have a higher priority than the St. John’s Regional Fire Department, Metrobus and sidewalk snowclearing? Really?
It’s time to ditch the bike plan and use the money where it is needed. That is not a tough choice at all.
Kelle Gushue
St. John’s