Viewpoint: Comstock’s Gardiner article intelligent and sensible

I just read a copy of Mike’s article entitled: “Think hard before tearing down Gardiner” and wanted to say how pleased I am to finally see someone with intelligence, sound reasoning and sensible rationale report on the Gardiner issue. It is such a welcome relief to read Mike’s realistic, well-founded comments rather than the whimsical rhetoric one must usually wade through in many of the other papers. As he accurately states, the Gardiner is not a barrier to the waterfront. In fact, it draws people from other parts of Toronto downtown so they too can enjoy the city’s lakeside appeal. I heard someone refer to our present mayor as “downtown Dave” and it struck me that Miller seems to forget that Toronto extends beyond the confines of the core.

I live in Scarborough and we are also a part of Toronto. Yet Miller wants to cut us off from the rest of the city by eliminating our main thoroughfare into and out of the downtown area. The Gardiner allows Toronto to be a functional city… an urban element that works. It has provided convenient, unencumbered access for hundreds of millions of travelers from all parts of our city, our province and our country since it was completed in the early 1960’s. In fact, there are only two cities in the whole of Canada which are fortunate enough to have downtown expressways. Montréal is the other and, instead of trying to remove their essential artery, both Montréal and the Province of Québec are looking at a priority initiative to extend Autoroute 720 northward to connect the core to Autoroute 25.

I agree with every sensible, well-founded statement you make, Mike, and want you to recognize that I am sincerely delighted, and relieved, to know there are responsible, intelligent reporters like yourself in the media who actually have their finger on the pulse of “the working Toronto”. While there are a few loud voices who advocate tearing down our essential roadways, by and large the vast (and largely silent) majority want the Gardiner to stay. You stand out in the crowd, Mike and my hat goes off to you for that.

Thanks!

Best regards,

Bill Robertson P.Eng.