To the editor: Re: "South Cambie - Then and Now," March 15.
The photo of a Brill trolley bus in 1952 at Cambie and 29th Avenue shows a wide expanse of street with a panorama sweep of snowcapped North Shore mountains. The present day view shows a diesel bus with massive trees affording a peek-a-boo view of the mountains. What happened? As nice as it is to have trees in the city, sometimes big trees are in the wrong place and block views.
The section "Neighbourhood at a Glance" mentioned that "the builders controversially opted to use a cut and cover method to install the underground line instead of boring a tunnel as originally proposed." The tunnel plan would have allowed for the retention of most of the trolley lines and poles, with an amount budgeted to complete the restoration of the wires. When that changed to cut and cover, so much trolley infrastructure was removed that it was not considered viable to replace it. As Cambie Street densifies, there will be more demand for local transit service. It's unfortunate that service will be with diesel buses instead of quiet, non-polluting electric trolley buses.
Angus McIntyre, Vancouver
