SAFETY

Slow down

Just a thought. We live on a small island that’s connected by roads. It has stop signs and one stoplight. Lots of curves and corners. It has pedestrians, bicycle riders, wheelchair riders, dogs, deer, and critters. They all need to be safe.

Driving anywhere on this rock takes little time, mostly under an hour. There is no need to speed. Just time your trips to the (mostly late) ferries and be happy when they are all running, and keep after the state for one more on each end. Because of the lack of a large police force, I suggest the county install traffic cameras to start ticketing the vehicles that speed and run stop signs. Costly tickets can sometimes save lives.

Thomas Leigh-Kendell

HOUSING

Public investment is needed

Regarding “Possible zoning changes for Vashon-Maury Island,” in The Beachcomber’s Nov. 17 issue:

“[Morgan] Brown and [Jason]Johnson, of VHH [VashonHousehold], have both commented that investment from the private sector, rather than government or nonprofit-driven initiatives, will be the key factor in developing more affordable housing on the island. To that end, Brown hopes to see more interest from the business community in the work of the Affordable Housing committee.”

I publicly request that Brown and Johnson cite studies that prove this supposition.

I worked extensively in Portland, Oregon on displacement prevention, and such statements drove transit-oriented and in-fill zoning changes. There was the contention that the above were solutions, but there was never experiential evidence that these approaches were successful. The approaches have not created affordable housing in Portland, nor has private investment; public investment has driven housing affordability. In a capitalist society, private investment is driven by money. This is fact; not fiction.

If the zoning changes require that only Federal Poverty Level eligible individual or family housing (possibly +20%) can be built, let those proposing these changes support and codify such, as stipulation, before they proceed.

Lore Wintergreen, Vashon renter

ROUND-UP

Glyphosate should be banned

I am appalled that people still buy and use Round-Up on Vashon — and think it’s time that Vashon joins the many other states and municipalities that have banned this product and others containing glyphosate.

These products have been linked to cancer, autism and other chronic diseases. Since it is water soluble it appears to leach into the soil and the water, causing major health and environmental hazards.

For those intent on killing weeds, 40% vinegar is a safer alternative.

Chronic diseases in children have risen over the last few decades from 4% to 46% which I find shocking. A cancer increase in the population which lives around the tributaries of the Mississippi River, where a significant amount of our agricultural runoff goes, indicates a connection to Big Ag use of glyphosate products.

The European market lists glyphosate as a health hazard and is scheduled to ban its use by the end of 2023. The EPA in the United States says it is harmless in the doses people are exposed to it. Draw your own conclusions.

For more information, I highly recommend the website farmersfootprint.us. Another resource is wisnerbaum.com, which lists all the places glyphosate is banned or being proposed for banning — a very long list.

Katrin Fletter