I'd just like to reinforce some of the concerns pointed out in this Letter of Opposition. One of the biggest concerns affecting those of us living in the region is The Trucks! We must be careful in realizing that while the owners of a quarry can site in their defense such claims as operating within environmentally and socially acceptable, and legally permitted avenues, they do not have control nor any concern of the vehicles that do the actual movement of the product, once those vehicles have exited the quarry. Increased traffic and damage to bridges is only scratching the surface of the problem - the trucks are killers! Almost all of the aggregate carrying units that will be used, will be privately owned (not owned by the quarry). The owners / operators of these trucks are paid by the load and this is where the problem arises. The more loads they deliver, the more profit they realize. It is not hard to imagine the owner of a truck who gets caught up in the financial quagmire of today's debt ridden society; payments on the truck, home mortgages, raising kids and the list goes on. Like anything else if you do it day in and day out, the operators of those trucks get accustomed to driving their rigs with ease and become complacent, which combined with the greed for another load to haul, leads to speed and recklessness. All we have to do is look at what takes place on Hwy 48 between the Breckin limestone quarries and Stouffville. The road has been dubbed the "Killer 48"!
The operation of a quarry, if resources are not held back in the name of profit can be made friendly to its surrounding environment. Hauling the product away however, employing anything other than rail or waterborne transport is a messy, uncontrollable, and inefficient waste of non renewable resources affecting not only those who live in the region but our entire human race in the long run.
Capt. Joseph G. Berta, MMS, CMS Principal Surveyor MSOL Marine Surveyors & Consultants 905 955-4449 www.marinesupportonline.com www.bertamarineconsultants.com
1 comment:
I'd just like to reinforce some of the concerns pointed out in this Letter of Opposition.
One of the biggest concerns affecting those of us living in the region is The Trucks! We must be careful in realizing that while the owners of a quarry can site in their defense such claims as operating within environmentally and socially acceptable, and legally permitted avenues, they do not have control nor any concern of the vehicles that do the actual movement of the product, once those vehicles have exited the quarry.
Increased traffic and damage to bridges is only scratching the surface of the problem - the trucks are killers! Almost all of the aggregate carrying units that will be used, will be privately owned (not owned by the quarry). The owners / operators of these trucks are paid by the load and this is where the problem arises. The more loads they deliver, the more profit they realize.
It is not hard to imagine the owner of a truck who gets caught up in the financial quagmire of today's debt ridden society; payments on the truck, home mortgages, raising kids and the list goes on.
Like anything else if you do it day in and day out, the operators of those trucks get accustomed to driving their rigs with ease and become complacent, which combined with the greed for another load to haul, leads to speed and recklessness.
All we have to do is look at what takes place on Hwy 48 between the Breckin limestone quarries and Stouffville. The road has been dubbed the "Killer 48"!
The operation of a quarry, if resources are not held back in the name of profit can be made friendly to its surrounding environment. Hauling the product away however, employing anything other than rail or waterborne transport is a messy, uncontrollable, and inefficient waste of non renewable resources affecting not only those who live in the region but our entire human race in the long run.
Capt. Joseph G. Berta, MMS, CMS
Principal Surveyor
MSOL Marine Surveyors & Consultants
905 955-4449
www.marinesupportonline.com
www.bertamarineconsultants.com
Post a Comment