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6 - The Canadien Champion, Tuesday, June 26, 2001 *-COMMENT Hopefully this timely lesson will hit home Georgetown's Chelsea Vaters leamed an important tesson last week, but it's one that should be taken to heart by young cyclists everywhere. The very same day the nine-year-old had her bicycle helmet fitted properly, she took a nasty spili and Ianded head-first. Although Chesea did sustain facial injuries, the helmet no doubt prevented injuries that - as chilling as they are to consider - the nearby young- ster may flot have walked away from. That's something to think about, especially over the next two months when warm weather and summer vacation wilI see youths0 pedaling their way to friends' homes, parks and other destinations. Helmets shouldn't just be womn, but worn properly. Wearing them too far back on one's head is the equvilant of, to quote a Georgetown officer, wearing a seat-belt with two feet of slack. The same applies for skateboarders, particularly when visiting the skateboard park beside Memorial Arena. Adult riders should be safety conscious as well - if flot for themselves, therr-for the message it sends to children. More often than not safety lessons are only leamed when fatalities or serious injuries occur. This time, let's take our cue from a situation were tragedy was - thankfully - averted. O UR READERS WRITE Article a bit misleading,. suggest reader Resident îrked by Ms Reynolds" comments Dear Editor: The June 12 Champion contains an article by Paul Mitchison enftled 'Bill 45 hurts education, says Halton Public Board'. In this story private schools are portrayed as schools for the rich. 1 believe ibis ignores somne basic realities. Having put our children througb pri- vate elementary and secondary scbools on an average income, I cani say ftom experience tuai ihey're owned and oper- ate by mostly average people wbo have become extremely effective at money management in both their schoois and in their personai finances. Thus. these scbools are cost effective and a viable altemnative to public schools. Wherea the cost per student in the public syslem is $7,000, privaîe schools tend to operate ai $4.000 10 $5,000 cost pet student, and graduates have no problem entering col- lege or umiversity. If ail education was done privateiy, and govemmnent was to do no more than set minimum acadenie standads0 iagine the astronomnical savings thai could be available to put back into education. Privale ichools make a lot of sense, and somne form of t'unding, such as tax cred- ils, is the only fairtihing to do. Bill Ooatdfvk Campb.ImiI. *THE CANADIAN CIi<IPIoN Box 248, 191 Main St. E., Tii. Cnadian Champion, publiotted evety Tuesday and Fiday at 191 Main St. E., Miton, Ont, L9T 4N9 (Box 248), is nne ut Tht Metroland Milton, Ont. 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Picton County Guide, Rchmond Neil Oliver As.nociatne Pablish/er Hll/ThornhillNaughan Liberai, Scarburough Mirror, Stouttuîlle/Unbridge Tribune. Wendy McNab Adu'erhi.uug Mieîger Adertising is acceptud on tht condition thut, jr tht tuent ut a typo- Eiîrgraphîcal rinr, that portion ut tht aduertisinu space occupied by tht erre- Karen Smith Ei r neous item, togther wth a reasonable allowance tor signature, wll nt be Steve Crozier Cir-culamtion Manauger charged for, but tht balancentf tht aduertisement wll be paîd toi t tht appli- cable rate. Tht publsher reserous tht right tu categoriot adertisements or Teri Casaa Office Manager declînie. Dear Editor: Reporting on speeches to Milton seniors and the Chamber of Commerce, The Champion (June 5) quoted Jennifer Reynolds, Miuton's director of communiiy services, as follows: "People who live way out there won'i know whai the Mill Pond is. We need to reach out to them. Out motto is we're the best town and country and ihat's where we' re headed." Ibis is a reply to Ms. Reynolds from a couple of country dwellers ."way oui there". The pmoblem, we suggest, is not that the country doesn't understand the town but that the town doesn't understand the country. Ms. Reynolds, we do know wbai the Miii Pond is and, yes, we do appreciate it. We also like down- town Milton, especially for the farmers' market on summer Saturdays, and the lovely garden ai Town Hall inside the old jail1 walls. Our question is the reverse, do '.you people way in there" in urban Milton really know and care about us "people way out here" and our rural environmenî? Yes, in a sense of course you do, because we coun- try dwellers are just as much your professional responsibility as are Milton's urbanites. But do you care enough about our rural environmenî to plan with intelligence and imagination for the growth, which you rightly say, is inevitable? Or is rural Milton just a paich of preuty countryside, mostly agricultural, criss-crossed wiîh roads, wbich have to be constantly "improved" for speedy commut- ing? Is this what "progress" means? Janet and I live about as far "way oui there" to the southeasi as one can gel, on Lower Base Line. Our problems are indeed minor com- pared to those ai the other end of Lower Base Line threatened by the CN intermodal terminal. But prob- lems we do have, namely huge traf- fic volumes. It's not the temporary increase due 10 the construction of Hwy. 407 that we fear, but the 'improvements" which will make Lower Base Line, at Town and Regionai expense, a permanent free alternative to the tolled Hwy. 40)7. Lower Base Line is an attractive cross-country route. On fine sum- mer weekends lilerally hundreds of cyclisîs pass our door. Wben expansion and developmenl are completed in Milton and Oakville, and pmovided that the intermodal terminal can be foughî off, Lower Base Line will be the oniy entirely rural, two-lane collector (i.e. non- arterial) roadl across Halton region soulh of 401. Lower Base Line should be pre- served as a scenic route for those who enjoy a quiet rural drive (on two wheels or four). 'Mat includes commuters who enjoy a change of pace now and again; ]et the resi take Hwy. 407. And of course local busi- ness traffic, principally agricultural, bas to be accommodated. How about it, Ms Reynolds! Roger Bock Lower Base Une Pud by Steve Nease w 1 The Milton Canadi2n Champion is a Recyclable Product Tim Coles Production Manager