Opinion/Letters: Closing Portsmouth Transfer Station is a bad idea

Newport should take caution with ebikes

If I understand the process correctly, the City Council has changed the “Bicycles” laws to say that, bydefinition, ebikes or electric motorized bikes (EMBs) are the same as traditional human-powered bikes.(Chapter 10.72 of City Codified Ordinances)

If this is true, I don’t see how this change will make traffic any safer in Newport, so what is the goal? One thing that this will do is reward the ebike lobby with the potential for more sales and thus more profit. The lobby People for Bikes has already donated significant funds to local non-profits in support of this change. If I am wrong I hope to be corrected in these pages.

EMBs are supposed to be more sustainable and decrease the need for fossil fuels. They definitely have their advantages, but as they rapidly replace traditional pedal bikes, especially among children, they increase fossil fuel dependence whether during recharging or the mining of lithium. The batteries, like all lithium batteries, should be appropriately recycled, but Aquidneck Island does not even have a convenient facility that accepts the batteries for recycling.

EMBs are currently classed as 1, 2 or 3. A Class 1 has to be pedaled to start the motor and the top speed is 20 mph. A Class 2 can be pedaled or be driven without pedaling using a throttle. The top speed is also 20 mph. A Class 3 bike has to be pedaled to start the motor, the top speed is around 28 mph.

But a bike shipped as a Class 2 can be upgraded to a Class 3, so the distinction between these two is a little muddy. EMBs can also easily be hacked to bypass the speed control so they can be made to go even faster.

The Class 2 and 3 EMBs are heavy with most being around 70 pounds, but some can weigh close to 100 pounds. The tires can be the size of motorcycle tires, and some all-terrain EMB tires are as wide as five inches.

How are these, some which do not have to be pedaled, and some of which can go faster than the 25 mph limit on our streets, be considered as traditional bicycles?

Classifying EMBs as bikes does remove the possibility of them being regulated through registration, licensing and insurance. But why not just put them in their own category since they are not traditional bicycles?

More importantly, why are they being ridden on our chaotic city streets by kids, most of whom aren’t wearing helmets and don’t seem to have any street “smarts”?

Judith A. Byrnes, Bristol

School districts need to place more focus on career and technical education

There are many RI communities building or planning to build new high schools today but still seem to regulate Career and Technical Education buildings as an afterthought with leftover money, similar to the old Vocational Education. “Well, if we have enough money we will have these subjects.”

But if you talk to career and tech students, you will find them most excited about their C&T subjects. Why? It is not just because of the subject, it’s because of the method of teaching involved. It's "Doing," not just listening and watching. Most all of us learn best by doing. You don’t learn a musical instrument by watching and listening you have to play. You don’t learn math by watching and listening, you have to do math problems. You don’t learn good writing skills by watching and listening, you have to write and rewrite.

Academic teachers who require their students to do are loved by their students because their students learn and have fun learning. Isn’t that one of the things we learned in our college teaching courses? Make learning fun. Make hard things easy to learn.

Perhaps the latest movement in education in the last few years, “the STEM” (science, technology, engineering and math”) movement taking the stage, has taught academic teachers and students that learning by doing is fun and exciting and participating in the lesson helps the student’s attention spans. We have had these subjects around since the dark ages, how come they are the new rage in education? Is it because they have new approaches to delivery? New methods of teaching – Doing.

If you remember from your teacher training courses, lecture, (listening) is the poorest method of retaining information. Doing or performing is the best. As the old Chinese saying goes: TELL ME I FORGET, SHOW ME I REMEMBER, LET ME DO AND I KNOW. When some academic teachers ask, “Why are those 'Special ED' students doing so well in the career and tech classes and poorly in mine” it’s because the students in those classes are participating and applying their academic skills along the way. So let's not relegate those Career and Tech courses to afterthoughts, not only do they lead to employment or further education in that career, but they lead the way in student learning methodology.

Thayer Donovan, Middletown

Closing Portsmouth Transfer Station is a bad idea

Closing the Portsmouth Transfer Station will impact our most vulnerable residents, seniors and low-income families, in cost and convenience.

Many seniors make a combined trip to the Transfer Station when on other errands, such as going to the Library, Clements, medical appointments or the Senior Center. They are able to take small, light manageable amounts in inexpensive bags during good weather at their convenience in light traffic when feeling well.

The trash disposal costs will be much lower at the Transfer Station, where expensive bins are not required. This helps those with physical mobility problems, as the containers are impossible to move down long driveways, especially in the ice and snow. The Transfer Station also encourages desired maximum recycling among low-income users by allowing costs to be controlled on a personal level.

Additionally, without the Transfer Station, there will be no real control of competition and costs. With the Transfer Station gone for trash disposal (never to be opened again), trash haulers will be able to raise prices as they wish.

It is against the will of the people in these difficult times to take away choice and force a more expensive and difficult method of trash disposal on them. Many times the elderly have little or no voice as well as different needs.

Don’t forget that they vote too.

David Reise, Portsmouth

Garland views miss bigger picture

I find myself once again countering Mr. DiStefano's letter to the editor (Sept. 23 "Garland lacks credibility, impartiality"). His letter uses terms such as "deflective, evasive, ill-informed, unseemly, downright dishonest, partisan hack." Missing, as usual, is any clear explanation of why the abusive terms towards Garland are warranted.

The reality is we have a former president charged with numerous felonies, with what appears to be credible evidence. All the Trump cult can do is try to discredit the grand juries and Attorney General given this strong evidence. In addition, the Trump cult screams over and over "but what about Hunter?" Joe Biden's son has his problems and appears to have committed crimes, but his situation is totally irrelevant to our government. Despite numerous efforts, the Trump cult has not shown any proof Joe Biden benefitted from his son's activities.

I patiently await the Trump jury trial results. Mr. DiStefano concluded his letter saying "And only the ignorant or dishonest would dare to deny that."

I'll conclude my letter applauding a quote from Garland during his testimony - "We will not be intimidated. We will do our jobs free from outside interference. And we will not back down from defending our democracy,”

John Greichen Jr., Newport

Buttigieg doesn't address Biden issues

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg was invited to ABC's "This Week" on Sunday in hopes that he could clean up the polls that have Biden in the toilet. Buttigieg kept talking about the price of insulin and avoided Biden's high price of gasoline and Biden's ridiculously high price of food, which everyone in America has to deal with.

Michael Mezquida, Middletown

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Letters: Closing Portsmouth Transfer Station is a bad idea