Re: "Plans for unstaffed rail bridge worries port, district officials" (July 17) Are they nuts? I pass through that span frequently throughout the year and require the span to be raised to have clearance for the mast of my sailboat. When using radio communications you know the operator has responded to your request and is able to respond back to you if the bridge can't be raised due to oncoming rail traffic. Two-way communication is a must for the safety of both the vessels requiring the raising of the span and the structural safety of the bridge itself. Someone watching a camera from a remote location has no idea of the speed of the approaching vessel and the speed and direction of the current passing through the opening.
With a slow moving current it's not that critical to have the bridge raised when you are a fair distance away. When the current is moving three or four knots it's a different story altogether. A typical sailboat
travelling with the current can be approaching the bridge at up to 11 knots. The timing of the opening is critical to the vessel operator.
Imagine you are driving your car towards your garage door and counting on someone else, who you aren't in communication with, to open your garage door just as you need it to be opened. How confident are you in that system to work every time?
Cory West
Vancouver
