As I picked up the paper and saw the picture on the front page with the caption “‘Explosion’ of traffic on river” I was appalled to see only motorized traffic on the river in the picture. My immediate thought was “Who are these people and is there no education in this city about how much they are contributing to the filth of the river?” Then upon reading the article I was disappointed that this was not even mentioned. It was simply an article about water safety and how it has diminished in recent years.
Making this statement in front of my mother I was pleasantly surprised to see that her reaction was the same. She responded that there had been great efforts and money spent to clean up the river, yet the Tribune seems to be immune to all that by placing a picture like this without even a mention of the pollution that these ‘amateur operators’ are contributing.
On opening the article I was pleased to see nine kayaks enjoying good exercise without leaving behind a dirty trail – that picture did make a happy difference to me.
With the safety and pollution factors in mind, I believe it is time to ban the use of small motorized vehicles in the vicinity of Chicago and nearby. Even a heavy tax on these mini polluters would not be enough to compensate for the damage they are leaving behind in the wake of their play and leisure.
—Paul Alix, Park Ridge
