Editor,

Eric Levine says that the funicular project is most comparable to the one in Dubuque, Iowa. But Dubuque is a town of 50,000, 50 times as big as Langley. Their funicular is advertised as an amusement ride. It has a ticket seller, costs $3 and is open only seasonally.

If you build an amusement ride attraction, you have to control access or you will get people treating it like… well, like an amusement ride. Think local kids riding up and down all afternoon long. You have to either hire someone to monitor it or have an automated ticket system to discourage joyriding.

If you are going to use people, you have to pay them and build and maintain a warm dry place for them to work. More view blockage and costs. Besides, if you are going to hire someone, you might as well use a golf cart.

The automated way is hard to do — just ask the ferry system or the New York City subway. Turnstiles are easy to jump. An automated system would be expensive to build and maintain and have other costs like needing someone to collect, count, and deposit money regularly. You also have to monitor the area with cameras to prevent theft and vandalism. If you charge money, many people might decide they’d rather walk, so the thing will sit idle.

By the way, the Victoria Clipper is scheduled to go to Coupeville six times next spring. It’s also coming to Langley five times, even without a funicular. I guess they don’t consider it so critical after all.

I would like the city to have a meeting to explain why the funicular is needed. The reasons given still don’t make sense to me, but maybe if I had a chance to ask my questions that would change.

SHARON EMERSON

Langley