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I would like to emphasize and add to Hugh Hollas's letter ('Lay Red Rocket to rest', May 14) confirming that he is so right about the need to phase out streetcars and use more flexible low-emission, untracked vehicles on surface routes.

First, we spend billions of dollars from the capital expenditures budget in every five-year cycle on track maintenance and 'improvements', and this year's alone is well over $400 million. All of this can be spent so much more effectively but the mayor, council and the TTC think capital expenditures money is not really taxpayers' money and they can continue to waste it with impunity!

Second, the yearly operating budgets for the TTC includes expenditures totaling many hundred thousand dollars for the same things.

Third, I have presented calculations to TTC chair Adam Giambrone that show that the cumulative daily stops by streetcars (and also buses at unrecessed and poorly located bus stops) cause at least the equivalent of 200,000 cars daily emissions, much of which would be eliminated without the streetcar (and with recessed and properly located bus stops). These calculations have yet to be refuted.

Fourth, this council is about to spend an egregious $250 million or so on new streetcars. Since streetcars are part of the problem the whole idea is, well... stupid, and the council needs to reconsider the whole TTC planning package before they do more irreversible damage.

Finally, related to the third point although not directly related to the outdatedness of the streetcar, the TTC does not eliminate 1.5 million cars from the road every day as they profess. If they do the calculations scientifically it would amount to about 200,000 autos at best.

M. Haynes