The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

OPINION No easy solution for road woes Discussing Halton's road system is much like talking about the weather; everyone has an opinion, but there is little that can be done about it. Halton Region staff presented its 2005 State of the Regional Road System Report to the region's planning and public works committee last week and, not surprisingly, the report outlined some current problems. While the document contained a plethora of traffic and road usage information, the fact remains finding solutions for the problems identified in the report won't be (1) easy; (2) inexpensive; or (3) coming anytime soon. The report found that speeding continues to be a problem on rural roads, primarily in north Halton, where at least a half a dozen rural roads made Halton's top-20 list of high-speed locations. Region staff suggest that speeding is a problem on rural roads because there are few indicators for drivers to slow down, such as parked cars or curbs. We'd venture that drivers also enjoy a sense of freedom on these less-travelled roads and, along with fewer police patrols, are more inclined to put the pedal to the metal. As the report indicated, increased police patrols provide a short-term fix and have only a marginal impact on speeders. A long-term solution, it suggests, lies with engineering, enforcement and education. That means altering the roadways and increasing police presence which also means spending more money that isn't currently available. Traffic congestion was also a main focal point in the report and the document indicated east-west corridors in Halton (such as Dundas Street and Upper Middle Road) "experience severe congestion during peak periods". Many roads in north Halton experienced "moderate" levels of congestion. Hmm, let's see. More development = more people = more vehicles = traffic congestion! Nope, no surprise there. While some roadwork is already under way this year to improve congestion problems, the fact is this work-- as is almost all roadwork-- is reactive to the problem and not proactive. The region is simply playing catch-up to traffic woes that have existed for years. As famed news anchor Peter Trueman often said, "That's not news, but that too, is reality." LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Better treatment for Lyme disease is needed (This letter was sent to Prime Minister Stephen Harper and the Halton Region Health Department. A copy was made available for publication.) Dear sirs, I have just been through the horrors of our medical system and I am not very happy. Last July I was walking my parents' dog in rural Acton and I received a tick bite that was infected with Lyme disease. I have been to several doctors and dermatologists and none have acknowledged that my symptoms could be a result of Lyme disease. Even after a diagnosis, six months later, from one of Canada's only infectious disease doctors who can properly test and treat this disease, my other physicians still will not believe the actual facts. I was diagnosed relatively "early" by today's standards for Lyme diagnosis, and I have been on three months of antibiotic treatment and I still show symptoms. I have another two months of treatment to go-- even then it's unclear if that will be enough. Many people go years undiagnosed. We are constantly being told that Lyme disease is not a factor in Halton Hills and surrounding areas. Why are there no warnings made available to the public? Why is it up to the sick people to diagnose themselves, and to make the proper decision on who can help them? If people can be infected with malaria and West Nile virus from an insect bite, then how can Lyme be ignored? Our health care is appalling and something has to get done before this situation gets out of hand. We need to educate our doctors so they are not pretending tick-borne antigens are not around. They also need to be given the green light to send these people, without the fear of being punished by our system, to a doctor who knows more about tickborne diseases. We also need better testing methods made available and more doctors who can test and treat these diseases. Lyme disease when left undiagnosed for months or years is not only hard to treat, it can be fatal! It is not hard to treat if it is caught early--four weeks of antibiotic therapy on a new bite and maybe a lifetime on a chronic bite-- which is cheaper? Which is better for the patient who is suffering? Please tell me why we are treating Lyme disease this way? More education for our doctors and the public-- that is what is needed. How much could this cost? Mandie Patterson, Burlington Marshall ball tourney raises $6,100 Dear editor, The fourth annual Stevie Marshall Memorial Baseball Tournament was held in the Glen Williams Park the weekend of June 10-11. A total of $6,100 was raised during the weekend with all proceeds going to the Cancer Assistance Services of Halton Hills. Sixteen teams in all went up to bat for this truly worthy cause and we would like to thank them all for coming out to play. Without your participation we wouldn't have a tournament. Once again this year we would like to thank all the sponsors who generously donated prizes for our raffle draw and to everyone who made a cash donation towards our goal. Your continuing support is really appreciated. A community without dedicated volunteers lacks spirit. To the many volunteers who worked so hard during the weekend in so many different ways we are truly grateful, for giving so generously your time and energy to this cause. And to all that came out to say hello, watch the games, have a hot dog or buy a raffle ticket thank you for your support. Last but not least, thanks Stevie for another beautiful sunny weekend. The Stevie Marshall Memorial Baseball Tournament Committee