Does anyone care about the death of stick shifts?

The spread of the automatic and the EV is the death knell for the manual transmission, Sept. 21
I most definitely do care about the death of stick shifts! I am a woman in my late 70s, originally from England and currently still driving a stick shift car. My beloved vehicle is a ten-year-old Nissan 370Z. The thrill of driving it with its various gears does not go away, even after all these years. It does not compare to driving an automatic vehicle where you have only the brakes to slow you down, instead of first gearing down to slow the car and then braking when necessary. Not to mention the lovely feeling as the car surges forward in third gear! I am constantly stopped by people amazed that I am driving a stick shift which I find rather weird. I try to explain why I feel safer driving it and am worried and sad that these vehicles are rapidly disappearing. I do drive an automatic SUV in winter but the driving experience is just not the same. It’s just not as much fun and I certainly don’t feel I have the same amount of control with the automatic vehicle. Some might say driving should not be fun but I don’t see why not, as long as one is sensible, driving safely and has learned to use the gears and clutch properly. Perhaps I would feel differently if I was doing a lot of driving from out of town or around downtown, but for now I am very happy to be a member of the three-pedal club!
Paula Brine-Hogan, Scarborough
When I turned 16 in February 1957, my father, a former mechanic and stock car racer, taught me how to drive. Dad drove a manual car and he maintained that driving an automatic transmission vehicle was just learning how to aim a car down the road. After my 60-day beginner’s licence was up, much to my dismay, he insisted I get another 60-day because, as he said, “nobody learns to drive properly in 60 days.” To add further challenges, I was learning to drive on snow-covered roads. This summer, my 21-year-old grandson bought his second vehicle, switching from an automatic to a manual transmission car. He called me to teach him how to drive it. I switched to an automatic transmission vehicle 24 years ago when I learned I was going to be a grandmother, but like riding a bicycle, I hadn’t forgotten. What fun we had. One piece of advice was to listen to the engine sound. He loves driving his manual transmission vehicle and maintains it gives him a greater sense of driving and a better feel of the car. Now what he needs to do is to take a few lessons on driving on snowy, slippery conditions. By the way, he’s not the only driver on our roads who needs to do that!
Patricia Steward, York, Ont.
With respect to gear shift cars, my dad’s car was gear shift when I first learned how to drive. However, I was taught on an automatic car at CAA Driver Training and had to borrow relatives’ cars to practice on. After I obtained my licence I learned gears and drove the same for many years. I also taught a number of my friends and relatives how to drive with gears. This also helped me with a summer job, where I drove a two ton truck, with 10 gears.
Joel Hertz, Toronto
How developers will benefit from the Yonge subway route change — and why it’s raising the spectre of the Ford government’s Greenbelt scandal, Sept. 21
I was the planner who proposed the route change. It was my idea, not the developers or Premier Doug Ford. The original alignment, planned by TTC, was dead straight up Yonge Street and would have had a single station between a cemetery and some hydro lines. It would have served very few riders, living or dead. Most potential passengers would have had a long walk or bus ride to get to the station. The modified route costs many millions less to build and will serve 80,000 residents, many of whom will use transit. It will cost a bit more to operate, but the difference pales in comparison with the capital saving, and the higher revenues that will be generated by the modified route. Yes, some developers who owned the land got lucky. Very lucky. But would it be better to put the station where nobody would ride it, because nobody would live around it? Isn’t the point of subways to serve places where high-density housing can be built? Every subway increases land values around stations. Is it Ford’s fault that the best sites are likely to be already owned by developers? And would it make any sense to build a subway to serve a cemetery instead of 80,000 residents, just to avoid a windfall to a developer?
Michael Schabas, London, U.K.
Trump says, if he loses, 2024 run will be his last, Sept. 22
I am heartened to see that this newspaper is fulfilling the recent promise by editor-in-chief Nicole MacIntyre to offer “more journalism that inspires, uplifts and helps them live better lives.” Given the news that Donald Trump does not plan to run again if he loses, I feel “uplifted.”
Bill Hertha, Thornhill, Ont.
Metrolinx agrees to reduce Ontario Line construction after east-end neighbourhood covered in dust, Sept. 20
The article alluding to huge amounts of concrete dust during a Metrolinx project should not be a surprise. In spite of a Toronto bylaw that prohibits dry cutting of concrete, I have yet to see any semblance of enforcement from the city. The article made clear that both property damage and pulmonary health issues related to concrete dust can be minimized with wet cutting. But if you file a complaint, an inspector will arrive within three or four weeks and conclude they don’t see a problem. Frankly, if the city continues to shun warnings or charges, repeal the bylaw because it is useless.
R.D. Speers, Etobicoke
Summer’s last gasp of silly stories goes to the squirrels: DiManno, Sept. 21
Columnist Rosie DiManno’s pleasant and polite encounter with Mount Pleasant Cemetery’s allegedly thuggish squirrels proves one thing: those squirrels must be Star readers. How else would they be aware of DiManno’s platform and barbed pen which could ruin, or champion, their reputation (and food source) for good? If mere mortals like you or I went to feed these squirrels, I’m sure we would have a quite different experience.
Gregory Hoggarth, Stratford, Ont.