What People in the London Area Say

Dear Councillor,

As a resident of west London I thought I should express my concerns about your support to close down the drive-thrus in our city. I have several reasons for concern. The most significant is the potential loss of employment opportunities for many London residents who depend on the "entry level" positions afforded to them through the drive-thrus at our city's fast food and beverage stores.

As a former educator for many years in one of London's Services Technologies Secondary Schools, with large foods services and restaurant services programs, I am very aware of the lack of employment possibilites that many of these special needs students are able to take advantage of. However, I have had the great pleasure of being served by former students who beam with pride and display a genuine sense of self worth for simply being employed at a Wendys or a Tim Hortons.

Closing down drive-thrus across London would result in a very significant impact on an employment sector available to these London residents. It would seem reasonable to estimate that close to 50 per cent of the customers of a Tim Hortons franchise use the drive-thrus. If closing drive-thrus translates into a 50 per cent reduction in the work force, this decision will put many people out of work. Do you have any employment suggestions for those "special needs" folks that the foods service industry will no longer be able to employ?

Additionally, do you not agree that the city's drive-thrus server our senior citizens and our handicapped well by providing a very convenient service to them? Have you considered the parent with children in car seats who does banking business at the drive-thrus, or the ill who are using drive-thrus to fill prescriptions at their drug stores?

Len Bartholomew,
June 23, 2008

I am writing to say that I'm totally against closing any drive-thru windows. My name is Dave and I am an amputee. As a licensed driver I use a lot of fast food restaurants and coffee shop drive-thru windows. These drive-thru windows have made life easier for me because getting in and out of a vehicle is a challenge. At this moment, getting food or a coffee at a drive-thru would take me 15 seconds to a couple of minutes at most but should you close drive-thru windows, having to find a handicapped parking spot which is hard to find and unload my wheelchair, go into the restaurant or coffee shop, juggle the food while trying to drive my wheelchair, get back into my vehicle, now this simple task will take me 10 to 15 minutes instead.

Please, give some considerations for the disabled community.

David Wong,
June 12, 2008

I have been a taxi driver in London since 1985. In that period I have frequented many coffee shop drive-thrus. Being in such a time sensitive industry closing all the drive-thrus would be a great inconvenience for most in the taxi business. Without being able to drive-thru at a coffee shop you can expect line ups in the store exceeding 1/2 hour. This would be a hardship for not only cab drivers but customers who can't stand that long waiting to be served. In the long run this action would be a mistake not only for drivers looking for convenience but for the coffee shops as well who would lose the income from the customers who choose not to wait in long lines.

Brent Rossiter,
June 12, 2008