Dear editor,
During the 1990s, the Elk River Timber (ERT) road was open to vehicles. Working on the north side of the Campbell River, I used this road to drive home during snowy weather. It's gradual incline was easier to traverse,when driven safely, than some of the hills in town.
When the ERT road became part of the City of Campbell River, the road was closed for vehicles. At the time, my understanding was that upgrading the road to meet required safety requirements was too expensive for the then District of Campbell River to assume. We had just come off some tough financial challenges of the 1980's economy.
Fast forward to today. We are now a city needing more infrastructure to meet our growing population which includes growth across Petersen Road. We do not have as large a tax base as cities the size of Vancouver. Our resources must be wisely spent with must do's taking priority over can dos and want to dos.
If you check the City of Campbell River website, the city plans and maintains 85 kilometres of bike routes. The website also says we have 50 kilometres of trails and 1,500 hectares of parkland. Having lived here for 55 years, I taken advantage many of these resources. They are incredibly beautiful and well maintained by city and volunteer groups. We are SO fortunate to be able to enjoy all that is on offer here. When you experience the seawalk and the Beaver Lodge lands, these things can be done incredibly well with good planning. The seawalk follows alongside Highway 19!
The study mentioned in the newspaper says that it will investigate "adding vehicle traffic alongside pedestrian and bicycle traffic." My comment would be to keep a greenspace corridor on one side of the road (like the Beaver Lodge lands alongside Hilchey Road) and make the pedestrian sidewalk user friendly for walkers, bicycle enthusiasts, strollers, roller skaters, wheelchairs, and skateboarders (like the Seawalk). We can have the best of both worlds if it's done right.
Let's remember this is taxpayer funded and should be done to accommodate the must do needs of our whole community. We are all paying for it.
Valerie Stirling, Campbell River
