Filed for publication with the Mirror
To the Mayour & Council,
City of Campbell River,
Re: Ken Forde Ramp Parking Lot.
This is now the fourth letter we have had to write to City Council over the past three years regarding the unacceptable, dangerous behaviour of people and vehicles in and around the Ken Forde Ramp Parking Lot and Highway 19A.
We have listed numerous bylaw infractions, traffic violations both in the parking lot and along Highway 19A between Erickson Road and Barlow Road.
All of the issues we listed in our previous letters continue to occur almost on a nightly basis.
We have phoned the RCMP dozens and dozens of times, with information both on the individuals, their actions, along with vehicle descriptions and licence numbers.
The RCMP have responded on most occasions when they were able, but many times when they arrived either those responsible had left or acted like nothing had happened.
On March 18, 2021 we wrote to the city to bring to its attention that the problems were starting again as the weather improved, hoping that by being proactive we could enjoy the summer in our surroundings, we heard nothing back.
Only twice did we receive a letter from the city stating the council had received our correspondence and have referred it to staff to investigate and come up with options to mitigate the issues.
The first letter was dated August 25, 2020 in response to our July 16, 2020 letter, the second was August 10, 2021 in response to our July 22, 2021 letter.
We have made a number of suggestions to alleviate the problems.
Since our first letter in 2019 until now we have not heard of any actions, plans or solutions to address the intolerable nightly behaviour that we have to endure.
It is completely unacceptable that the residents of our building and the surrounding neighbourhood should be deprived the enjoyment of our homes along with the lack of peace of mind and sleep due to the actions of a small group of individuals.
It is the duty of members of city council to ensure that bylaws are upheld and that valid complaints are addressed, especially after having been brought to the council’s attention over three years.
We dread to think that it will take a serious accident or death before council takes some action to stop the very dangerous driving behaviour that occurs almost daily on the “speedway” of Highway 19A between Erickson and Barlow.
It is the feeling of many of us that along with phoning the RCMP to lodge a complaint that we also phone members of city council each time to express our displeasure with the inaction of the city.
We again put forward some suggestions to address the problems:
-Erect signs in the Ken Forde parking lot stating the city’s noise and litter bylaws along with the penalties.
-Erect signs in the parking lot stating no over night parking or camping such as in other city areas.
-Install a gate with the appropriate signs at each end of the parking lot that will be locked at 10 p.m. each night, these could be locked by the employee that locks the washrooms. They could be opened in the morning when the washrooms are unlocked.
If there is not an employee that could be assigned the job then the city could contract with a security company.
- Lower the posted speed limit along 19A from Erickson Road all the way to Jubilee Parkway from 60 km to 40 km.
- Institute a “blitz” by having city bylaw officers attend the area over a two period in the evenings to issue tickets for infractions.
- Have the Fire Department issue tickets for beach fire infractions when appropriate.
- Request the RCMP have more frequent patrols in the area especially when the weather is nice.
- Request the RCMP conduct radar speed locations frequently over a one month period to discourage the speeding and dangerous driving between Erickson and Barlow.
Hopefully these ideas will be given serious consideration.
We cannot continue to live our lives with the constant unruly, inconsiderate behaviour.
Chris Merrick, President,
Willows Oceanside Strata Council