Dear Editor:
I too take exception to (District of West Vancouver Mayor Michael Smith’s) comments. Both in our mid-70s, my husband and I have lived in West Vancouver for almost 50 years. We travel as much as our budget allows. I took up scuba diving at the age of 69. Hubby is a member of the North Shore Amateur Radio Club and through that, is closely involved with the North Shore disaster management program. We have volunteered in many aspects of the local community, and continue to enjoy all the aspects of our wonderful neighbourhood that is changing too quickly, and not for the better. When we bought our first home in West Vancouver, it was a reliable 20-minute journey from our home all the way to Downtown.
Now we are lucky to make it from the front door even to the bridge in less than 35 minutes. Shopping at Park Royal was a pleasant experience, not an exercise in frustration as it is now. And we are losing small local businesses in Ambleside and Dundarave. We were not able to attend the meeting this evening, but we are certainly not in favour of the Park Royal proposal. When I spoke at a meeting some time last year, I was told that the population of West Vancouver is actually declining. I was surprised to learn that this same comment was made at the meeting last Monday. Whether or not this is actually true, surely the more relevant statistic would be “how many cars are currently owned by people in West Vancouver?” I would give the example of a local house that was owned by an elderly gentleman who did not drive for his last years. When he went into a home, his house was torn down and a large new home was built. Four of the family that moved in each drive a car. In addition, what of the extra traffic coming through West Vancouver from the increased development north of Horseshoe Bay all the way up to Squamish?
Also of great concern to me is that fact that when we first moved to the North Shore in 1970, both local papers operating at the time had articles that declared “third crossing is a must.” Where do we stand on that issue in 2018? I saw no mention of West Vancouver in the recent information put out by TransLink.
Gillian Shipman
West Vancouver
What are your thoughts? Send us a letter via email by clicking here or post a comment below.
