Dear Editor:
An open letter to mayor and council:
I agree with Trevor Lautens’ sentiments in two recent North Shore News articles.
The Spirit Trail at present is poorly conceived and incomplete. Decisions are being imposed on our community that no one wants and everyone will regret. And all originate with this proposed trail.
Touted as a biking/walking route from Deep Cove to Horseshoe Bay, I can find no information on West Vancouver’s website, and no route plan.
Where does it go west of Ambleside? Surely not along narrow, winding Marine Drive. Join Trans Canada Trail along Fulton and up 30th to the highway? Where? Without a route plan, it is fatuous to discuss serious changes to Ambleside. Without the trail, the boat launch ramp does not need to be closed. The popular stroll along Argyle does not need to be closed. The precious parking along Argyle and at John Lawson Park do not need to be removed. The Harmony Arts Festival can continue to invite visitors to enjoy local art and music.
At open houses at the West Vancouver Community Centre, I was told that nothing north of the railway could be discussed. But that’s where the parking is for all the local amenities – parks, seawall, Ferry Building. How can you discuss major alterations to Ambleside without discussing parking?
The waterfront from Ambleside to Dundarave and beyond is enjoyed by thousands of mainly local people from tiny tots in strollers to oldsters with walkers year-round, walking, running, yes biking, picnicking, enjoying family reunions, hanging out. The accessibility makes all these activities possible. How many of the cyclists are local taxpayers, I wonder?
It is a false choice to select Spirit Trail or the much loved present and accessible amenities. I am not against a biking trail, but the loss of what we have seems too great a price to pay.
The waterfront is a precious resource, and it does not need improvement – don’t spoil it.
Anne McMahon
West Vancouver
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