Many letters have been written lately about 20th Street. I hope you can stand one more.
It was in 1996 that we moved into the townhouse complex Roxborough on 20th Street. Only half of the street was finished and lived in. It was in its very beginning stage. The street was not what it is now. It was very narrow, with little or no sidewalk.
Several old houses have been removed since or replaced. Across the road from the complex were weeds and it was very messy.
There was no Walmart or Rona. The area was not developed. Then progress came all of a sudden. More townhouse complexes were built.
Behind our complex came another one, on the other side of the creek. Heron Glen was there already.
On the other side of the road, Amble Court was built — a smaller one off of 53rd Avenue. It was beautiful for walks, nice and flat, and one could go around without ever going on the highway.
Of course there is always progress and they wanted to push 20th Street through.
People were against it. They wanted to keep their nice quiet street.
Meetings were held, decisions were made and finally they agreed to pull the street through, only after the promise that there would be no trucks allowed, no heavy traffic.
In the meantime, many more houses were built and they are still building.
For all of these people, the only way to go in to town, is going on to 20th Street. Plus the people that live on the avenues in between
To top off the whole story, there is Heron Grove on the corner of 48th Avenue and 20th Street, a seniors complex with the Good Samaritan nursing facility.
Think of all of the people living there, as well as the staff, the visitors and the ambulances.
All of these people going on to 20th Street would create a much greater chaos than Stickle Road has ever been.
How many accidents, how many lives will it cost?
Please Mayor Mund, you have made many good decisions, but please think again. No one wants this solution. This is a bad one and what about this old promise? Can we not trust anything or anybody any more?
They put lots of money in to beautify 20th Street. Please don't destroy a beautiful neighbourhood by letting all of the traffic go that route.
A traffic light on Stickle Road and Highway 97, with an advanced warning light, is the only safe solution.
Maureen Kampen
Vernon