Editor:
Re: Restaurateurs face struggle on Marine Drive, Oct. 21.
The City of White Rock simply doesn’t have the economy of scale to provide a competitive environment to compete with its immediate neighbour, Surrey.
If restaurants suffer, despite being at such a nice seafront – what Surrey lacks – I wonder how well other locations can fare.
The only long-term fix is to join Surrey.
The City of White Rock shouldn’t feel embarrassed, but rather duty-bound to the people, to revisit the option objectively.
Fen Kong Liew, Surrey
• • •
I have to address the issue of parking and the cost.
I have lived here for 30 years and Marine Drive was my go-to place for all my entertainment.
When pay parking came into effect, which was supposed to be only in the spring/summer months, I was kind of OK with it. It was a tourist thing being targeted, and the fees weren’t that high. Revenue needed to be found to keep it looking clean and viable.
Then parking spots were starting to disappear; rates were increasing by the greed on council; and the fees started to continue all year round, with a bit of a break in late fall and winter time.
The locals are the real people affected here. Tourists are scarce in those months, so the gouging began. We are the ones who spend cash and time down on the drive on a regular basis.
It is insulting to attack the very people that keep that area thriving. I, for one, have not been a patron, I’m disappointed to say, for quite some time now. Circling around and around to get parking is taxing on one’s patience and an exercise I have abandoned many times, choosing to find a different place to dine or have a walk.
I take offence to Shafique Saleemi’s comment: “If you can’t afford to pay for parking then you cannot afford to eat at a restaurant.” Really? Would you like to slap my other cheek as well and call me “cheap”? I have spent many dollars and time and, may I add, volunteering to a lot of causes in the area, and I find it insulting that I also have to pay to park in my small town. This isn’t downtown Vancouver; it’s little, supposedly ‘friendly’ White Rock. Stick up for the people that help drive your business, not kiss the royal behinds of White Rock council.
Patricia Seggie, Surrey