An open letter to White Rock council.
Today I decided to walk Johnston Road in search of a bicycle stand to attach my bicycle to in case I chose to do my errands by bicycle.
I know there is a stand near the community centre at Miramar but was hoping to see if there are others.
This is no longer a community for seniors using walkers and scooters, the demographic is rapidly changing and in 2017 we should be encouraging walkers and cyclers in a livable community.
I am aware that there is a plan for Johnston Road improvement but was unable to find further updates following the 2016 consultation. In the meantime, there is no reason why we cannot improve and maintain what we have.
I did not find one other bicycle stand to attach a bicycle to while entering a store or coffee shop. If there are stands available, it would be helpful to have them on a map on the White Rock city website.
More troubling, however, are the images above.
There was a time when the White Rock gardens and boulevards were at least maintained and kept free of weeds and garbage. It is difficult to expect commercial property owners to maintain their storefronts if a) we do not set standards by maintaining city gardens and property, and b) we do not require property owners to maintain their properties, including those being held for potential development, e.g. Marcon property on Thrift, Solterra property on Johnston Road and property originally planned as part of development of Avra located on Johnston Road.
I also believe it is difficult to take pride in a community so neglected, and if we want to attract interesting commercial businesses, we should at the very least maintain what we have available.
I look forward to hearing if there are any plans to clean up our sidewalks, gardens and boulevards.
Also, on the May long weekend, I went for a run along the promenade on Sunday morning about 9:30. Families were already gathering at the beach and every garbage can was overflowing and food containers were lying on the promenade.
Afterwards, I attended the farmers market and also saw a garbage can nearby overflowing. I believe that on busy summer weekends, these should be emptied more frequently. This is part of what I would hope my taxes would pay for.
Joanne Walsh, White Rock
(Editor’s note: Mayor Wayne Baldwin said he “could not agree more” with Walsh’s comments, and that the city is rectifying concerns by hiring more parks staff and reconstruction of Johnston Road.)