Editor:
Re: Should have been passed over, May 14 letters.
My family lives in West Rosemary Heights on the east end of the pedestrian walkway.
I have to dispute the assertion by letter-writer Grant Christianson that the bridge is never used.
During the day, and especially on weekends, we often see recreational walkers, families with children and cyclists on the paved trail leading into our neighbourhood.
During the night, however, the walkway has introduced vandals, thieves and drug dealers into our previously safe and quiet area.
West Rosemary Heights is served by one entry road, which includes a short bridge over Barbara Creek. The lack of multiple escape routes served as a good crime deterrent.
The east end of the walkway connects to a new park under the BC Hydro right-of-way. This area is unlit and has tall grasses and blackberry bushes which, according to the homeowners near the 35 Avenue cul-de-sac immediately adjacent, are perfect to hide drug deals and other criminal activity.
My family moved into West Rosemary Heights because it was an isolated perfect little pocket of suburbia, populated with some retirees but mostly with younger families. The tree-lined roads were safe for our children’s street hockey nets, basketball hoops and bicycles.
With the walkway and expected higher-density townhouses bringing crime and congestion, council’s message to this neighbourhood is clearly, “Welcome to Surrey.”
Curtis Soong, Surrey