Dear Editor
I write this letter to bring up a parking zone change. I reside at 3798 Laurel St., the Sunset Heights Housing Co-operative. I have a disability myself, as do a number of our residents. There was a handicap parking designation in the front of the building, although recently it has been removed and all the parking in front of my building has been reassigned.
Some of the reassignment is great, it makes it much safer for our residents to exit the underground parking. However, others in my building and I rely on having our transportation able to pull up to the curb to pick up and drop off. I’m a HandyDART user as well, as are a couple other residents. When the HandyDART has to double park, they slow down all traffic going either way, including the #28 transit bus, and any emergency vehicles.
Furthermore, last year I volunteered with the environmental sustainability strategy program led by Mayor Corrigan. One of the points in it was about making Burnaby equally accessible and livable to all. How does removing accessible parking fit in to that strategy? I’m curious as to the logic. Please reconsider this restructuring.
Allison Kelba, Burnaby
