Editor:
I fully support the concerns of renters in the Metrotown area being evicted from their homes, and the uncertainty of what will be made available to them in the future. And, more importantly, where can they lay their heads to sleep in the interim.
My family has lived on the South Slope since 1954 and the traffic in the past five years has become absolutely horrendous.
The only route for the south side is Imperial Street, which was always just one lane each way - now it is a very tight two lanes.
The steady stream of traffic along this route is ridiculous and the side streets are practically impassable. Cars line both sides of all of the arterial routes. I cannot say how many times I’ve had to back up or someone else does so we can pass each other safely on Jubilee, Grange or Frederick.
For crying out loud, the road structure in this area is unacceptable and not meant to handle the vehicles from yet another four more huge towers (proposed in Metrotown), let alone the ones that are not even completed yet at Nelson. Trust me – not everyone is walking to and from the SkyTrain.
As for the individuals and demovictions, only time will tell just what Mayor Mike Hurley lives up to when it comes to his campaign promises.
I applaud the residents standing up for their rights – seems to me that at this point once you are evicted, that's it. What are you supposed to do – sleep in a tent until your new apartment is ready two years later in the hopes that you can afford to live there?
So far, all I have witnessed is extremely poor road planning, and no infrastructure to handle the capacity of the influx of thousands of more
vehicles and people. And nothing in writing for evicted families to help them to plan their futures. Nothing but developer funds coming in and more potential tax dollars flowing into city coffers.
Patricia Tochkin, Burnaby
