Editor:
Re: Man raises safety concerns about Central Park, NOW, Aug. 29
Thank you for reporting on safety concerns about Central Park.
Because I am too busy during the day, I need to walk at night in the Metrotown area where I live, and I have to say, I do not feel very safe in doing so.
And I am certainly not the only one in this situation. I just talked to someone in my neighbourhood who definitely avoids walking during the night.
Lighting plays a large role in the safety problem. This is a real issue that is certainly preventing many people from walking at nighttime. Many areas in my neighbourhood are completely dark. I love walking on that padded walking track on Central Park’s west side, but I can’t do it during the night because the Imperial Street section from the Willingdon extension to Mandy Avenue is like a black hole, and I personally avoid this area.
Carrying a knife or any other weapons is not a real solution. Safety is the role of the police. The worse thing would be to become another armed population.
In fact, safety at night is a big issue that goes beyond the Central Park area. Actually, it concerns all our cities.
I think one of the main ways to improve safety is to increase street lighting.
Presently lighting is generally poor and needs to be dramatically improved. Distance between electric poles, in particular, needs to be shortened.
The benefits of improving lighting are huge. It increases safety because it acts as a deterrent for possible aggressors, encourages people to walk during the night, making our cities more livable and, in doing so, safer.
Improving lighting can decrease crime by up to 20 per cent and traffic accidents by up to 35 per cent, according to a source from World Bank. I hope these concerns and suggestions are heard by relevant officials and necessary changes made as soon as possible.
Benyounes Saidi, Burnaby
