The Editor:
Re: Should crane installations in New West be on weekdays or weekends? (Nov. 8, 2023)
Bart Slotman, chair of the Uptown Business Association, said "Here in New West, however, it seems that Princess and Seventh are sacrosanct. Princess because there's residents living on that street."
Yes, there are residents living on Princess Street but it is far from sacrosanct. It is a very narrow street that is already under stress from car and truck traffic seven days a week.
The "no parking" and "no stopping" regulations on the street are regularly ignored as is the marked crosswalk in the middle. Drivers regularly rat-run through Princess Street to avoid the lights on 6th Avenue.
Four high-rise condo buildings can only use Princess Street to access their parkades. One other building has access from Princess as an option.
All loading docks for deliveries to Royal City Centre are on Princess Street so there is semi-truck traffic seven days a week.
The small Moody Mall also uses Princess Street for deliveries. These drivers regularly stop on Princess Street to make their deliveries.
And the only parking access for the new, 328-unit rental building will be from Princess Street.
I gather the rationale was that 7th Avenue had a bike lane so another driveway onto 7th Avenue was not acceptable.
Has the city ever actually counted the number of cyclists using this bike lane? I've seen very few using it since it was installed.
Twice since construction started I have been unable to turn right onto Princess Street from 6th because construction trucks were stopped on Princess next to the site and the other lane was filled with cars waiting at the stop sign.
Both times the flagger was not directing traffic. The fencing blocked my view, so I could not see the truck blocking the road until I started my turn then realized I had nowhere to go.
Princess Street was already under severe traffic stress when the city decided it was okay to have all traffic from the new rental building dumped onto Princess Street.
Princess Street "sacrosanct"? Not a chance. The city seems to think, "More traffic on Princess Street? Sure, no problem."
- S. Mansfield, New Westminster
Princess Street resident
