Editor:
Read with interest the article on proposals for alternatives for street use in New Westminster.
As a taxpayer who since the COVID-19 onset has spent many enjoyable evenings walking city streets, both east and west of the Sixth Street corridor, I am very disappointed by the deplorable state of the city’s sidewalks.
There are literally scores of areas where the boulevard trees have uplifted and displaced the local sidewalks.
In one extreme case, the uplift is nine-inches-plus. How anyone using a scooter, or a person pushing a baby stroller, can navigate these obstacles is a poser.
In a better world, if the city had surplus funds, more parklets could be options. That not being the case, perhaps a comprehensive plan to assess and repair the more immediate people-traffic situation would be a priority.
On a lighter note, once the sidewalk dilemma is addressed, perhaps the city could have the engineering department rig up a riding mower with a vertical blade to go along the residential sidewalks and cut back the hedges and bushes where homeowners cannot or will not attend to.
Mike Ramsell, New Westminster
