Silver Valley residents like the winding, tree-lined road out to Golden Ears Provincial Park, so the reaction to roadwork on Fern Crescent drew a swift reaction on social media.
Some residents love the slow, country road; others style it a life-threatening goat path.
Green Party candidate Peter Tam, who lives in the area and drives Fern Crescent two or three times per day, said the realignment is sure to be controversial.
TransLink announced last week that it will put $609,000 toward the realignment project from Eagles Hall at 132nd Avenue to 236 Street.
Tam said the information “is pretty sketchy,” but he has written to the mayor and council expressing his two concerns.
“Disturbing that entire area – it’s so unique. It defines Maple Ridge. Any disturbance would be a shame,” he said.
Tam, who wrote a message to council on Facebook, said he realizes that Silver Valley development is bringing more traffic to the area, but predicts making Fern Crescent wider and straighter would only increase the speed.
“The neighborhood has a lot of concern over that,” said Tam.
He noted that more pedestrian and bike paths through the area would be welcomed, and that traffic can sometimes be forced to back up behind a cyclist.
He noted there are no street lights, and the area can be “pitch black” when you walk the road at night.
“It’s a little spooky,” he said. “You have to be careful.”
Doug Stanger echoed his sentiments online.
“No, No, No,” said Stranger. “Since the city in their wisdom doubled the width of 132nd Avenue from 232nd Street to the Eagles Hall the traffic along this section routinely travels at twice the speed limit along Maple Ridge Park. The ‘S’ curve, with it’s majestic and iconic trees, are what slows traffic down. On top of losing this beautiful entrance to the Fern Crescent area of Silver Valley, Fern Crescent will have lost it’s only traffic calming section up to Golden Ears park. Fern Crescent was never designed for the amount of traffic now accessing Golden Ears.”
And there were others, like Mike Craigie, who supported the roadwork.
“I think many people don’t realize that the section of road they are talking about is only a 500 m section of road. It’s not the entire road all the way to the lake. It’s not the end of the world.”
Yuri Melnikova responded to the comment that bark is missing on trees that have been sideswiped.
“Signs and telephone poles all along Fern Crescent get sideswiped,” added Melnikova. “People on bicycles have been sideswiped. Any resident on Fern Crescent will tell you that pedestrians take their lives into their hands while walking down the street to get their mail.”
Stephen Rysen said “nobody does the speed limit.
“The only people that try to drive carefully around the S-curve drive vans not minivans, big trucks and vehicles with trailers. It is pretty easy for those big vehicles to get scraped even when people are careful. The pathway needs to be extended and needs to be more accessible for pedestrians, cyclists and people in wheelchairs.”
“About time. That section of road is a joke,” said Scott Cunningham. “Every year, at least once, we get stuck because of an accident with people letting their boat or trailer cross the yellow line.”
City staff said design work must be done and the public consulted before any work begins, and that work will not take place during the busy summer season.