Editor, The News:
We are writing to express our objection to the proposed plan to extract gravel from land that is currently within the Agricultural Land Reserve on 236A Street.
A gravel pit is heavy industry, i.e. heavy equipment – crushers, payloaders, gravel trucks and trailers. With this comes all the accompanying negative aspects – pollution, noise, dust, vibration, all of which diminish the quality of life for a number of residential neighbourhoods bordering all sides of the proposed site.
Having lived in this neighbourhood for more than 20 years, it is zoned residential.
It is not as though residents of this area moved here knowing they were going to have a gravel pit in their back yard.
We cannot imagine a more inappropriate use of this land. Perhaps a garbage dump?
Of paramount concern to us, is the issue of safety. The proposed plan is to use 124th Avenue to connect with 232nd Street and/ or Abernethy Way.
But 124th Avenue is a narrow, two-lane road, only one block of which has a sidewalk. Five residential streets merge into 124th Avenue, one of which is heavily used by westbound commuters avoiding the traffic light on 232nd Street and Dewdney Trunk Road.
The street is already congested with cars, school children and foot traffic. There is no way this small, country road can accommodate trucks and trailers coming and going from a gravel pit.
Floyd and Shirley Burnet
Maple Ridge