We are permanent residents of the Esquimalt Lagoon area of Colwood and wish to express our complete dissatisfaction with council’s decision to keep Lagoon Road closed to through traffic and to be reviewed again in early September.
Lagoon Road was closed in mid-March due to COVID-19 as a safety measure to protect the health of residents and visitors. It was scheduled to be reopened June 9 but Colwood council voted to keep it closed to through traffic and to be reviewed in September. This decision was made even after an online survey conducted by Colwood showed 61 per cent of participants wanted through traffic.
This brings up the question, why did Colwood initiate the survey and waste everyone’s time to obtain survey results and then completely disregard the outcome. This brings to mind the actions of Victoria city council in several well-publicized events where they have proceeded to act blatantly against public opinion.
You have deprived us of our regular drives along the lagoon foreshore to observe nature at work. We fully appreciate that this is the Esquimalt Lagoon Migratory Bird Sanctuary which to us is only threatened by the many people feeding wildlife. Get some bylaw people down there and enforce the “Do Not Feed The Wildlife” restrictions. After all, this is a public space for all of us to enjoy, not just some special interest groups.
There’s a safety issue here as well. Ambulances, fire trucks, police vehicles, all need unrestricted access for emergencies, and having to stop somewhere and get a key to the gate to get access just doesn’t cut it.
Colwood council has many other issues on its plate to look after. For example, how about formulating a policy on now unrestricted AirBNBs which are overrunning our private residential neighborhoods. We elect you to look after the entire Colwood municipality. Get on with it.
Duncan and Vi Campbell
Colwood
