To fully understand what the whole McKenzie Avenue reimagining is all about, people first need to know that Saanich Mayor Dean Murdoch rides a bicycle everywhere. He is seemingly very anti-automobile. Council seems to forget it’s not just people in cars traveling back and forth to their jobs and shopping, but also large commercial vehicles.
The McKenzie Avenue downgrade is sheer folly, let’s call it Dean’s Folly. Where do they think those supply trucks will travel, that come off the ferry and from up Island to restock the inventory of all those businesses along Shelbourne, McKenzie, Hillside and in Oak Bay? That road is the main artery across the whole municipality. If they need bicycle lanes, build them off to the side of the road. Expand the infrastructure, don’t choke it.
If their plan goes through, the West Shore businesses will be very pleased, because people will start shopping there instead of going across town to the businesses and malls located along Shelbourne and Hillside. We need a council of business-minded people, not a council of ex-bureaucrats who seem obsessed with figuring out ways to spend more money that they don’t have. Look at our huge property tax increases year over year.
I also find it interesting that these council members who say their job is full time and should be compensated as such, had no time to attend the public hearing on this project. Absurd!
Doug Coulson
Saanich
