Many Kitsilano residents are becoming increasingly frustrated with Councillor Suzanne Anton’s continuing attempt to resurrect an issue that has been studied and debated for years and rejected by previous City Council members.
The closure of Waterloo Street through McBride Park does not contribute to increased public safety. On the contrary, its experimental closure demonstrated the increased likelihood of accidents between athletes and automobiles. A blocked Waterloo Street increases park perimeter traffic almost threefold, all while playing field users pursue frequent stray balls onto the streets.
Naturally, if Kitsilano residents with no direct knowledge of the blockage ramifications are asked if they favour a “greener” park with no intersecting road, they will be receptive – who wouldn’t? But after closer study, the negative consequences of such proposed changes quickly become clear to a reasonable and unbiased mind. That is precisely why the local neighbourhood has repeatedly voted in favour of an open Waterloo Street through the park. Sadly, after 25 years of arguments, debates, letters, phone calls, petitions, surveys, emails, council presentations, and trial closures, Councillor Anton still doesn’t get it.
