To the editor,
Re: Council sticks with Opal decision despite call for reconsideration, May 26.
Why should the 17 households on Opal Road be entitled to the benefits of a city-maintained, restricted-access road, whilst the other 100,000 Nanaimo residents – who also pay property taxes – accept that their roads remain usable for normal everyday traffic and shortcuts?
How dare you suggest the council vote to reverse the blockage was a “breakdown of the democratic process,”when the original restriction was installed with stealth and secrecy.
If you want to enjoy the benefits of a private estate, then stump up the cash to buy the road from the city, install security gates and cameras, and then maintain it all yourselves in perpetuity.
And stop using all the other roads in Nanaimo that we plebs have to live on.
A.J. Rogers, Nanaimo
To the editor,
Re: Council sticks with Opal decision despite call for reconsideration, May 26.
How astonishing! The ongoing saga of Opal Road has come to a ridiculous conclusion. Opal is a small, narrow curved road, ditches either side, no centre line and no sidewalks, that has caused safety concerns for years. Speed humps were added that slowed some of the traffic, but the volume of traffic kept increasing. The engineering department recommended a partial closure of the road which in 2019, the mayor supported.
Subsequently, a partial road closure was constructed, that had the desired outcome of reducing the traffic flow, making a safer route for everyone.
There has been much unhappiness expressed by those who were no longer able to proceed up Opal, and from those who persisted in making the illegal left turn at the bottom – were any ticketed? Apparently these folks have been able to convince some council members (and the mayor) to overturn the original vote (and staff recommendation), and the barrier is now being removed.
The risks on Opal will only increase with the new developments on Rock City Road.
Sandra Dobson, Nanaimo
RELATED: Nanaimo city council votes to return Opal Road to the way it was
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