Dear Editor,
We have many examples of places in Richmond that treat pedestrians as second-class citizens. Two of the most glaring examples are McArthurGlen and the Richmond Night Market.
At the market, drivers and their vehicles are given priority over people arriving on foot. Shoppers who take transit to the market must walk through a large, dusty parking lot to arrive at the retail area. Quite simply, the parking lot should switch places with the retail section to provide better pedestrian access.
Similarly, transit users must walk a fair distance through a huge parking lot to reach the stores at McArthurGlen. I was amazed to see that the new addition was built even further away from the Templeton Canada Line station.
Once again, the parking lot should have been built behind the retail area to make it easier for people to walk to the mall. Those who insist on driving would only have a few seconds added to their journey if the parking lot was a little further away from the main road.
To partially resolve and compensate for these issues, both retail centres should provide a shuttle service for transit users. Maybe this would also help reduce the nasty weekend traffic jams that occur during peak shopping times. And, the City of Richmond should try to ensure that new retail developments make pedestrian access a priority.
Marshall Letcher
RICHMOND
