The Editor,
Now we have bylaw officers spending days visiting homes in our centrally located neighbourhood, which lacks curbs and sidewalks.
In an effort to protect the boulevards (city property) from a daily influx of autos picking up children from the local school, the residents have resorted to placing obstacles on the neatly trimmed boulevards to prevent their destruction.
These obstacles range from boulders, to sections of small plastic or wire fences decorated with flourescent tape.
This is a no-no, says the inspector.
It must cease at once, or the city will remove the obstructions at our expense.
Now, here's the funny part.
The bylaw is quoted in a hand delivered letter, and I quote in part:
"No persons shall excavate in, cause a nuisance upon, encumber, obstruct, injure, foul or otherwise damage any portion of a highway or other public place -- etc., etc."
From personal observation, some of these drivers have no hesitation in literally destroying the boulevards during the wet season.
In several cases they heedlessly gouged ruts into the soil, not once but repetitively, to the point where an underlying residential water service was damaged and required replacement.
I ask whether the above quoted section of the bylaw should not prompt the bylaw people to expend at least a small part of their energies on the policing of this wanton destruction, rather than harassing homeowners who wish only to maintain the appearance of their neighbourhood.
Or, perhaps the school board could section off a small part of their paved parking lot for the drop off/pick up of children.
There seem to be at least 50-plus vehicles in the lot each school day, despite this being a fairly small school.
I further ask, whether this same bylaw will be enforced upon all sections of Richmond?
I say this in light of personal observations of "obstacles" placed on many boulevards in other areas of our city.
T.R. (Terry) Murphy
Richmond
