Dear Editor:
Re: West Van may charge for parking at three popular parks
Charging for parking in Whytcliffe, Whyte Lake and Lighthouse Parks is just another moneymaking cash grab on the part of the current West Vancouver Mayor and Council.
My partner and I are retired. We use the parks in the “off times” like weekday mornings, rainy days, winter snow and also sunny days. We never go to the parks when they are likely to be crowded, like on weekends. If pay parking is brought in, those of us who actually live in and pay taxes to West Vancouver will suffer no matter when we use the parks. It seems to me that we already pay astronomical taxes, not to mention and get little for them.
Don’t give me the argument that we should take the bus or bike. I am very fit, and I can’t possibly cycle from Ambleside, where I live, to Whyte Lake and Lighthouse Park or, Whytcliffe Park. Let the mayor and council try it. If West Van was seriously interested in reducing wear and tear on the parks (and their costs of maintenance), they could bring in a resident parking program, in which each household gets a sticker that identifies them as a resident of West Vancouver. Non-residents would have to pay for parking, but not the residents who have already paid with their taxes.
I also find that the size of the parking lots for the parks limits how many people can use them at one time. Once the lots are full, no more cars can park. How hard is that? It’s been working successfully for years. At most, Parks could hire some parking custodians to move along cars that sit idling waiting for somebody to leave a parking space. But more money is irresistible to Mayor and Council, so I doubt they will back off on their plans no matter what anyone suggests.
Linda Kowalski
West Vancouver
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