Dear sir,
I find it almost insulting reading the article about the road conditions to the Giant Spruce, Cablecar and Radley Park (Sentinel, August 10).
Our city is trying to attract tourists, inviting fishermen to our river and then are not providing reasonably safe access to these locations.
Do you realise that not only tourists and fishermen use these roads but also service providers shuttling their vehicles from points up the Kitimat River to Cablecar, the Giant Spruce and Radley Park.
These service providers employ part-time workers, giving money to retirees, students, wives, sons and daughters.
Maybe it is only from April to October, but it is some summer work and puts some money into the economy.
Let’s take Wolf and Rani’s truck transfer as an example.
In business since 1993, we employ four people, depending on the arrival of fish species. We transfer an average of 220 trucks a year and employ retirees.
Now, if you go to Cablecar or Radley Park you will find on a good day at least 10-15 trucks parked there, not to mention trucks at the Kitimat River bridge, the Highway 37 South washouts, Humphrey and Nalbeelah Creeks.
Also, how much traffic is going across the various roads.
I feel - and maybe we all feel - that we deserve a bit more consideration than we have been given so far.
How much different is it to dispose of the skimmings which have been taken from road repair and fill the gravel roads instead of dumping it on the end of Gyrfalcon Street - it has been done before.
It feels like after the oldtime grader operator retired, our fishing roads were retired too. These grader operators went across these roads every month and they lasted.
I agree there are some things the city cannot control, like drivers who have to spin their wheels coming up Cablecar hill because they have no first gear or a lead foot.
The end of the dyke road is not the city’s problem and a “use at your own risk” sign could solve that problem.
Neither the gas company nor the new owner of Eurocan has that kind of extra money to repair a not-even-good-for-Caterpillar road. And Rio Tinto Alcan has done its share by fixing the culvert.
Council has to decide if it is ‘tourists, fishermen and service providers’ or close these roads before we have some serious problems and are held responsible.
Wolfgang W. Scholz,
Kitimat.