Hats off to Dan Samson for having the vision to see our city’s true potential. I fully support his idea of naming the Old Island Highway Marine Drive. Marine Drive is a prestige address in Vancouver, West Vancouver and North Vancouver. It will be a prestige address here, too. Property values will go up. Businesses will have pride of place.
Stationery costs: If you don’t know how to change the stationery templates in MS Word, ask someone under the age of 40 to show you how.
Customer confusion: Buy an ad in the newspaper: “New address, same location!” Wait for a new phonebook to be published within twelve months. Edit your listing on Google Maps. Make a contribution to any of a number of charities that send out free address labels.
Tradition: Right now it might as well be called “the road formerly known as 19.” “Old Island Highway” implies that there is a newer, better highway somewhere else. Old Island Highway has been left behind. Businesses and residences on “Old Island Highway” have also been left behind. Who cares about hem? Let the weeds grow. No need to paint the fence or trim the hedge. Is the name historical like Cabot Trail? No. Is it of local origin like Skookum Wehut? No. Old Island Highway is no more than an old island highway.
So, let’s all get behind Marine Drive for Rt. 19A. Then after that we should change the name(s) of 9th Avenue/Homewood Road/14th Avenue to Samson Road in Dan’s honour.
Richard Hamilton
Campbell River
