The City of Langford is currently undertaking renovations to Leigh Road between Goldstream Avenue and Dunford Road. The project will see a new middle turn lane, new bike lanes and new cement sidewalks and curbs.
The project contains no plans to fix the horrid four-way intersection at Goldstream and Leigh Road.
Most importantly, the City claims that the project is designed to retain as many of the mature trees along this corridor as possible. Yet, already the project has removed three of seven mature trees along this stretch of road. Two Garry oak trees and one large arbutus tree are gone for good and the project has only just begun. What’s worse is that the City has no plans to replace or add any new trees in this improvement project.
Langford is failing to achieve the goals and objectives set out in the city’s Official Community Plan, which is the blueprint for how Langford grows and develops. It features a strong emphasis on sustainability and climate change.
Destroying trees and not replacing them is not sustainable. This project is therefore, not sustainable. Trees are desperately needed in this corridor to keep the air clean, keep pedestrians safe, calm the growing noise and to beautify the area. Between Costin Avenue and Dunford Road, there are now zero street trees.
Leigh Road is seeing increasing traffic now that the overpass is in place. It will see even more traffic with the new off-ramp addition too. Yet, residents in the area are expected to be happy with a look-busy project which doesn’t address the real problems in the area.
The intersection is not being fixed. The noise is not being addressed. Good, mature trees are being removed, and no new trees will replace them.
Langford has done an excellent job planting trees (and removing them) in other areas, but that does not excuse this lousy project. Development, big or small, must be done sustainably.
Joel Toorenburgh, Langford
