Editor:

It has been snowing in Metro Vancouver for days now, with over a foot of snow on the ground in White Rock since Sunday night.

As far as I have seen in my travels around our little city, very few side roads have been plowed and some of the major roads have not either.

The only side roads I have seen that are plowed are Kent and Kiel, on either side of the works yard. Almost every other street is covered in snow and many are impassable.

And then there are the pay parking lots on the West Beach – all plowed.

I would like an explanation as to why the taxpayers of this city that fund public works, including snow plowing, don’t get the benefit of having their streets plowed or salted, with many people unable to even drive to their homes because the hill they live on is covered in snow.

I have lived here for 20 years and have yet to see a plow or salter on my street.

Meanwhile, the cash cow parking lots on the West Beach are free of snow, ready for customers or tourists, most of whom don’t live here.

Plowed by City of White Rock trucks.

Thanks for putting your employers (taxpayers) first, we appreciate it.

B. Jakob, White Rock

(Editor’s note: During the months of February and March, the City of White Rock is not charging for street or lot parking along Marine Drive.)

•••

Unexpected snowfall has badly interrupted our public life.

During the snowstorm, we find people complaining about the snail-paced response from the city.

If snow-removal service is not provided in a timely manner, surfaces such as highways, roads, walkways, sidewalks and parking lots become difficult to navigate.

Public schools are compelled to close, public safety and transit issues become serious points of concern.

Compared to other parts of Canada, our province does not have a well-organized snow-removal system, so snow can be cleared quickly from roads.

If, when snowstorms happen, we are not fully prepared, then what will happen to public life and property when other natural calamities strike us all of a sudden?

From previous years and the current snowy conditions, we can see how urgently attention needs to be given to upgrade our existing snow-removal system.

Hanif A. Patel, Surrey