Editor, The News:
As most everyone who live in Maple Ridge knows, there is a new shorter access to Golden Ears Provincial Park due to a new housing development on Fern Crescent.
The problem is, no one from the City of Maple Ridge has seen fit to erect a sign letting the general public know this.
We live on Fern Crescent, just past the new access to the park, and here we are on another weekend watching traffic either stopping at the new access, wondering where to go, some turning around or driving up the new access only to return a few minutes later past our place, some hauling huge trailers or boats, to where they started from.
This has been going on for four months now.
I originally approached the developer about a sign directing traffic, but they weren’t interested.
I then contacted the city planning department and was referred to the engineering department, and was told that it was the developer’s commitment, but later came back stating they would have one put up.
Nothing happened, so I contacted council, who inquired about the situation, and while I was away, a sign was reportedly put up, but lasted less than a week.
I then contacted the office of the provincial minister of tourism, thinking it would be interested in knowing about the new access to the most visited provincial park in B.C., with no signage letting people know how to get there.
As a last resort, I’m thinking of getting a gofundme account to raise the $300 or so to put a sign up directing traffic to the park, but the city bylaws, which took three weeks to respond to my complaint about a development sign on city property that contravened the bylaws signage size, only to tell me they were doing nothing about it, would probably have my sign down immediately and give me a big fine.
Isn’t dealing with government fun.
Doug Stanger
Maple Ridge
