More and more South Langley residents want to know what compelled the current council to eliminate the intersection of 200 Street and 0 Avenue.
This occurred last month after 48 residents of the High Point equestrian-themed housing estate signed a petition urging council not to open up 0 Avenue and 200 Street. Township council agreed.
This means that 0 Avenue traffic cannot access 200 Street, and southbound 200 Street traffic will get no further than High Point.
In June, 2004, a report to council on the High Point subdivision and development bylaw stated that 200 Street would be extended to 0 Avenue as a collector road.
Until construction began, 200 Street ended just south of 8 Avenue. Once it started 200 Street/0 Avenue was kept blocked to prevent construction vehicles entering the building site from 0 Avenue.
Several residents have told council that 200 Street should go all the way to 0 Avenue.
Eleanor Wrigley was the latest. On April 11, she told council that the lack of access to 0 Avenue is funneling too much traffic along 8 Avenue. Furthermore, she added, once on 200 Street, traffic wanting to reach 0 Avenue is forced to go as far as 216 Street, or 192 Street in Surrey.
There have been several collisions at 200 Street and 8 Avenue, an intersection which is controlled by four-way stop signs.
One of those crashes involved Wrigley’s daughter; the car in which she was travelling was T-boned and a write-off.
Wrigley said that the issue should have been brought to a public meeting so that all those residents impacted could have a say.
Councillor Kim Richter asked Wrigley whether a roundabout at 200 Street and 8 Avenue would be safer than a four-way stop.
There would be more confusion, Wrigley said. The solution is to spread the traffic around, she said, adding that turning 200 Street into a dead-end road is “shortsighted.”
Councillor Bob Long said that he voted to close the road, based on what he knew at the time. But with more people speaking up, it’s time to look at the bigger picture.
Council agreed to air the issue during a public hearing meeting. No date has been set.