Email from Rick Lester re: Helmcken Park & Ride

From: Rick Lester Sent: May-30-18 7:34 PM To: Mayor And Council Email Subject: Helmecken Park & Ride

Hello, my name is Rick Lester. I saw an article in the Goldstream Gazette that announced that View Royal was going to review usage at the Helmecken Park & Ride.

As I understood the article, it implied that the review would only deal with illegal parking by VGH Hospital employees (certainly an issue), expanding the facility to adjacent land and focusing the purpose of this facility on being specifically Transit related.

This scope is too narrow. I frequently use this facility to park at as a base point from which to cycle either on the Galloping Goose trail and then on to the Colquitz or Lochside trails or alternatively on the E&N Rail Trail. I live quite far from the cycling trails and need to commute to a convenient parking place in order to gain access to them.

Please note that there are very few places where Greater Victorians can conveniently park and then gain access the cycling trails. In fact, View Royal has closed public access to a number of parking lots close to the trails, reportedly also because of abuse by the hospital staff.

Please consider including the importance of accommodating parking for cyclists trying to gain access to the trail system as part of your review and engaging stakeholders from the cycling community during the course of the review.

Thanks for considering my input.

Rick Lester