As a past mayoralty candidate, I believe that Langford needs a fresh approach.
Langford is making the same mistakes that other cities have made. Infrastructure such as roads, water, and sewer do wear out. Current development needs to take into account how to pay for these future infrastructure costs and not leave this problem for future councils. A review of Langford’s official community plan is required to see how these future infrastructure costs can be mitigated.
The traffic gridlock on the Trans Canada Highway will only get worse with the population growth in Langford and other Western Communities. The current council solution is a $600 million commuter rail system. An alternate solution would be to use the existing transit system and create dedicated bus lanes on the existing road system between Langford and Victoria. Saanich and Victoria have been proactive and have already created dedicated bus lanes on Douglas Street. I have been a BC Transit user for 40-plus years.
Langford lost an opportunity with the redevelopment of the Belmont High School property. With shopping, transportation and other existing infrastructure already in place, the property was an ideal location for high-density residential, retail, and office development with low impact on existing residential areas. Also lost was an opportunity for getting significant green space for the community.
The City of Langford forced four or five of the homeowners on my street to connect to sewer in the last two years, reneging on an agreement that was made between homeowners on my street and the past city administrator. This happened when our street was included in a sewer specified area. While the city can rewrite the rules, it damages one’s trust in government.
Please take an interest in what is happening in your city and get out and vote.
Robert Fraser
Langford