Editor:

Kudos to city staff for recommending 30 km/h speed limits on Thrift Street west of Johnson Road. At least someone at city hall has some sense.

Shame on Mayor Megan Knight and councillors Elaine Cheung and Ernie Klassen. I have to wonder if these elected representatives really understand what creates a livable community.

Wouldn鈥檛 everyone prefer quiet, safe streets where pedestrians (mothers with strollers, elderly with walkers, etc.) can make their way in peace. Who in their right mind believes speeding traffic in residential areas is a good thing?

But this speeding issue is not only a question of safety. It鈥檚 also about noise 鈥� heart-stopping noise from souped-up cars.

Restricting automobiles weighing several tons to 30 km/h would not only create a safer but a quieter community. Our local police have struggled for decades to crack down on ridiculously loud vehicles. Under-sized males 鈥渄rag race鈥� from Martin and Thrift. Using the traffic light as a 鈥済o鈥� signal, they roar down the street up to 50 km/h (usually more) only to skid to a halt at Oxford. So 30 km/h would definitely crimp the style of these low-lifes and create a safer, more livable community.

What kind of community do we want White Rock to be; one dominated by skyscrapers and mayhem on the streets or something more humanly scaled, with quiet, peaceful, tree-lined public spaces? That鈥檚 the White Rock I fell in love with 45 years ago.

It鈥檚 almost too late, but there鈥檚 still a chance to make this work.

Paul Griffin, White Rock