A downtown that’s friendly for families

Don’t we want kids and families coming downtown? The Victoria Gym Club offers affordable classes that draw hundreds of families with children of all ages to Store Street and Pembroke.

Here they get quality instruction in recreational gymnastics. Years ago, club management set up a well-endowed gymnastics centre in an very old brick building — this is an old gem of a facility but parking is a challenge.

Bus service is do-able to several blocks away, but kids aged three and older come from all over, and the practicality of that means many are too young to be dropped off.

One has to park and escort children right in. It is mainly moms and dads trying to park in the area for 90 minutes. There really are no restaurants or stores competing.

For some reason, rather than optimizing access to this facility, this industrial area has new sidewalks on one side with “pocket parking” of only two or three cars per pocket.

The whole street could be simple angle parking for many more vehicles. Moreover, here are no crosswalks supporting the pedestrian activity of this rather dangerous corner, and no speed reduction signs or children-crossing signs can be found.

Instead, the same traffic officer is a regular in the area and thrives on ticketing parents’ vehicles that overlap onto red curbs.

It would be fantastic if the officer could be reassigned to control traffic there 3:30-5:15 p.m., slow trucks turning into the blind corner or assist families crossing.

A pedestrian light, signs, several crosswalks, and painting some red curbs white where there is no reason not to, would be a cheap but very good start.

Sandra Hartley Victoria