Residents lobby Council to deal with unpaved section of Cherry Street
By Nelson Daily Staff
Residents with homes near the 1200 block of Cherry Street have started a petition on change.org in an attempt to lobby the City of Nelson to deal with two blocks of the street they say have become "unacceptably neglected and are in desperate need of maintenance".
The street, which accesses Great Northern Rails to Trails linear park near Mountain Station, is currently is not paved and lined with numerous potholes due to the increase in traffic travelling to Mountain Station.
“The extreme amount of dust created is an unhealthy burden on the people who live in the neighbourhood,” the petition reads.
“The constant washouts and accumulating gravel on adjacent streets cause a very serious safety concern for anyone walking, biking or riding a motorcycle.”
Petition writers said traffic on the road has increased over the past decade as a result of the popularity of the TransCanada Rails to Trails, which has turned into a year-round destination for locals and tourists — and has seen another increase in traffic due to locals attempting to free themself from self-isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Situated at the southeast part of Nelson, the location provides easy access for walking, jogging, cycling and crosscountry skiing.
More homes have also been built above the Rails to Trails in Mountain Station as well a well-develop mountain biking trail network, adding to the traffic numbers.
“Many residents of this neighbourhood have asked for this (street) to be addressed and have been told that it is up to (residents) to have this road paved,” the petition said.
“We cannot enjoy our yards during half of the year, as inhaling clouds of dust and potential silica exposure is not healthy.”
The petition said the City of Nelson refusing to allocate funds to fix the road that residents see hundreds of vehicles access is “not acceptable, short-sighted and negligent”.
Nelson City Councilor, Janice Morrison, reached via email, confirms a group of citizens has reached out to the city regarding paving of the upper blocks of Cherry Street.
Morrison said it is her understanding that staff have responded to the issues raised by the group.
“The standard process is to use the Local Improvement Charges Bylaw in regards to paving streets that have never been paved in the past,” Morrison said.
However, one person commenting on the change.org petition said she delivered letters to council on February 24th, but to date, had not yet received a reply.
More than 390 people had signed the petition at publication of this story on The Nelson Daily.
A brick has been used to fill a pothole on Cherry Street. — Submitted photo
