Oak Bay Roads and Sidewalks

[Galvanized]

I've noticed that Oak Bay roads and sidewalks are deteriorating into pretty bad shape. Most of their sidewalks don't have curb cuts which is surprising considering the size of the municipality and how many of their residents use scooters. Oak Bay doesn't seem to have much priority for bike lanes either, I've noticed some on Foul Bay Rd but no where else, they haven't tried to put them in along Beach Dr which needs them. So why is it Victoria and Saanich can budget for these types things and not Oak Bay which has the highest residential tax rate in the CRD?

[Mike K.]

Because OB is cheap!

[gumgum]

Funny. My wife took my daughter and met up with a friend in Estaven/ Willows Beach yesterday, and was commenting on the same thing. It's amazing the things you don't really notice when you don't have a stroller with you, (or anything wheel related.) I just can't believe they don't have curb cuts on many sidewalks.

[FunkyMunky]

Originally Posted by Galvanized

Oak Bay doesn't seem to have much priority for bike lanes either...

You'll be delighted to know the municipality is looking for [url=http://www.oakbaybc.org/Notices/North%20Henderson%20Road%20Ad%20-website%20version.htm:b3e71]input[/url:b3e71] on installing bike lanes on Henderson Road between Camosun and UVic [[url=http://www.oakbaybc.org/pdfdocuments/Henderson%20Plan.pdf:b3e71]Plans[/url:b3e71] in PDF format]. No rush though since the open house isn't scheduled until June 4th. I believe the work is not scheduled in the near future because we're currently looking for funding from other levels of government; we shouldn't have to pay for this ourselves. (Sorry, I can't find the newspaper article where this was discussed in the fall).

Originally Posted by Derf

Because OB is cheap!

And an excerpt from the [url=http://www.oakbaynews.com/portals-code/list.cgi?paper=23&cat=23&id=859000&more=:b3e71]weekly rag[/url:b3e71] discussing the sidewalk improvements for the Estevan Village:

Municipal staff have estimated the cost of beautifying Estevan Village at $92,220. This includes new concrete sidewalks, refinished benches, new planters, new streetlights and tree removal. The concrete work would constitute roughly half of the cost.

Municipal administrator Bill Cochrane noted that the 2007 sidewalk budget would be severely strained if the concrete were put in this year, but recommended replacing the trees even if the sidewalks couldn’t be finished.

Given the project is budgeted at $92K and the sidewalk replacement is just a portion of the work, what must our sidewalk budget be for the whole community?

[rjag]

You're spot on. I was noticing the poor condition of the roads in Oak Bay. It seems the more you pay in Property taxes the less you get. I'd like to know what proportion of taxes go to salaries and what goes to infrastructure.

[Holden West]

If you reduced taxes, Oak Bay Police wouldn't be able to search for lost pets and turn off old folks' sprinklers.