Be careful what you wish for. The proposed Little River trail may not be an optimum choice for the elderly or faint of heart. Bicycling is not a slam dunk either due to the long steep grades on the west side bank.
The west trailhead runs along the east side of Poirier Elementary School. School buses and parental pick-up will be impacted by construction activity and loud noises during school hours.
Situated across from the Sun River east trailhead is a row of Canada Post mail boxes. Construction activity will impact local mail delivery, and the accompanying morning and evening commuter traffic, plus the loud construction noise.
On a seasonal basis, District of Sooke parks employees will be remedying storm damage due to fallen trees and branches. The volume of silt from storm damage erosion and heavy rain runoff could impact riparian fish habitat in Sooke River.
The prefabricated aluminum and steel bridge, spanning over 50 metres, hopefully will be at an unobtrusive height so as not to impede the 'roaming' wild animal natural corridor. Compare the design of the Mystic Beach Peter Wolf suspension bridge (same length) – perhaps a better choice?
One final note: the trail length measures 850 metres – so the $1,943,748 pricetag translates to approximately $2,350 per metre.
Mick Rhodes
Sooke
