I live on Townsend Road and make frequent trips to Evergreen Mall. On Townsend Road we already have what I call the punishment corner at Sooke Road; we have to loop around the Otter Point intersection to get to Evergreen Mall.
Often I choose to walk to Evergreen Mall. There is a derelict path, littered with trash and scrap, it runs behind the A&W, which myself and plenty of others use to avoid the loop around the bank, restaurant and A&W. It is a daunting spectacle to use this path, with all that litter, and the space in the fencing makes it seem almost illicit to use, yet for the amount of foot traffic, it deserves to be a legitimate thoroughfare.
Could this not be dignified with some urban renewal, perhaps a better entry way so mothers with children and buggies could use it? Some tidying up? It seems such a logical entrance to the Evergreen Mall for those of us on Townsend and further up our road. Much safer for mothers and kids than looping around the corner of Sooke Road.
The lot is a totally neglected zone, and this in the heart of our town. The space is probably private property but doesn’t look as if anyone cares about it. A mall entry would just make total good sense at that location, if only for the pedestrians.
Trix Boyd
Sooke