Hello Minister Fleming, I’m writing about the poor state of landscaping along Highway 97 within the City of Prince George. I see that it receives regular mowing, which is good, but the condition of the shrubs and trees along the section between the Highway 16/97 intersection and the John Hart Bridge is terrible.
Some of the intersections (15th & 5th) appear to have received some sort of landscaping maybe 20 years ago (there seem to be old garden beds etc.) but they are now completely overgrown. It’s rather embarrassing to be honest, looks very cheap and is certainly not improving the aesthetics of Prince George (nor it’s reputation). When one drives through PG on their way anywhere, it’s sure doesn’t appear to be a very inviting community, which is disappointing, because the city has some beautiful aspects... if one just gets off the highway.
The trees along this section of the highway are a sad-looking lot as well. There are not many, they are not spaced in any sort of order and they don’t appear to be particularly healthy. I’m looking at the wonderful trees along the CNC campus as an example of what could be placed along the highway. One may also look at the landscaping the Town of Smithers has for Highway 16. Taylor has better trees along the highway than Prince George. The highway through Quesnel is a good example as well. Some businesses take care of the frontage along Highway 16 (specifically the car dealerships) as another example.
I understand there are probably some jurisdictional overlaps between the Ministry of Transportation and the City of Prince George. There are utilities to think of as well, but I’m sure something could be worked out for the good of everyone. I think we can all agree that any improvement is better than the low-quality hodgepodge that people get to look at right now.
Thank you for your time and I eagerly look forward to seeing improvements.
Jeff Morton
Prince George
