On one side, a quaint-looking residential neighbourhood of single-family homes on 57A Avenue in Surrey.
On the other, a courthouse with a remand centre, where inmates await trial.
Between them, a footpath that’s a “floodgate” for criminality, according to local residents, who say they have witnessed drug use, prostitution and break-and-enters.
Coverage of crime in Surrey:
A fight has been brewing over this path for years, and members of the local Block Watch say they need more lighting, cameras and an increased police presence.
It’s a fight that boiled over on Friday when city crews arrived — not to put in more lighting, but to make the path more wheelchair-accessible.
“We’re doing everything we can to defend” the neighbourhood, said Michael Gibbs, the Block Watch co-captain.
“This does not help us.”
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Homeowners on 57A Avenue have sent the city evidence of the alleged criminality in the area of the footpath.
Advinder Greywall, another Block Watch co-captain, said the city has done “absolutely nothing to facilitate the safety of this neighbourhood.”
There was a police presence on Friday — to ensure residents didn’t impede the work of city crews.
“The city is telling us they want to make this wheelchair accessible,” Gibbs said.
“We’re saying, you want to put the kids in the pool before you get rid of the sharks?”
The City of Surrey has said that the pathway can’t be blocked off, and cameras aren’t possible there.
Staff will meet with residents to discuss the possibility of more lighting.