Editor:
Re: New West residents urged to play it safe in the sun, Record News
I was happy to hear that New Westminster has named May as Melanoma and Skin Cancer Awareness Month along with sharing Kathleen Barnard's story.
As a newer resident to the city (and someone who burns very easily), I have enjoyed spending a few summers down by the Pier Park and Quay area with my young family.
However, in keeping with sun safety, there is a lack of shade there during most times of the day. Riverbanks are notorious for being sites of piercing UV rays, and natural shade is difficult to come by there.
I wonder if it would be possible for the city to engineer a few more shade-friendly areas along this stretch of the river.
I'm no architect, but the west area of the pier with the standing log poles, right across from the new playground, seems like a prime area.
Perhaps fabric could be strung between those poles to provide more cover, as often I see families crowded into the skinny strips of shade that those poles provide.
I think we are all grateful to have this section of the pier back up and running, and I am impressed by how the designers of the new pier utilized the overpass to provide shade to the children's playground during the day.
Considering Ms. Barnard's statistic that one-in-six Canadian millennials will get skin cancer in their lifetime, creating a few more spaces to seek breaks from the summer sun is worth considering.
S. Brown, New Westminster
