2245 replies to this topic

[dasmo]

Any train service into town is servicing at least the CRD which is 383,360. One would argue the E&N would service the island population which is 748,937. Again, Our Geography limits other options and this is already there and only needs a renovation. It's a low hanging fruit if I ever saw one.... It would be a huge boost to Langford and the West Hills. Allowing for much higher density in this area without breaking Victoria for everyone. 

 

I also want to add.... What is wrong with showing some sympathy to those living next to the overpass? There are a few homes there that are decimated... Telling them you should have known better is a little cold. 

[Mike K.]

Let's put this in perspective.

 

In red are the homes affected by noise (roughly one dot per home, but there might be some overlap, etc.). Then there's a white bar indicating the distance between the current highway and the row of homes along the (Colquitz?) river.

 

The squeaky wheel always gets the grease. And the complaints we hear coming from that little area of Saanich (together with a couple of cyclists who now can't live with a sharp right-hand-turn without a traffic circle) make the situation out to be something that it simply isn't.

 

[Mike K.]

Oh, and the 327 metre line represents the distance along the forested/unforested line.

[shoeflack]

As I understand it, it's the Burnside Road residents that are the most vocal here, as the nighttime blasting is all happening between Grange and Belgrave (beyond the existing pedestrian overpass). It's the rock face below that's being removed in the evenings.

 

But to Mike's point, as any of us Downtown residents can attest, you can't go 30 minutes at any point during a 24-hour cycle all 365 days a year without some noise issue. I get that this is constant heavy noise all night, but it's not going to last forever, and it's the price you pay as being a member of society.

 

[jonny]

Well they clearly can't blast that rock during the day as it would mean pretty much shutting down the highway and halting a huge chunk of commerce for the entire region.

 

I get that it sucks, trust me. We are living in a construction zone now. Trying to balance the needs of 400k residents and hundreds of businesses with any major infrastructure project is challenging at the best of times.

[nagel]

The blasting and drilling is complete by 9pm.  It's the dump trucks and excavation that runs all night long that is difficult for many to deal with.  Luckily I sleep like a zombie but I know of many in the Shoeflack zone above that are losing their minds.  I'd rather see this work carried out on Sunday (a day off for some reason).

 

I'm done with this topic though, other that to agree with what Dasmo say.  Even where there isn't a good alternative it's ok just to say a "that sucks" and carry on than to try and de-legitimize people's concerns.

[Mike K.]

The zone in red is just a small sliver of the project and surely not the brunt of what's happening. In fact the majority of the work along those houses is for the Galloping Goose, isn't it? The new speed up lane will be virtually flush with the existing highway by the time it reaches the grounds beyond the school.

[nagel]

The zone in red is just a small sliver of the project and surely not the brunt of what's happening. In fact the majority of the work along those houses is for the Galloping Goose, isn't it? The new speed up lane will be virtually flush with the existing highway by the time it reaches the grounds beyond the school.

The work west of Grange is for highway widening, not the Goose.  The Goose keeps it's current alignment.

[LJ]

Tell all the folks who are affected get a reduction in their property tax based on how far away you are from the work site.

 

<100 meters 80% reduction

100-200 meters 60% reduction

200-300 meters 40% reduction

300-500 meters 20% reduction

[nagel]

Oooh 20% reduction sounds like I can afford new underwear and socks this year!

[On the Level]

Tell all the folks who are affected get a reduction in their property tax based on how far away you are from the work site.

 

<100 meters 80% reduction

100-200 meters 60% reduction

200-300 meters 40% reduction

300-500 meters 20% reduction

 

How much can I have my property taxes reduced for being subject to the "Saanich Focus" disturbance?  How much can others have their property taxes reduced for being subjected to "traffic calming"?

Edited by On the Level, 17 May 2017 - 10:12 PM.

[Mike K.]

I guess we shouldn't have to pay taxes at all in downtown Victoria.

[sdwright.vic]

Tell all the folks who are affected get a reduction in their property tax based on how far away you are from the work site.

<100 meters 80% reduction
100-200 meters 60% reduction
200-300 meters 40% reduction
300-500 meters 20% reduction

So you know a reduction in property taxes hurts Saabich and not the province correct? These people are mad at the province for this "inconvenience", not their own city?

[lanforod]

So you know a reduction in property taxes hurts Saabich and not the province correct? These people are mad at the province for this "inconvenience", not their own city?

 

I presume LJ means for the province to pay the difference .

[VicHockeyFan]

From John M.  Very early this morning.

 

[Bingo]

Tonight

 

 

 

 

 

 

[grantpalin]

Respect to those who do road work during the night and dreary conditions.

[Kungsberg]

Short news item about the construction, and Interview with Jenelle Erwin, Deputy Director of Transportation Infrastructure.

 

http://www.cheknews....verpass-342809/

 

 

Attached Images

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[Cassidy]

A possibly off-topic question, but related to Mckenzie and all the traffic nonsense currently a daily nightmare between the City and Goldstream, but has anybody got any insight into the weird 20 minute to half hour traffic jam that randomly pops up at the Leigh Road exchange heading North on the Island Highway into Goldstream?

 

It seems to be caused by a combination of traffic first slowing down as the two lanes merge into one, then is exacerbated by folks seeing the merge slowdown and taking the right hand turn by the gas station to use the newish Leigh Road on-ramp to bypass the highway slowdown.

 

This of course is further exacerbated when all these vehicles taking the "detour" around the traffic jam try to then MERGE back into single lane traffic off the Leigh Road on-ramp heading North.

 

This has been going on since the Leigh Road overpass and exchange opened ... and you would really think that the folks who designed this mess would have recognized this potential design issue in advance ... or at the very least fixed it once it became apparent that it was happening?

 

I recall the RCMP used to sit at the top of the North on-ramp occasionally, handing out tickets to these folks for disobeying the signs (that I recall you have to disobey to make this "detour") ... but the RCMP seem to have given up on that tactic a while ago for some reason?

 

It's really quite an insane design currently, as the double to single lane merge should be a zipper-merge, with traffic continuously moving into Goldstream ... with only the occasional Northbound car merging off Leigh Road ... as opposed to the non-stop stream of cars merging onto the highway off the Leigh Road on-ramp currently ... but with none of those cars actually coming from Leigh Road!

 

One wonders if we'll ever be able to drive from town to Goldstream without the ever lurking potential of an hour long nightmare traffic jam?

 

**EDIT** looking at Google Maps, it appears the reason the RCMP stopped giving out tickets is because there's nothing illegal at all being done by the folks taking this "detour" around the traffic jam. Presumably this changed as all the assorted access roads to the interchange were completed.

Edited by Cassidy, 03 July 2017 - 08:20 AM.

[rjag]

^ took that road yesterday to drive a friend up to Cedar 11:45AM just passed the Costco turnoff traffic is crawling, 40 mins to get to Goldstream, I blame the combination of the merge to 1 lane exacerbated with the traffic light at Westshore parkway. They designed in a 2 lane left turn there, what should have been designed in was 2 lanes all the way from Spencer to that intersection and then 1 lane turning into a single lane overpass, no light. 

 

What should have taken maybe 1 hour 30 mins to get to Cedar became 2 1/2 hours, wasnt anymore traffic than usual, just that chokepoint and the minor slowdown going through the construction zone on the Malahat which wasnt a big deal as it was flowing, just a bit slower. 

Edited by rjag, 03 July 2017 - 08:32 AM.