2241 replies to this topic

[lanforod]

Any other property and they'd just take the land. A reserve, yeah I dunno.

[malahatdrive]

Front page of the Times Colonist today:

Aspen Road residents are going to BC Supreme Court to stop the redesign of the Aspen Road intersection at Highway 1. They argue the new design will be less safe that alternative such as a protected T intersection or a signal.


http://www.timescolo...hift-1.19980876



[Arguing a proposed “safety” improvement to the Malahat will actually make highway access from their neighbourhood more dangerous, a group of Aspen Road area residents has filed a petition in B.C. Supreme Court to stop the work and have the intersection redesigned.



“It’s very frustrating,” said Bill Eller, who filed the petition on behalf of about 35 homeowners in the Aspen Road area, just south of the Malahat Village.
“We’ve got compelling safety arguments, and that’s all we’re arguing.
“There’s nothing in the conversation about convenience or nuisance or anything like that.”
The province announced on July 27 a $34-million project to expand five kilometres of the highway to four lanes with wider shoulders, add three kilometres of median barrier and install new lighting, a new turnaround and improved access.

....


“Then we have to merge into the slow lane, and then we have to merge into the fast lane, and then we have to leave the highway into a left-turn lane,” Eller said
“Then we have to cross two southbound lanes of unrestrained traffic in a compound curve with marginal sightlines.”
The residents believe it would be safer to either put a signal at Aspen Road or install a “protected T” intersection.

....


“It’s a much lesser site than what we have at Aspen Road, [with] poorer sightlines and much steeper elevation lines.,” she said.
“We are going to be the only neighbourhood between Victoria and Nanaimo that is going to be forced into all on-the-highway manoeuvring and into a situation that we unanimously perceive to be far more dangerous for us,” she said.
The residents say in the petition there was only minimal consultation, that the province failed to give the residents written notice of its plans for the intersection, and that the proposed design is contrary to public safety best practices.
Mike Hicks, who represents the residents in his sprawling Juan de Fuca Electoral Area, said the ministry’s one-size-fits-all policy is wrong.
“The bottom line is that they want safety and they want to be able to turn to get to Victoria,” Hicks said.
[i]The province had not filed a response to the petition by Monday. Because of the delay while the province awaits election results, a ministry spokesperson could offer no comment.]

--------------


As a former Malahat resident I sympathize and there is little to no consultation during any of the previous improvements. I have to say I think what they will get will be safer than what they have currently. Left turns out onto a highway (especially ones with that much volume) are dangerous and the new design will prevent that.

As a Whittaker Rd resident we asked for a protected T intersection also and were denied. Ironically they still let vehicles turn left there across now 4 lanes of traffic - not a safe move at all.
Anyway, I don't see the residents winning.

And please for the love of Pete don't add a signal to the Malahat!

[Mike K.]

Right, a signal would be insane.

[G-Man]

Yeah not about inconvenience at all...

[Cassidy]

I think it's pretty funny when run-of-the-mill homeowners presume to have the knowledge and skillset to participate in something as vertical as designing intersection elements of a major highway.

 

These Aspen Road folks are incredulous that they weren't asked for their design input ... uhhhhh - no kidding the Gov't doesn't want your highway design input ... "you sir, sell shoes at The Bay and know absolutely nothing about what you presume to demand you be invited to provide input on".

 

The Aspen Road folks suggestion that a traffic light would soothe their pain pretty much sums it all up.

Edited by Cassidy, 17 May 2017 - 05:17 PM.

[VicHockeyFan]

A traffic light with a 10 minute interval would be fine. We could have a count up timer. Aspen Rd. Residents could just shut off engines.

[LJ]

^Yeah, like you would sit there for 10 minutes with no traffic and wait for the light to change. I don't think so.

[VicHockeyFan]

CRD Traffic Safety would like Malahat speed cameras...

 

https://www.crd.bc.c...vrsn=101639ca_2

[sebberry]

CRD Traffic Safety would like Malahat speed cameras...

 

https://www.crd.bc.c...vrsn=101639ca_2

 

Chris Foord has been whining about this for years.  With Horgan in place, I'll be surprised if we don't get this Foord tax on motorists.

[nagel]

Chris Foord has been whining about this for years.  With Horgan in place, I'll be surprised if we don't get this Foord tax on motorists.

You mean voluntary idiot tax.

[Mike K.]

I agree, we need to get the idiots going 110 off that highway. Tailgating people doing 90, swerving around traffic daring to travel below 100. It's insane what you see on that highway and it's a goldmine for fines.

[sebberry]

Foord wants average speed cameras.  So it's not the guy going 110 in a dangerous spot who will get snagged, it's all the safe drivers travelling at 90 that will be caught.  

 

The issue is aggression, not speed.  We've been through this many times.  

[nagel]

Yup we have and nobody's opinions changed IIFC.  Sort of like over in the bike lane thread.  

[sebberry]

If this tech is successful in reducing problems, why doesn't it produce a steadily decreasing revenue?  It doesn't, and munis count on that revenue to the point they budget for it.  

[nagel]

If this tech is successful in reducing problems, why doesn't it produce a steadily decreasing revenue?  It doesn't, and munis count on that revenue to the point they budget for it.  

Wouldn't it be MoTI revenue not municipal?

 

Some clear signage letting people know they're entering an average speed enforced area, with listed monetary and demerit penalties should suffice to drastically reduce speeding on the Malahat.

[lanforod]

Photo radar would be more effective, IMO. Especially if it were camouflaged and mobile - ie. could be moved regularly.

[sebberry]

Wouldn't it be MoTI revenue not municipal?

 

Some clear signage letting people know they're entering an average speed enforced area, with listed monetary and demerit penalties should suffice to drastically reduce speeding on the Malahat.

 

I don't care where the money is going - point being, the resulting revenue from this type of enforcement doesn't typically taper off as one would expect to occur should the enforcement be successful.

[Jason-L]

I don't care where the money is going - point being, the resulting revenue from this type of enforcement doesn't typically taper off as one would expect to occur should the enforcement be successful.

Because you're right about it being a tax.  There's no intention for deterence here.  And if the deterence works, a different offense will be manufactured to replace the lost revenue anyway.

[rjag]

You mean voluntary idiot tax.

 

Its not an idiot tax if the 85th percentile speed is faster than the posted limits. I have no problem with this if they have proper engineered posted limits not politicized chicken little limits

 

Look at the highway from Parksville to Courtney, when they put the limits up to 110 the average speed actually went down, same as the Coq

[Bingo]

Foord wants average speed cameras.  So it's not the guy going 110 in a dangerous spot who will get snagged, it's all the safe drivers travelling at 90 that will be caught.  

The issue is aggression, not speed.  We've been through this many times.  

 

So if it takes 19 minutes to go through the two checkpoints doing the speed limit and you get stuck in traffic doing 40 km, then you can go waaay over the limit to make up time as long as you are just over the interval time limit at the checkpoint.

 

"It's effectively the idea that you can put a camera and license plate radar at the Goldstream entrance for example and another one at Mill Bay.

It's 19 minutes to do the 20 kilometres at the speed limit. So you pick a threshold limit and if you've done it in 14, 15 minutes you get a ticket," Foord explained.

http://www.cheknews....malahat-343376/