2241 replies to this topic

[Mike K.]

Yeah, and that's the pickle.

 

What if you have slightly larger tires than the manufacturer put on the vehicle, thereby reducing your speedometer's indicated speeds by, say 2.5-7.5%, depending on the size of the tires? This is quite common, especially on pick-ups and SUV's that are likely to utilize larger tires without skipping down to the dealership to pay for a $500 speedometer recalibration.

[Coreyburger]

Yeah, and that's the pickle.

 

What if you have slightly larger tires than the manufacturer put on the vehicle, thereby reducing your speedometer's indicated speeds by, say 2.5-7.5%, depending on the size of the tires? This is quite common, especially on pick-ups and SUV's that are likely to utilize larger tires without skipping down to the dealership to pay for a $500 speedometer recalibration.

 

Please tell me why I should care about this person? They are speeding and risking other people's lives to save a buck.

[rjag]

Please tell me why I should care about this person? They are speeding and risking other people's lives to save a buck.

What if the 85th percentile is faster than the politically posted speed limit.... say 90 in an 80 zone on the 'hat?

And if the average speed camera is all about saving lives how does it do that by sending a bill to the owner of the vehicle several weeks after the fact? When it might not have been the owner?

Heck even BC Transit is commenting about politically imposed speed limits and indicating drivers are basically ignoring them

Edited by rjag, 24 July 2017 - 09:21 AM.

[Mike K.]

You should care about that person, because that person could be you. Do you know if your speedometer 100%, definitively reflects the actual speed at which you are traveling? Because most do not.

 

“The accuracy of the speedometer in most vehicles, including Volkswagens, is generally within a few percentage points of actual speed,” Tetzlaff says. “Odometer readings are designed to be quite accurate.” (but not precise).

 

- https://www.theglobe...rticle11487709/

 

Meaning, speedometers do not depict the true speed of a vehicle. So in actuality, adding slightly larger tires could help represent the actual speed at which a vehicle is traveling. Go figure. 

[Cassidy]

Yeah, I have to agree with Corey here. Other jurisdictions have water supplies that are – or in the event of an emergency can be – interconnected. On the south Island we rely on what we have. There's literally no infrastructure to connect our water supply with that of Duncan, let alone Nanaimo or points north. So one screw up and we're in trouble.

We do have the Goldstream watershed, which is completely isolated from the Sooke Lake watershed ... and more than sufficient to supply the CRD with water.

 

Indeed, citizens of the CRD drink from it every year without fail when they shut down the Sooke Lake watershed in order to inspect the Kapor Tunnel.

 

But as I noted, (quite clearly I thought?) these are but thoughts to simply ponder on ... as the likelihood of twinning the Malahat through the watershed is low to zero.

[Mike K.]

You do raise an excellent point, though, that we have existing routes all throughout the Sooke Hills and environs. As someone who enjoys 4x4-ing I've often wished some of the locked off roads in our region were accessible to individuals who aren't the friends of politicians or have ins at the CRD (and yes, I've seen folks cruising through there who have admitted as much).

[malahatdrive]

Found the old Stantec report on Malahat highway improvement options from 2007

 

http://www2.gov.bc.c...-2007/app_i.pdf

 
It includes the attached table showing the environmental options based on 3 alignment options:

 

First Image H4 Alignment

Second Image H6 Alignment

 

Third Image Table of Impacts

 

 

* = Ranking of expected magnitude of effect with 1 being the least effect to 5 being the greatest effect

Based on this preliminary information, Options H1b - Improve Existing Highway

corridor, is ranked lowest for environmental constraints to development. Option H6 –
Niagara Main is ranked as the highest for environmental constraints to development for
all evaluated criteria, except for impacts to Goldstream Park, due to its deviation from the
existing alignment along its entire length in the study area. Options H4 – Near West is
ranked between the two other options for environmental constraints to development.
However, specific environmental constraints for any option may be significant, requiring
development of mitigation measures and/or habitat compensation strategies.

Attached Images

• 
• 
• 

Edited by malahatdrive, 24 July 2017 - 03:29 PM.

[exc911ence]

Or just bore a 6 lane wide tunnel through the mountains from Goldstream to Mill Bay... it's not like the technology doesn't exist.

 

http://www.businessi...he-world-2011-4

 

Best idea yet, just bypass the whole thing by building a bridge from North Saanich to Mill Bay... ya, I know, the NIMBYs... 

 

 

 

The world can't wait around for the transporter to be invented, we have places to get to right now! 

[LJ]

Well they could also double the Malahat by bridging a couple of lanes over top of the existing roadway, to get around the Goldstream bottleneck.

That would also serve to separate the traffic directionally to eliminate head on collisions.

[Bingo]

arghhh...

 

I haven't trundled this idea out for so long I couldn't even find where I posted it...so here is the gist of it.

 

The alternative to the Malahat is not an inland road through the watershed nor is that the way to go to bypass Duncan.

 

A ROAD OUT THE SANNICH PENINSULA WITH A BRIDGE TO SALTSPRING CROSSING BACK OVER TO THE CROFTON AREA IS THE WAY TO GO.

 

Yup it will be expensive and not popular with the folks along the route, but by then they will have been used to sewage sludge being pumped through their neighbourhoods.

There are savings to be had by not needing ferries on the Brentwood/Mill Bay crossing, Swartz Bay to Fulford Harbour, and Vesuvius to Crofton, and maybe the ferry out of Long Harbour.

 

Here is the route with two options for a suspension bridge crossing from the Swartz Bay area to Saltspring Island.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited by Bingo, 24 July 2017 - 08:35 PM.

[Coreyburger]

arghhh...

 

I haven't trundled this idea out for so long I couldn't even find where I posted it...so here is the gist of it.

 

The alternative to the Malahat is not an inland road through the watershed nor is that the way to go to bypass Duncan.

 

A ROAD OUT THE SANNICH PENINSULA WITH A BRIDGE TO SALTSPRING CROSSING BACK OVER TO THE CROFTON AREA IS THE WAY TO GO.

 

Yup it will be expensive and not popular with the folks along the route, but by then they will have been used to sewage sludge being pumped through their neighbourhoods.

There are savings to be had by not needing ferries on the Brentwood/Mill Bay crossing, Swartz Bay to Fulford Harbour, and Vesuvius to Crofton, and maybe the ferry out of Long Harbour.

 

Here is the route with two options for a suspension bridge crossing from the Swartz Bay area to Saltspring Island.

 

Saltspring Bridges.JPG

 

Future headline: Mass arrests at bridge construction site; Salt Springers vow to kill bridge

[North Shore]

Is that ^^ the problem with the Malahat, though?  I see it as people wanting larger houses/bigger lots/semi-rural lifestyle, not being able to find or afford that in the core communities, and thus moving north into Mill Bay/Cobble Hill/Shawnigan.  Now we have an extra 2,3,4000 commuters on a daily basis using a road that wasn't designed for that...

[Mike K.]

I'd say it's more-so that people want "a" lot they can afford, not just a larger house, bigger lot or semi-rural lifestyle.

And can you blame them? For $550,000 you can buy a property north of the Malahat that would cost you $1.5-million to the south, and you can leave your front door unlocked.

[North Shore]

And, why is the Sooke Hills/watershed route out of the question?  It wouldn't be that difficult to completely mitigate all of the environmental side-effects of a road r-o-w...(plumb all of the road drains to drain out of the watershed, line the road with high fences/walls to corral spray, and so on...)

[rjag]

And, why is the Sooke Hills/watershed route out of the question? It wouldn't be that difficult to completely mitigate all of the environmental side-effects of a road r-o-w...(plumb all of the road drains to drain out of the watershed, line the road with high fences/walls to corral spray, and so on...)

Yup.... except the one important part... we have a lovely little club of folks that just don't want to do anything to improve the function of the personal auto and have a pretty solid hate on for them. Just listen to all the moaning and whining about the McKenzie interchange and look at The old island highway, Craigflower etc. The current school of theory on urban planning is to remove not improve

[VicHockeyFan]

Yup.

[nerka]

Yup.... except the one important part... we have a lovely little club of folks that just don't want to do anything to improve the function of the personal auto and have a pretty solid hate on for them. Just listen to all the moaning and whining about the McKenzie interchange and look at The old island highway, Craigflower etc. The current school of theory on urban planning is to remove not improve

I like the view that holds in a lot of Europe. Highways are for going fast (real fast). City roads are for multi-users and there should be no expectation of going fast.

 

That said I don't see that advantage of building a totally new road when we could just 4 lane the existing one, build some overpasses and add a few service roads here and there so people aren't cut off. While it seems like a big project it is trivial compared to some of the infrastructure that is built in Japan, Europe and even parts of the States.

[malahatdrive]

I like the view that holds in a lot of Europe. Highways are for going fast (real fast). City roads are for multi-users and there should be no expectation of going fast.

 

That said I don't see that advantage of building a totally new road when we could just 4 lane the existing one, build some overpasses and add a few service roads here and there so people aren't cut off. While it seems like a big project it is trivial compared to some of the infrastructure that is built in Japan, Europe and even parts of the States.

 

I think that is what is happening and will continuing to happen. There will be no new road alignment - just improvement to the existing until its all a 4 lane divided highway.

[VicHockeyFan]

Furstenau is often stuck in the commuter chaos and she says years of neglect — and not having a long-term transportation plan for Vancouver Island — have caused the Malahat mess.

The Green Party MLA  says she's hopeful the new NDP government will start to implement long-term solutions to ease the highway headache once and for all.

"I would love to see commuter rail coming back up and the NDP have talked about this," Furstenau says. "The commuter bus system from Cowichan to Victoria is also full so we can expand the capacity there that will take support from the province to do that."

Increasing capacity on the Brentwood Bay to Mill Bay ferry could also help reduce traffic on the TransCanada Highway.

 

 

  Who says this kind of crap?

 

http://www.cheknews....eadache-350944/

 

Short of two 400-car ferries on that route, no it can't help.   At the peak time, the time it's "congested", there are over 2,000 cars going in the one direction on the Malahat per hour.  So two 400-car ferries could reduce it by 20%.

Edited by VicHockeyFan, 28 July 2017 - 07:46 AM.

[Cassidy]

  Who says this kind of crap?

 

http://www.cheknews....eadache-350944/

 

Short of two 400-car ferries on that route, no it can't help.

It shows an ignorance level typical of inexperienced politicians who venture into commenting on things they know nothing about.

 

It would take two (probably more) 400-car ferries running 24 hours a day, seven days a week to even make a dent in the traffic over the Malahat.

 

It would also take a massive infrastructure upgrade at the ferry terminal in Brentwood Bay proper ... and infrastructure upgrade that would essentially destroy the waterfront area of BB entirely.

 (which is why our earlier discussion talked about a Swartz Bay terminal location, going to either Mill Bay or Cowichan Bay).

 

Although commuter rail to the Westshore is something we should be pursuing, that would likely require an upgrade beyond a single track. To talk about a single-track commuter rail solution (that's going to make a difference on the Malahat) to Cowichan is utterly ridiculous.

Edited by Cassidy, 28 July 2017 - 07:56 AM.