2241 replies to this topic

[Cassidy]

On the plus side, Diana Krall did write a rather romanticized song about it (actually it's about Departure Bay and Vancouver Island in general ... but hey "Malahat").

 

A song plays on the gramophone
And thoughts turn back to life
We took the long way to get back
Like driving over the malahat
Now a seaplane drones and time has flown

 

https://www.azlyrics...parturebay.html

[Victoria Watcher]

probably true. but adding more dividers is still a good idea. it reduces the possibility of a crash taking out both lanes.

[FogPub]

Let's just face it.

 

• Nobody is going to build a bridge across the inlet.
• Nobody is going to construct new ferry terminals to service a full size ferry crossing the inlet.
• Nobody is going to expand B.C. Ferry service from Swartz Bay to Mill Bay
• Nobody is going to "widen" the existing Malahat for 100% of its routing.
• Nobody is going to punch a by-pass route from the end of Goldstream Heights to the Niagra Main and beyond.
• Nobody will ever run effective commuter rail up the island again.
• Nobody walks or bikes over the Malahat as a means of getting somewhere (so why is it in the "new" study?).

The Malahat, is the Malahat, is the Malahat. It's all we've got, and it's all we'll ever have.

 

What you're looking at today is exactly the same as what you'll be looking at 50 - 100 years from now ...

I'm not quite that pessimistic.  Your first three options are non-starters, but the fourth and fifth ones are (widen the whole thing and-or build a by-pass or a new highway) provided the political will is there to do it.  There's always tons of money available whenever it's needed to buy votes in the lower mainland, no matter which party is doing the buying...

[On the Level]

Let's just face it.

 

• Nobody is going to build a bridge across the inlet.
• Nobody is going to construct new ferry terminals to service a full size ferry crossing the inlet.
• Nobody is going to expand B.C. Ferry service from Swartz Bay to Mill Bay
• Nobody is going to "widen" the existing Malahat for 100% of its routing.
• Nobody is going to punch a by-pass route from the end of Goldstream Heights to the Niagra Main and beyond.
• Nobody will ever run effective commuter rail up the island again.
• Nobody walks or bikes over the Malahat as a means of getting somewhere (so why is it in the "new" study?).

The Malahat, is the Malahat, is the Malahat. It's all we've got, and it's all we'll ever have.

 

Seems the Malihat was built to negate your post.  

 

http://www.maureendu...lahat-drive.php

 

 

Two government surveyors in the 1870s said it would be a waste of money and should never be built.

 

"There would never be a pound of freight over it. A few people might ride over it, and farmers might drive stock over it occasionally," wrote Stanhope Farwell in his 1874 report to the Commissioner of Lands and Works.

[Cassidy]

Seems the Malihat was built to negate your post.  

I'd love to be proven wrong, and may one day be ... but it won't be in my or your lifetime.

Likely not in our kids lifetime either.

 

5-6 billion for a bridge according to the last study.

250-300 million to punch another road through Goldstream/Niagra Main according to the last study (the CRD said "no" to that study as well). Probably up to 500+million by now.

 

The widening where possible they've done to date, the medians (with a few more to go in) ... that is the improvement the Provincial government is offering.

They're just afraid to come right out and say it, thus another study and a few more years go by with nothing done (but medians and widening where possible).

 

It doesn't matter to the NDP party though, as the South Island will still vote NDP every time, with or without a 6-10 hour wait on the Malahat. The NDP know that all too well, and thus have zero incentive to do anything for the South Island that cost big $$$.

Nobody on the South Island is going to stop voting NDP simply because they didn't build a "new" Malahat.

Edited by Cassidy, 17 January 2019 - 06:18 AM.

[Nparker]

...It doesn't matter to the NDP party though, as the South Island will still vote NDP every time, with or without a 6-10 hour wait on the Malahat. The NDP know that all too well, and thus have zero incentive to do anything for the South Island that cost big $$$.

Nobody on the South Island is going to stop voting NDP simply because they didn't build a "new" Malahat.

And for similar reasons there is no incentive for a Liberal government to spend money on significant Malahat upgrades since they know the south island will likely vote NDP regardless. It's a lose-lose situation from a transportation perspective.

[tjv]

Would the province be exempt from paying GST too?

I seem to recall that provincial and municipal government gets a rebate of the portion of the GST, but I also think that changed 20 ish years ago

[tjv]

It doesn't matter to the NDP party though, as the South Island will still vote NDP every time, with or without a 6-10 hour wait on the Malahat. The NDP know that all too well, and thus have zero incentive to do anything for the South Island that cost big $$$.

Nobody on the South Island is going to stop voting NDP simply because they didn't build a "new" Malahat.

Then why wasn't the Malahat portion fixed 20 years ago with the NDP was in power when the rest of the island highway was redone

[Cassidy]

Then why wasn't the Malahat portion fixed 20 years ago with the NDP was in power when the rest of the island highway was redone

Because then, like now, the NDP didn't need to commit to large scale capital projects on the Southern Island in order to get votes from the leftys who live here.

Folks who live here will continue to vote NDP until the cows come home, and they won't "stop" voting NDP simply because the Malahat wasn't fixed.

 

It doesn't matter if it's the Liberals or the NDP ... no political party has ever really had any incentive to dump half a billion dollars (and up) into the Malahat.

[Nparker]

...Folks who live here will continue to vote NDP until the cows come home...

Some folks will. I can longer bring myself to vote for any of the major parties in BC.

[rjag]

There is a lot of resistance from local politicians ie Muni's and the CRD especially of the left leaning variety. They dont want another road built, they hate cars and they fear if a new route is built it will encourage more suburban development which will encourage more cars. 

 

I guess their ideology is far more important than peoples lives

 

https://www.latimes....1120-story.html

 

The malahat is the only road north for a mass evacuation in either direction.

[Mike K.]

Now there’s a group calling itself the Friends of Sooke Hills Provoncial Park that will oppose any road building.

[Cassidy]

Now there’s a group calling itself the Friends of Sooke Hills Provoncial Park that will oppose any road building.

I'd love to see the membership list!

 

Do you have a link for them Mike?

[Nparker]

Now there’s a group calling itself the Friends of Sooke Hills Provincial Park that will oppose any road building.

Perhaps they can hold their inaugural meeting in Beacon Hill Park (commercial activity-free of course). Sort of a "Friends helping Friends" event.

[Mike K.]

I'd love to see the membership list!

Do you have a link for them Mike?

I can’t get the link on mobile for some reason but they can be found on Facebook under Friends of the Sooke Hills Wilderness.

[Cassidy]

Thanks Mike, found it.

Theirs is not a particularly surprising point of view, but as is often the case with these kinds of groups, the gross oversimplification of pretty well every major issue makes rational discussion with the group all but impossible.

 

As somebody who spends a great deal of time in the Sooke and Leech Watersheds, I can tell you that the very small footprint of a highway extension in and around the Niagra Main isn't going to make one bit of difference to the overall wilderness footprint.

As well, the incredible damage that the various logging companies have already done throughout the Leech Watershed, and in Goldstream Heights could never be matched by a simple highway by-pass. The massive Goldstream Heights clear-cuts shoulder right up against the reserve and the watershed itself.

A quick look at Google Maps will demonstrate just how small a by-pass route would be when seen against the destruction that is currently called Goldstream Heights.

Edited by Cassidy, 17 January 2019 - 03:22 PM.

[Mike K.]

Goldstream Heights has been in that condition for a very long time now, hasn’t it? And there’s also a sizable quarry just south of Goldstream Heights, lol.

[Cassidy]

Goldstream Heights was all big commercial logging up to around 10 or 11 years ago (maybe 12 or 13, my memory is hazy). They spent a few years clear-cutting the entire ridge, and on West to within about 1000 feet of Butchart Lake in the Goldstream Watershed.

 

When they logged it all out, they sold off a lot of the land in 10 acre parcels, and a few houses started popping up here and there.

But a lot of folks are scared away when they find out there's no residential emergency services at all up there. The lack of those services is what continually restricts development in the whole area (as in this case https://www.crd.bc.c...vrsn=d5e300ca_2 )

 

I think the Malahat Volunteer or Shawnigan Fire Department might eventually come and get you up there if you're dead, but nobody is going to come up there and fight a fire at your house, and no ambulance is going to come up there and get you when you call 911.

Compounding the odd mix that is its bureaucratic oversight, Goldstream Heights is half in the CRD, and half in the CVRD ...  but only accessible on public roads from within the CVRD.

 

 

[Victoria Watcher]

I think you might not be correct about ambulance coverage. there are actually no excluded areas for ambulance or police service in bc.

[Cassidy]

I think you might not be correct about ambulance coverage. there are actually no excluded areas for ambulance or police service in bc.

I'm pretty sure you'll get attended to pretty much anywhere in B.C. you might fall ill or be rendered unable to walk ... by helicopter or boat if need be, but I specifically wrote "residential emergency services" in my post to exclude the multitude of rural and remote ambulance and rescue services provided in B.C.

 

But you're correct in that the B.C. Ambulance Service attends to the entire Province, be it in different ways depending on the location of your emergency.

 

Same concept for police, in that if you shoot somebody deep in some Caribou mountain range, law enforcement is still going to come looking for you, but it's not like your friendly neighbourhood police patrol.