2260 replies to this topic

[RFS]

Yes, around 50 years ago!

 

But Corey is right, the "real" Duncan was a ways to the West when the original by-pass route was built.

As a kid, driving to Parksville to camp on the beach at Rathtrevor, you'd fly right through Duncan. There wasn't much at all on the by-pass.

Now of course, that "highway" is a main drag like Colwood or Langfords main drag is.

 

The original Duncan that the by-pass by-passed is here:

https://www.google.c...!7i13312!8i6656

Right but 50 years is a long time.  It isn't realistic to expect things to have not changed.  I guess in a perfect world towns and cities wouldn't grow and we would never need to build new and additional highways and bypasses after half a century

[Cassidy]

In a perfect world, all of those cross streets (which definitely didn't exist in the numbers they do now) would have been eliminated, leaving only a couple that would get you to the East side of Duncan ... and leaving that by-pass to functions a by-pass (I suppose a single overpass would be the ideal).

 

All the by-pass does now is function as Duncan's de facto main drag for everybody who lives in the area, and then you mix in the up/down island thru traffic ... and you've got the mess you've got now.

 

But in the ever expanding Duncan, there was no compelling reason to introduce a the 7 or so cross and T- streets and their associated stop lights to the by-pass.

 

The fix now would be to introduce a complete by-pass that started at Koksilah (or Cowichan Station) and by-passed to the West, entering the 19 again at Somenos. Those bridges over the river on the highway now must be due for replacement ... the small bridge was there when I was a kid.

[Mike K.]

Yeah! That’s the route that’ll likely materialize if he pursue a bypass.

[nerka]

All due respect, but you haven't lived here for that long then.  Try driving thru Nanaimo, which was the only option back in the 80s and earlier, on bath tub day weekend when its 30+ out as an example.  Even a lot of the approaches to Nanaimo were 1 lane each direction.  A lot was 2 lanes each direction, but it took forever going north on summer weekends

If you have lived here a while you would recall that at approximately the same time as the new Highway 19 inland from Parksville to Campbell River, Nanaimo got its parkway and Victoria got its freeway. The 1990's project focused on what were then some of the worst stretches: everything north of Parksville,  the stretch through Nanaimo, and Victoria to the West Shore.  There were some modest upgrades between nanaimo and Goldstream, but at the time that did not seem like the worst stretch of road

[UrbanRail]

So change the boundaries of the park, been done before and will be done again. Y

 

Its not as simple as changing the boundaries of the park.

Edited by UrbanRail, 24 January 2019 - 09:50 PM.

[splashflash]

Its not as simple as changing the boundaries of the park.

The E&N corridor is between the two parks. To avoid moving the park boundaries, deactivate and abandon the railway, route a new highway along that corridor and make the current Goldstream alignment to Tunnel Mountain the alternate route.

[rjag]

Its not as simple as changing the boundaries of the park.

 

Sure it is, parks are added and changed all the time. It takes political will and someone willing to ignore the noise from the banana crowd

 

If a reasonable argument can be made that would show the reduced risk to the Goldstream river by moving the flow of traffic a few hundred metres to the west then why not? 

Edited by rjag, 26 January 2019 - 11:51 AM.

[Victoria Watcher]

Punching an emergency Malahat detour route through Capital Regional District water-supply lands or park wilderness reserve is a non-starter, say some CRD directors.

Regional water-supply commissioners will debate a motion today introduced by Victoria Coun. Jeremy Loveday and Saanich Coun. Nathalie Chambers opposing any highway construction on water-supply-area lands.

 

https://www.timescol...shed-1.23639236

[rjag]

The sky is falling when it comes to Isitt and Loveday and their merry little anti car group

[Victoria Watcher]

it's this simple. 

 

the alternate malahat route can be built as an emergency highway bypass only (gates are opened direct to the highway when needed 10 or 15 or 20 times a year) and at all other times the other more remote accesses are for getting people close to park trailheads each with tiny parking lots.  it's a win/win.

 

so 8,760 hours a year it provides nice quiet and small access for hikers and nature lovers.  60 or 80 hours a year it lets vital traffic through when the highway is blocked.  

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 20 February 2019 - 08:06 AM.

[rjag]

it's this simple. 

 

the alternate malahat route can be built as an emergency highway bypass only (gates are opened to the highway when needed 10 or 15 or 20 times a year) and at all other times the other accesses are for getting people close to park trailheads each with tiny parking lots.  it's a win/win.

 

Yup, or build a new 4 lane divided highway and relegate the Malahat to the tourist route it really should be. We are decades overdue for a proper highway that connects the Capital to the rest of the Island. 

[Victoria Watcher]

take it one step further.  make one of the trailhead parking lots connect to a 1km long no-hill asphalt paved 2m wide loop trail through the woods where this can be done with extreme ecological friendliness.  specifically designed to allow wheelchair/scooter access for disabled kids, adults and seniors to enjoy the park.  make this part of the deal.   

 

more win/win.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 20 February 2019 - 08:17 AM.

[Victoria Watcher]

Yup, or build a new 4 lane divided highway and relegate the Malahat to the tourist route it really should be. 

 

look the malahat is what the malahat is.  97%+ of the time you still travel over it averaging 80kmh+. it's not like it's an everyday 30kmh bottleneck that adds 45 minutes to the daily commute.   get the bypass in to relieve the occasional nightmare and most problems are fixed.

 

the bypass solves all the inconvenience economic and productivity costs of these shutdowns.  it's easy for isitt and loveday and chalmers to say these shutdowns are just an inconvenience.

 

they aren't. if you are making payroll for that load of fuel oil or aggregate to get over the hill*1 or you are the taxpayer paying 12 nurses to come in on overtime for the ones that can't make it over*2 these complete surprise shutdowns are very very expensive.

 

*1  imagine you are a steel fabricator in nanaimo and you are delivering and installing a $17,000 steel staircase in langford.  you load it up on wednesday morning and send it off with your driver and 2 more installers onboard.  they get in a 6 hour traffic jam and the day is lost.  you still have to pay 3 guys' wages and you cannot bill your customer. you've lost $800 of your $2000 profit on the job.  

 

*2 in the case of nurses perhaps a surgery or 2 are canceled.  plus you (the taxpayer) not only pay for those 12 nurses that can't come in you also pay for extras called in on overtime too. $6,000 hit.

 

and i've only described above the circumstances of 13 vehicles of the thousands that have been impacted.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 20 February 2019 - 08:38 AM.

[Nparker]

The sky is falling when it comes to Isitt and Loveday and their merry little anti-car group

Two members of the CRD board should not be able to hold the rest of the region hostage. 

[nagel]

Can anyone point to a single instance of a bypass/alternate route that has been built and is actually closed off 99% of the time and is only opened during emergencies?

[rjag]

look the malahat is what the malahat is.  97%+ of the time you still travel over it averaging 80kmh+. it's not like it's an everyday 30kmh bottleneck that adds 45 minutes to the daily commute.   get the bypass in to relieve the occasional nightmare and most problems are fixed.

 

 

I understand what you are saying, however that road is a seismic hazard. The chances of it being unpassable in a moderate earthquake is very high and would take months if not longer to re-open.

 

All we have to do is look at Christchurch and their moderate quake, 8 years later they are still not recovered. 

 

I agree the Malahat is fine when it works but when it doesnt work its a chokepoint and has a massive impact for a region of 400,000 people and the associated commerce etc. 

 

Bypass routes are built all the time in countries all over. Just google bypass routes UK and you'll see loads of data. Heck perhaps we shouldnt have built the Coq or the Nanaimo bypass etc.

 

Right now there are 3 routes that could be built that would massively improve congestion, the Sooke bypass connecting to the new Malahat corridor and upgrading Helmcken/Wilkinson to connect to the Pat Bay.

 

The challenge is that there are certain groups that dont want to see congestion eased as it encourages more car use and they want congestion to frustrate people out of their cars. There are certain folks that post here that have said as much. It wont work as they are applying their version of how folks live and commute and attempting to impose on others.

 

Its time, if for no other reason than the current route has outlived its 'best-before' date by decades

[Victoria Watcher]

Can anyone point to a single instance of a bypass/alternate route that has been built and is actually closed off 99% of the time and is only opened during emergencies?

 

one would have to find a region or area in all of north america where there is only one real way in and out or between major population centres. find that and i'm happy to research the bypass it employs.

 

if what you are saying is that there will be pressure to use this bypass as a regular open route i'd say probably not.  there is no way to draw it as any kind of a shortcut to anywhere.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 20 February 2019 - 08:47 AM.

[spanky123]

Two members of the CRD board should not be able to hold the rest of the region hostage. 

 

Moot point. There is no funding for an alternate route so it doesn't matter who is opposed.

Edited by spanky123, 20 February 2019 - 08:59 AM.

[Nparker]

I assume you mean "moot point". If enough political pressure is put on the matter, funds can be found, although I fully accept that it's an uphill battle (no pun intended).

[Jackerbie]

Can anyone point to a single instance of a bypass/alternate route that has been built and is actually closed off 99% of the time and is only opened during emergencies?

 

There's an emergency bypass for the Farrington Highway on Oahu