148 replies to this topic

[Mike K.]

Yes, great points.

[max.bravo]

BC- our highways, health care, and homeless are at 3rd world levels. But hey, at least it’s expensive.

Edited by max.bravo, 08 June 2023 - 07:51 PM.

[Nparker]

We have feminine hygiene products in men's restrooms now. That's gotta count for something.

[lanforod]

While I agree we should have a proper second route out of Victoria, I don’t agree with needing a second route between Nanaimo and Port Alberni. At some point, the cost outweighs the benefit.

[Victoria Watcher]

While I agree we should have a proper second route out of Victoria, I don’t agree with needing a second route between Nanaimo and Port Alberni. At some point, the cost outweighs the benefit.

As I have noted before, the alternate route - be it Malahat, Sooke, or Port Alberni - can be fully paid for by the creation of a new village that pays development costs. We could use more villages in the province, instead of just cramming more people into the existing. Look at a map.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 08 June 2023 - 09:09 PM.

[Victoria Watcher]

https://twitter.com/...821575784689664

 

[Victoria Watcher]

Maybe our firefighting resources, just like almost everything the government does, is lacking.

 

A government that only supplies 75% of the population with a doctor perhaps also only fights fires at a 75% level.

[Victoria Watcher]

Motorists planning to take a detour to avoid the Cameron Bluffs wildfire will face an hours-long delay on Friday when the rugged forest service road is closed between 1 p.m. and 9 p.m. to haul out a vehicle that went into Francis Lake.

 

Travellers are being asked to avoid the four-hour detour before, during and after the closure because commercial trucks will be queuing up to use it.

 

That will effectively cut off personal travel in and out of the west side of Vancouver Island for many hours. The detour has been used in recent days because Highway 4 is closed due to the out-of-control wildfire.

 

 

https://www.timescol...-friday-7120144

[Mike K.]

Oh gosh, it’s not that rugged. It’s just gravel. Half of Alberta is gravel roads.

In fact, that portion where the car rolled in the image above is PAVED!

Yes, there’s a large stretch there that is paved. It’s not a beautiful paving job, but right there you can’t blame the gravel.

That road is a perfectly good detour to Port Alberni. So are the logging roads through the ‘watershed’ west of the Malahat that would make a great detour or secondary route. We just pretend they don’t exist, and dare not consider them as options. Now the fellow who says nobody wants visitors arriving in their communities, doesn’t realize how tourism runs the show there, and this is peak tourism season. Those dollars will be sorely missed. Let’s give the man a medal for misdirecting his frustration and missing the point.*

There, that feels better. I had to get some frustration of my own out for selling out of Tesla too fast.

*I guess COVID has made some people feel it’s ok to just shut down communities, instead of demanding more from our governments who have neglected our infrastructure to a point of absurdity.

[Victoria Watcher]

Hard to know how that truck would go over, unless he was being a bit reckless or moved over much too close to the edge. Not thinking about both his weight and a soft shoulder condition. Low speed rollover.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 09 June 2023 - 05:59 AM.

[Victoria Watcher]

Maybe the highway should not be closed for days. Can’t they use a pilot car, if the concern is smoke limiting visibility? That’s how we did it in the old days.

Or has the fire been so close to the highway really for 3 or 4 days now?

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 09 June 2023 - 06:43 AM.

[Mike K.]

Because the slope is so steep, the road keeps getting pummelled by debris. So I can see why they closed it.

[Victoria Watcher]

Clean debris ahead of the pace car. The show must go on.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 09 June 2023 - 06:54 AM.

[Mike K.]

I think there are entire trees crashing down. Not a good scene.

[Victoria Watcher]

For 4 straight days, immediately adjacent to all portions of that highway.

[Mike K.]

Just the stretch along the lake.

Remember, we are so backwards, that we don’t have detours. One small section of road becomes impassable, and it’s over. Sorry Tofino, the road is closed 150km away, and you can’t get supplies.

It’s like that all over the place. Sooke gets cut off from the rest of civilization almost weekly because there are no detours. The ENTIRE south Island gets cut off regularly when the Malahat closes.

[Victoria Watcher]

That’s why we should not completely shut down entire routes due to one small section affected. You can alternate one lane with the use of pilot cars.

[Mike K.]

Guy, where have you been? Everything is crashing down around us. The closed highway is just the tip of the dysfunction pyramid.

[Matt R.]

From the Van Kam email this morning. Sucks if you are trying to operate a business and need products to sell, or live there and need products to buy.

“The province is intensifying its efforts to contain the fire, which has grown from 140 hectares to 180 hectares since our last update. Air tankers, water bombers, and ground crews are actively working on site. Unfortunately, due to falling debris from the unstable hillsides, the road remains closed for safety concerns.

We appreciate your understanding and patience in this matter, as there are currently no available detour routes due to recovery operations, and other routes being privately owned. Please note that once operations resume, there may be a short period of catch-up due to the backlog of shipments. Rest assured, we're prepared to dedicate our efforts to clearing this backlog as soon as the situation permits.”

[GaryOak]

You guys have been around longer than me but I don't remember us having this many big fires causing this much destruction a decade ago.