70 replies to this topic

[Mike K.]

The right-of-way is more than capable of handling it. It’s a massive ROW, that the McKenzie plan very inefficiently uses.

We see the gold-plated plans, with boulevards on both sides of bike lanes, large sidewalks, bus lanes, and then two lanes of traffic, plus setbacks from the sidewalks.

[Barrister]

You get what you vote for.

[Daveyboy]

You get what you vote for.

Often true but this wasn't an item on the candidates websites......

[Barrister]

But their attitude to cars and their woke ideals were clear. Where did people think they were going to take things?

[sebberry]

Often true but this wasn't an item on the candidates websites......

 

Come on, the silence was deafening.  Teale and co had it out for drivers since day 1.

[Victoria Watcher]

McKenzie Avenue: Rainbows and unicorns

 

 

Saanich and Greater Victoria residents have a right to be concerned about the Quadra-McKenzie plan. While not digging too far into the weeds, one only needs to look at the transportation plan for McKenzie to question this myopic approach.

 

The McKenzie Avenue plan is to reduce the road down to two vehicle lanes, two dedicated transit lanes, and two bike lanes.

 

This strategy ignores the fact that McKenzie is the main artery from Highway 1 to the University of Victoria or that we just spent $96 million on the ­McKenzie interchange to help alleviate traffic congestion.

 

Now Saanich is planning to bottleneck the entire McKenzie route.

 

I support densification, but to believe you can densify without planning for increased passenger vehicles (gas or EV) is beyond naïve, you might as well wish for a unicorn flying on a rainbow to get you to school or work on time because you will not make it on McKenzie.

 

 

Spencer Evans

Saanich

 

 

 

https://www.timescol...animals-9766794

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 07 November 2024 - 12:20 AM.

[Victoria Watcher]

 

Petition:

 

https://www.change.o..._medium=twitter

[Victoria Watcher]

The mayor’s response

 

 

The following day, Saanich News spoke with Mayor Dean Murdock about the open houses, which drew over 700 attendees. Although he couldn’t attend, Murdock appreciated the strong participation and feedback from the community.

 

“Of course, there was a lot of interest... around the use of Mackenzie and the lanes for rapid transit,” said Murdock. “Beyond just the open houses, my council colleagues and I have had a lot of email and in-person feedback on that part of the plan in particular which has generated a lot of frustration from folks.”

 

Murdock recognized that some components of the plan ought to be reviewed. 

 

“We fully recognize that, for some folks, what's proposed isn't workable,” he said. “We're gonna have to think differently about how we accommodate public transit on that corridor without significantly impacting other commuters' ability to use it.”

 

As a decision-maker, Murdock mentioned that his role as a mayor was to ultimately “make life better for people.” 

 

Highlighting that public engagement for the draft ends on Nov. 25, Murdock noted that council has time to provide gathered feedback to city staff. This will allow the draft to balance the need for public transit while also ensuring smooth traffic flow on the district's roads.

 

“We've got some time to figure this out,” said Murdock. “We'll need to think carefully about how we do that and make sure that McKenzie continues to be a very well-used corridor that continues to be one that facilitates all modes of travel.”

 

The project timeline states that after the public input period, staff will revise the plan and present it to the council in early January 2025.

 

 

https://www.saanichn...ie-plan-7636538

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 08 November 2024 - 06:47 PM.

[Bambam]

screenshot-x_com-2024_11_07-22_07_04.png

 

Petition:

 

https://www.change.o..._medium=twitter

 

Good old Rjag - he's not wrong either.

 

I had to drive from Mrs Bambam's office on Admiral's road to a buddy's place near Cedar Hill X Rd and Blenkinsop today. Simple. Proceed along Admirals to and through the interchange on the island Hwy continue along McKenzie Ave all the way past Reynolds HS and eventually take the right hand turn at the top of that hill on Cedar Hill X Rd. Normally - under normal traffic conditions that is - maybe 10-12 mins depending how many red lights I hit....yeah......well today that wasn't happening...

 

Everything proceeded to plan until I got within a block of St Andrews HS on McKenzie. At that point absolutely nothing happened. Or moved. Traffic was backed up from as far as I could see to the top of the hill at McKenzie and the ligtht at Saanich Rd. So I waited. And waited. And waited. And just for good measure I waited some more. Through five lights at McKenzie and Nelthorpe which is that road you turn left on to get into the parking lot at St Andrew's high school.

 

Finally, grudgingly, traffic slooooooooooooooooooooooowly inched forward through that light headed to the next one at Saanich Rd.

 

At which point I waited, and waited....and waited some more. Three more lights before I got past Saanich on my way to Quadra. Wellllllllllllll. That was special. Four more lights and at last once I got through the lights at McKenzie and Quadra and then Reynolds when - alas! - daylight emerged and I finally had a free lane in front of me. Took me nearly 40 minutes altogether to get to buddy's house.

 

And that was just plain old regular mid-day Friday traffic on a nice fall afternoon: no emergenicies, no accidents. So what happens when they whack two lanes off this incredibly busy corridor and someone driving in the middle of all that gridlock has a heart attack? Or there is a serious accident requiring immediate ER triage and treatment? How is anyone expected to make room for police or fire or ambulance vehicles? Its bad enough now with four lanes. I can't conceive of how congested the corridor from UVic to the Island Hwy interchange is going to get minus 50% of its current vehicular capacity. 

[FogPub]

^ The traffic lights at McKenzie and Borden represent a surprising amount of the backups due to the length and frequency of waits required for the bike trail traffic to cross.

 

I've said all along and I'll say it again, the bike trail (which itself is great, there should be more like it!) should be on a diagonal bridge going right over that intersection, then return to grade and go up McKenzie's north side (expropriate the land if you have to) to continue along Lochside, instead of doing that silly zig-zag up to the pub and causing a traffic jam at Borden.

[Sparky]

The mayor of Saanich says the district might be ready to rethink plans to reduce the number of vehicle traffic lanes on McKenzie Avenue.

 

https://www.timescol...or-says-9785618

[Victoria Watcher]

Murdock said the majority of those weighing in so far have expressed frustration and in some cases disbelief.

“What we’re hearing from folks is that the design that’s currently proposed is going to cause a lot of frustration and headaches and that’s not something that they’re going to put up with.”






What does the Saanich planning department’s specific traffic model say? Don’t tell me they proposed this new traffic plan with no data showing what it will do to private vehicle traffic.

But of course they have done exactly that.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 09 November 2024 - 05:52 AM.

[Sparky]

^ This time they let the public holler at them before they sent the construction crew in....unlike Mann Ave.

[Mike K.]

Like I said on the air yesterday, we are North America’s only region that actively, routinely, works against its own citizens in the pursuit of ideas that appeal to an agenda that doesn’t make any sense to a level headed observer, whatsoever.

But McKenzie is just one of the pieces of the puzzle. Early next year the CRD is hoping you won’t participate in the alternative approval process, and forget to oppose their Regional Transit Service that’s planned to “McKenzie Diet” the entire region under the auspices of regional transportation planning.

[Daveyboy]

Murdock said the majority of those weighing in so far have expressed frustration and in some cases disbelief.

“What we’re hearing from folks is that the design that’s currently proposed is going to cause a lot of frustration and headaches and that’s not something that they’re going to put up with.”






What does the Saanich planning department’s specific traffic model say? Don’t tell me they proposed this new traffic plan with no data showing what it will do to private vehicle traffic.

But of course they have done exactly that.

I believe the entire point of the project is to get rid of vehicles with some housing thrown in to somehow make it palatable.

[Mike K.]

Victoria had it all figured out on the homelessness front. We were going to solve homelessness. We were going to employ ‘housing first,’ and create an entire industry to lift people out of poverty and drug addiction, and show the rest of the world how it’s done.

That was 2014.

In 2024, Victoria council is begging other municipalities to provide homelessness services, shelters and warming centres as they can’t handle the volume of people seeking services.

And now, for the bike lanes.

They have been so successful, that growth has stalled, and the CRD now wants to force road infrastructure regionally to provision less capacity for cars, to force more people onto bikes or into buses.

And now, on the housing front.

We created an urban containment zone, to protect land from development and produce affordable housing options through density.

Fast forward 30 years, and our children cannot afford to live here. We have the highest rents in Canada. A one-bedroom condo, with property taxes of $3,000/year headed for $4,500 by 2030, costs as much as a house did less than a decade ago, and your unit won’t have parking. While you can’t afford to buy a home, your 1BR apartment is $2,250/month.

Now let’s consider downtown.

The historic jewel of the region, the Capital’s economic powerhouse. We’ve strangled access to downtown to such a degree, and made what access we did allow so expensive, that workers refuse to go back to work, and nevermind the social issues. The provincial government had to enshrine WFH as policy, to not lose the workers it has. Downtown merchants don’t factor into that decision, but without them, what is the point of living downtown?

At every step of the way, we are slipping, and ending up further back than where we started. We’d have better outcomes today had we done nothing.

[Bambam]

The mayor of Saanich says the district might be ready to rethink plans to reduce the number of vehicle traffic lanes on McKenzie Avenue.

 

https://www.timescol...or-says-9785618

 

One has to wonder: is there NO one at Saanich Municipal hall in management or better yet in the Planning Dept who commutes via or traverses on McKenzie Ave? Like...ever? An ounce of brains and two functioning eyeballs should be enough for anyone, especially even a politician, to figure out how patently stupid this plan is or would be.......

[Victoria Watcher]

What does the Saanich planning department’s specific traffic model say? Don’t tell me they proposed this new traffic plan with no data showing what it will do to private vehicle traffic.

[Mike K.]

I would not expect modelling to have been done, when the outcomes are common sense.

[Victoria Watcher]

I would not expect modelling to have been done, when the outcomes are common sense.

 

That's my issue.  

 

I presume when a developer proposes a project of a certain size in Saanich, he must provide professional traffic analysis.  

 

But now when Saanich's very own planners propose this MASSIVE road use change, on Saanich's two busiest streets, they have ZERO analysis on short, medium, or long-term traffic impacts?  

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 09 November 2024 - 12:33 PM.