Dear Editor:
An open letter to Premier Christy Clark:
Re: The (police) incident Saturday, Jan. 28 that blocked southbound traffic on the Lions Gate Bridge for hours:
The Ironworkers Memorial Second Narrows Crossing could not handle the overflow. The Ironworkers is becoming more of an all-day traffic nightmare than the Massey Tunnel. The traffic volume resulted in total gridlock for hours on all east-west main roads on the North Shore, even after the incident was cleared from the Lions Gate.
This is not acceptable. It is time the provincial government admit there is a problem and do something to solve it. The traffic delay is a black eye to your government and deterrent to the expansion of our tourist industry when the access between Whistler and YVR is unreliable.
Not only is this a “crossing” problem but a quality of life issue for all of the North Shore. The overflow effects are the blocking of emergency routes, no bus service on local streets, no access to/from the bus depot in Burnaby and even short trips to the grocery store. And I’m sure you understand the seriousness of the climate change pollution emitted by thousands of idling vehicles going nowhere.
Dale Laird
Vancouver
Editor’s note: On Jan. 27, representatives from the federal, provincial and municipal governments announced funding for the Highway 1 Lynn Creek Connectivity Project, the fourth phase of major infrastructure work already underway on or near this portion of the highway. The Cut will be divided into express and collector lanes, with local east- and westbound traffic crossing two new bridges over Lynn Creek, shouldering the existing orange bridge. Project is to be completed in 2020.
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