Dear Editor:
There was an announcement (front page story) in the Friday, Nov. 14 edition of the North Shore News about the proposed new interchange at Highway 1 and Mountain Highway.
It definitely has some good features and should help those trying to get on or off the Upper Levels Highway in that area.
But it also seems to have ignored all of us who live in Lynn Valley north of the highway and use Mountain Highway as their access to the south.
I count at least five traffic lights that I will now have to work my way through just to get onto the highway.
For some, it could be seven lights. There is one at Kirkstone, then again at Arborlynn, followed by another on the proposed new overpass, and then one at Keith Road and Brooksbank.
Assuming that we then turn east onto Keith Road, there may still be a light as it crosses the bottom end of Mountain Highway, the new light at Lower Mountain Highway and Keith, and finally, the new traffic light at the totally ridiculous interchange that was recently opened at the Fern Street overpass.
I've lost count now and maybe it is more than seven lights.
Of course, the alternative is to go up to Lynn Valley Road and get onto the highway there, or to head straight down Brooksbank to Main Street to get into the traffic lineup there.
Sounds wonderful.
A simple but obvious suggestion would be to put in a left turn lane on the new highway overpass and merge directly onto the Upper Levels highway, similar to what there is now at Lonsdale and Westview interchanges.
Since the illustration in the recent announcement may not be finalized just yet, I would hope that those planning this new interchange would at least give it some consideration.
Gerry Weiler
North Vancouver
