Editor:
Apparently the George Massey Tunnel upgrade/replacement is, once again, the hot topic of discussion. Without digging too deeply into the mores of the situation, it appears to me and to many I have communicated with, that the catalyst for the problem lies with the provincial government – in a greater extent to the current socialist-coalition than to the former quasi-conservative one.
Inertia is a word that applies perfectly to the NDP-Green gang that oozes incompetence and indecision [perhaps a tough combination but apt in this case]. One definition of inertia is ‘”sloth” and that means, simply, laziness or indolence, reluctance to make an effort; that is a perfect comment to illustrate the current provincial government of British Columbia.
For those who were either too young or are now too old to recall, various attempts have been made to divert some of the traffic away from the Highway 99 corridor and towards the northeast area of Vancouver. Such has taken place over the past 50 or so years.
One such idea was to branch off from Highway 99 at an appropriate location and move northward toward Richmond and cross the municipality north to the harbour using Richmond’s No. 8 Road. Once at the water, a suitable tunnel was envisioned that would come to land at or near Lonsdale in North Vancouver. It came to naught.
Previously, a thought was given to exiting Highway 99 and traversing in a northeast direction to connect with the Trans-Canada Highway near Vancouver’s Chinatown. That, too, was nixed.
So, half a century ago, people were discussing how to move the ever-increasing traffic that traverses Highway 99 from the U.S. border and into Vancouver with its idiotic bottleneck at the intersection of Oak Street and 70th Avenue. In reality, that is where the traffic jams up and not Oak Street Bridge as Richmond’s mayor has claimed time and time again, all the time ignoring that a great number of the vehicles that use the George Massey Tunnel exit Highway 99 and disperse into Richmond.
Also overlooked, apparently, is the fact the population of this corner of B.C. has increased over those 50 or so years and there is every indication that such will continue over the next 50 or so years. The question now becomes: Why cannot those who claim to be experts not see what is so ruddy obvious and plan for the future rather than sit on their supposed laurels of the past? Yes, the George Massey Tunnel was a bright light at the time but its time has passed and has become a relic of by-gone days.
Is a bridge the answer? I don’t know as I am not one of those many self-proclaimed experts but I wonder time and time again, why years of study and examination by other experts has been shoved into the trash can in favour of yet another study.
This suggests, strongly, that the prior studies were done by incompetent people or were not acceptable to the current government. This suggests that any future consultation/study will meet the same end – tossed aside in favour of yet another expensive, useless study all to learn what is already known.
I have travelled much of the world and have crossed bridges and travelled through tunnels, each of which is greater in dimension and construction than the current tunnel or any of the proposed replacements. As for moving traffic competently, of the many places, Sydney, Australia is tops and as for getting on with the job, South Korea wins any competition.
Where does that leave the current government and its inward, no-go plans of obstruction?
Bob Orrick
