Editor:
I am writing this letter because last Friday afternoon as I travelled north on Highway 17A I noticed the sign indicated travel time to Vancouver was 10 minutes. It took 40 minutes to get through the George Massey Tunnel alone.
There were no accidents - this was volume based on the fact five lanes of traffic had to merge into one lane. I guess the data from these signs must be where the premier is getting his biased information.
Last week those of us who live in South Delta were relieved to hear that Premier John Horgan announced the twinning of the tunnel would be fast tracked to relieve a totally unacceptable situation.
I have read the Cowdell Report and I don’t see where it clearly recommends this is the best option. The report outlines a number of possible solutions based on different scenarios. Perhaps the premier was suggesting this was the best solution based upon cost only.
Also, months ago, the premier indicated infrastructure improvements would commence immediately to the existing tunnel. I haven’t yet noticed any improvements. If they were done, they were not significant enough to be noticed.
Oddly, the mayors in the Vancouver region had recently agreed (as reported in the media) that the best option was a deep bore tunnel of eight lanes. This is likely more expensive than the previously proposed bridge.
The premier has suggested twinning the exiting tunnel but there will need to be more study. What a surprise. Has the premier not noticed the suggested tunnel would be built in a marine environment which would require countless studies, probably delaying the project for several years. That gives the premier an opportunity to suggest that any delays are based upon the environmental studies and not government inaction.
That is exactly why the Liberal government proposed the bridge in the first place. It would not have had a marine environmental impact. But then again we already knew that. The NDP seems to not understand that sort of detail. Incompetence?
This whole situation is a monumental shell game designed to make it look like the government is doing something when in fact it is doing nothing. Our best hope is that when the next election comes along, the people in South Delta will remember this fiasco. We can be sure there will be no significant progress by then.
John Godfreyson
