Editor:
As a lifelong Richmondite (and now a recent Ladner resident) and a 40-year business owner in Tilbury, I am more than familiar with the daily struggle that commuters and businesses face over the congestion in and around the George Massey Tunnel.
What should be a 10minute drive can often be an hour of frustration.
Part of the reason for the lengthened trip is the amount of cars on the road but after many years spent in creeping traffic, I believe the brunt of it is due to the traffic lights that stop cars from moving and the lack of a proper interchange that would replace these lights.
A commuter to Ladner from Tilbury has to stop at two lights: one to let HOV traffic re-enter their HOV lane (why does it end?) and another to let traffic heading to River Road from Richmond in.
The argument against a system of overpasses is, as always, that it would require us to annex some farmland. I value our farmland as much as everyone else, but I'm sure we as a community would also like to put some value on our time. The time we spend in traffic is time we spend away from our families and from doing things that bring us happiness.
Another reason is due to selfish drivers that believe their time is more valuable than anyone else. Those selfish drivers are the ones that take the quickly moving Richmond lane and then stop traffic to cut into the Ladner line.
Lastly, I am with those Ladnerites that believe Christy Clark's latest announcement to update the tunnel is a desperate move to shore up undecided voters. That said, it might work because the popular view is the only way to increase the flow of traffic in the area is to replace the tunnel, but I think that is just the easy answer that might not solve our problems.
We need to look at other infrastructure-related options like uninterrupted HOV lanes as well as driver training and better enforcement of driving rules. My belief is that a good portion of congestion can be reduced if people knew how to merge properly.
Krishna Sangara
