Editor:
The following is an edited version of a letter to B.C. Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Rob Fleming and shared with Coast Reporter.
Minister, I am writing to again invite you to come to Sechelt to experience the serious situation residents and visitors experience every day on our so-called “highway.”
In a word, the road is dangerous in many, many locations. Most recently, a 92-year-old on a motorized scooter, was struck and subsequently died, in a “marked” crosswalk in downtown Sechelt at Inlet Ave and Highway 101. (I say “marked” because the crosswalk lines are totally invisible having been allowed to wear away, as indeed are several others within the district).
I am heartbroken for the family of the deceased and for the driver who was not doing anything inappropriate. And I am angry that, despite this and so many other outreaches to your ministry, nothing is being done.
My own staff regularly express fear about their safety crossing the road at the various controlled and uncontrolled intersections. According to the RCMP, there have been seven reports of collisions involving pedestrians and seven “near misses” in the downtown Sechelt area in the last two years.
Minister, according to your “Highway 101 Alternate Route Planning Study” dated July 28, 2022, daily vehicle volumes on Route 101 have increased approximately 20% in the past five years. What the study fails to address is that our traffic patterns have big surges in terms of people rushing to and from the ferry every two hours. Some years ago, this was considered to be mostly a summer phenomenon – today, I suggest it is a year-round fact of life. Specifically, the impact on our communities is much greater than contemplated in the said study.
While I personally believe a new highway that crosses downtown Sechelt alongside the BC Hydro right of way is the only viable safe option, for today, I implore you to direct your senior staff to respond to my staff proactively. We need additional traffic controls in many locations up and down the Coast. In particular, in Sechelt we need, at a minimum, pedestrian-activated traffic controls and signalized intersections added urgently in Davis Bay, downtown Sechelt and West Sechelt.
John R. Henderson
Mayor, District of Sechelt
