By Philip Raphael
South Delta Leader
praphael@southdeltaleader Nov 04 2005
Gridlock on the highway
routes. Heavy traffic
rambling through
neighbourhood streets.
And the ongoing debate
over which is the best
route for a South Fraser
Perimeter Road.
Those are some of the
subjects civic
candidates discussed
when the South Delta
Leader asked them to
talk about their views
on solving Delta's
transportation woes.
TriDelta incumbent
councillor Scott
Hamilton said Delta's
residential
neighbourhoods have to
be returned to the
people who live there
and away from the
commercial traffic that
routinely spills over to
numerous areas in North
and South Delta.
He pointed to the
situation in the
Annieville and
Sunbury areas where
life has become
intolerable for many
with increasing
amounts of truck
traffic.
The solution? Adopt
the South Fraser
Perimeter Road that
will skirt the
northern edge of
Burns Bog, he said,
adding that would
create a "hard edge"
to the preserved wet
lands.
Hamilton said he saw
that as beneficial
because it "would
define the area and
not allow any more
development beyond
there." Perimeter road a
key
Delta First
mayoralty candidate
Bruce McDonald said
transportation
issues in Delta boil
down to a "little
thing called the
South Fraser
Perimeter Road."
He added that the
time has come to
take action on the
issue and work
closely with the
Gateway Program and
the province to
"push the issue
through."
Delta First is
backing a Ladner
bypass route that
would skirt the
northern edge of
Burns Bog, something
McDonald believes
would not pose a
problem for road
builders or the
environment.
"I don't believe
that to be true," he
said, discounting
concerns that soil
conditions in the
area would hamper
road building
adjacent to the bog.
"It's not Roman
Roads built on rock,
but it shouldn't be
a problem."
On the potential
impact to the bog
itself, McDonald
said establishing a
definable, hard edge
to the protected
wetlands may even
help improve the
area, protecting it
from further
encroachment.
As for council's
support for an
improved Highway 10
and Highway 17
interchange instead
of a bypass route,
McDonald
characterised it as
a non-starter.
"I don't think it
can be done," he
said.
In North Delta,
McDonald said it has
yet to be proven
that a tunnel option
for a portion of the
South Fraser
Perimeter Road,
linking up 96 Avenue
to River Road, is
not affordable.
"That needs a
definite
explanation," he
said. "We're told by
the Gateway people
that it's too
expensive. And it
may very well be."
But that needs to be
proven before the
idea is abandoned,
he added.
According to
independent
candidate
Ann Claggett,
the time for more
discussion about a
South Fraser
Perimeter Road is
over and action must
be taken to develop
the plan put forward
by the Gateway
Program which would
divert truck traffic
to a new road north
of Burns Bog and
parallel to River
Road. Time for talk
over
"I remember talking
about this issue
back in 1990," said
Claggett a former
councillor. "And
still nothing has
happened.
"Let's take the plan
that's currently
being put forward by
the experts and put
it in place."
On transportation
issues in North
Delta, Claggett said
she would like to
see traffic calming
measures introduced
to neighbourhoods
that some commuters
are using as short
cuts to Highway 91.
"Things like traffic
roundabouts and
speed bumps," could
be introduced in
those areas where
there are problems,
she said.
Fellow independent
candidate and
incumbent councillor
Vicki Huntington
said she also sees
the establishment of
a South Fraser
Perimeter Road as
the main
transportation issue
facing North and
South Delta, but
does not support the
Gateway Program's
option.
Huntington said
construction of a
new South Fraser
Perimeter Road close
to the northern edge
of Burns Bog will
likely be a more
costly endeavour
than anticipated
given the spongy
composition of the
soil in the area.
Plus, a road there
could also
drastically affect
the hydrology of the
bog.
For that reason
alone, Huntington
said "no level of
government should
support a road that
goes so close to a
natural conservancy
area."
Huntington said she
supports the Hoover-Naas
proposal which would
divert truck traffic
along a new,
truck-dedicated
east-west corridor
parallel to the BC
Rail tracks, then
connect with the
Highway 91
interchange for
access to the Alex
Fraser Bridge.
"It's (Hoover-Naas)
less costly and will
have a much smaller
impact than any
other route," she
said.
Former Delta
councillor, North
Delta MLA and now an
independent
candidate
Norm Lortie said
North and South
Delta live in two
solitudes but share
one major traffic
concern-the South
Fraser Perimeter
Road.
For North Deltans,
he said the issue is
getting truck
traffic off River
Road.
"It's essentially a
residential road and
suffers from
horrendous traffic
problems." Tunnel an option
for 96 Ave.
Like McDonald,
Lortie wants the
option of a tunnel
from 96 Avenue down
to River Road
explored fully and
not simply dismissed
as unaffordable.
"We need to see the
figures. Saying it's
too expensive when
they don't give you
the exact costs is
sometimes just an
excuse."
In South Delta,
Lortie said he
prefers a Ladner
bypass route to ease
the crush of truck
traffic along
Highway 17. But to
accomplish those
goals, Lortie said
council has to be
more open to
discussing the
issues with other
civic bodies-various
city councils and
the GVRD-as well as
the provincial
government.
"The current council
seems to be rather
insular, and you
can't solve problems
without having
conversations," he
said. "The next
council, which I
hope to be part of,
needs to reach out
to other levels of
government because
you can't get
anything done by
keeping your head
buried in the sand.
Otherwise, you can
find that the unique
way of life you've
been fighting to
protect can actually
be eroded."
