Re: “$16M OK’d to complete key bus lane,” March 7.
It’s great to see that another small portion of the Trans-Canada Highway will see completed bus lanes in the near future. However, these small pieces of the larger whole are not coming fast enough to address the congestion issues that still exist out to the Six Mile Road area.
This “Colwood Crawl” section continues to prove a serious slowdown for commuters from Sooke, the Cowichan Valley and the West Shore area. Proposed roadway expansions will only promote further use of single-occupancy vehicles and lead, once again, to completely congested roads. A focus on transit and completing these bus lanes to the Six Mile Road area will continue to improve commute times, transit ridership and regional greenhouse-gas emissions.
The Capital Regional District’s declaration of a climate emergency is another big point in favour of transit, which produces less emissions and would avoid the need for ecologically destructive, steep and likely dangerous road expansions such as the proposed Sooke Hills Malahat bypass. The CRD needs to keep pressure on the provincial government to prioritize public transit, a solution that benefits all residents, rather than highway expansion, which benefits only those who can afford personal vehicles in the short term and no one in the long term.
Grant Stott
Langford
