It's a good news story, says the District of Squamish's manager of engineering. But there are a couple areas of concern.
Traffic is running smoothly through Squamish and should for the next 20 years, Brian Barnett said. On Tuesday (Sept. 13), Barnett presented the municipality's Multi-Modal Transportation Plan - a report that examines local, regional and commercial transportation - to council at its Committee of the Whole meeting. The plan adds to work completed in the 2009 Downtown Transportation Plan, Barnett said. It aims to guide decision making for future councils.
The new Sea to Sky Highway is big enough to avoid significant congestion until at least 2031, Barnett said. Highway congestion is only anticipated to occur at a few intersections on Fridays and Sundays during peak travel months. In total, the slowdowns amount to approximately 70 hours, or two per cent of daytime driving hours in a year, Barnett noted.
"There is lots of capacity on the highway," he said.
One area that may hit a bumpy road in the future is commercial transportation travelling to and from Squamish Terminals. The route to the port is expected to require significant modifications as Squamish's oceanfront is developed and public access to the Mamquam Blind Channel is opened up, Barnett said. The new 353-page report outlines this concern as a "heads up."
"We didn't want to spend the money or time on looking at something that isn't a problem today," Barnett said.
The plan recommended the district spend $100,000 annually to upgrade and expand cycling routes. This mode of transportation is relatively under-used in Squamish, which is likely due to limited route coverage and lack of continuity, which discourages cycling as a viable transportation alternative, the report notes.
The plan also suggested the district budget $100,000 to improve pedestrian infrastructure. Although downtown Squamish is relatively pedestrian friendly, the rest of the community features few pedestrian amenities, the report noted. Safe routes to school should be a primary consideration when establishing pedestrian and cycling priorities, it states.
Coun. Corinne Lonsdale questioned why Skyline Drive wasn't highlighted as an area to improve among the "safe routes to school" outline. A lot of Garibaldi Highlands Elementary students use the road to get to school. With no sidewalk, the drive is dangerous for pedestrians and cyclists, Lonsdale said.
"It is putting the kids on the road the entire distance," she said.
It's an area staff will examine, Barnett told Lonsdale.
The plan highlights a lot of synergies between transportation sources and routes that can be capitalized on down the road, said Kevin Ramsay, the district's chief administrative officer.
"It is not going to take a lot of money to make this transportation plan work," he said.
