As any local who has tried to direct tourists to the Sea to Sky Gondola well knows, the lack of a southbound left turn signal off Highway 99 to access the attraction is a glaring omission.
From downtown Squamish, Google Maps directs travellers to follow a 24-minute, 24-kilometre round-trip route that heads south past the gondola to Britannia Beach where drivers are to loop through the residential community and head back northward to the gondola.
Should a tourist follow this advice and encounter accidents or back-ups on the route, what could be a 10-minute drive with a turning lane may take hours.
It is time to collectively lobby the provincial government for a traffic light and turning lane southbound at the gondola.
“A southbound entrance would simplify access for southbound traffic and certainly help address a significant safety concern with traffic U-turning at the Darrell Bay and Shannon Falls intersection,” said Kirby Brown, Sea to Sky Gondola’s general manager.
The Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure told The Chief a turn lane was in the original plans for the Sea to Sky Gondola and if the company were to build one, “it would have to meet highway engineering standards and the ministry would review their application and proposed changes,” a spokesperson said.
“We would certainly offer our assistance to the company if this is something they are considering.”
In other words, the government won’t pay to build it.
While some may argue the government shouldn’t pay to change a public highway to accommodate visitors to a private business, Brown is right. It isn’t safe the way it is.
As part of background work done for the proposed Klahanie resort, a recently released report analyzed driver behaviour along the strip of Highway 99 between Darrell Bay and the Stawamus Chief.
What the Bunt and Associates report found was that about 300 U-turns occurred between Darrell Bay and Squamish during a single afternoon on a summer weekend. (July 2016).
The report done for the Klahanie resort also noted that during the peak season, close to 4,500 people visit the Sea to Sky Gondola, per day.
On average, 19,000 vehicle trips are made daily through Lions Bay and Squamish on Highway 99, according to the ministry.
Those drivers U-turning at the Shannon Falls, Darrell Bay or Stawamus Chief parking lots cause countless frustrations for those trying to exit and enter these popular sites.
More concerning is that the U-turn is one of the most dangerous driver maneuvers on roads worldwide, according to government sources.
As more and more tourists are drawn to our area, a southbound left-turn and light into the gondola just makes sense.
