"No battle plan survives contact with the enemy" is an old military maxim -and given the increased military presence in the Sea to Sky Corridor in the lead-up to the Olympics, it seems appropriate to use it here.
For all the years of preparation and planning that has gone into the spectacle about to unfold before us -and around us - there are some details that are just showing up as problems, and apart from the minor matters beyond human control (ie. the lack of snow at Cypress), most of them seem to be around transportation.
The true extent of the chaos to come in Vancouver is about to be known as the full Olympic road network, including the closure of the Dunsmuir and Georgia Street viaducts, takes effect today. And we won't really know what the Sea to Sky Highway will look like a week from today when the Games begin in earnest, beyond the obvious - packed with cars and buses. But here in Squamish, we're already seeing the laws of unintendent consequences taking hold.
First, as the bus network ramps up to get people from Squamish to Whistler in record numbers, we've heard some stories of bus drivers from out-of-province that are so new to their routes that passengers are giving them directions. Then there was the last-minute discovery that the usual 40-minute drive from Squamish to Whistler Olympic Park is going to be a three-hour odyssey for any spectators staying in Squamish who want to get there, unless they're lucky enough to be going with a Squamish resident. (This may, in fact, be the first time in the last several years that being a resident of Squamish has been an advantage.) Finally, there was the discovery that public transportation, while ample between Squamish and Whistler, is basically non-existent between Squamish and Vancouver throughout the Games -too bad for anyone with tickets to cheer on our local snowboarders at Cypress, for those wanting to sample the Olympic spirit in downtown Vancouver, or for the thousands of people who still actually have to work in the city this month.
But the time to complain about oversights is over - the spectacle is upon us, and all we can do is sit back and enjoy the ride - or lack thereof, as the case may be. If you have the chance, now's the time to park the car. Jump on the bus - by now, your driver probably knows where he's going - and take in the Olympic atmosphere in Whistler.
And if your regular schedule involves Vancouver, you may feel a cough coming on that may just keep you from driving into work.
Just tell your boss it's Olympic fever.
-Tim Shoults
