It’s already congested, and the situation is expected to become worse.
A decade ago, the government spent $600 million to upgrade the Sea to Sky Highway leading up to the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver and Whistler – but already, the highway is clogged and needs further improvements.
Try leaving Squamish late on a Sunday afternoon, headed for the city, and you’ll find that timing is critical. If you leave at the wrong time, you’ll be caught in rush-hour-like traffic starting just south of town and you’ll inch along in a jam for several kilometres. The vehicles include many Whistler weekend vacationers from Vancouver, skis strapped on their rooftops.
The highway has become a lightning rod in discussions about developments including the proposed Garibaldi at Squamish resort, which would add 22,000 people, irking Whistler business owners who know that clogging the highway with more cars will affect visitors’ ability to reach them – but Squamish has equal rights to prosper from tourism.
Several other large developments are planned, including at the Squamish Oceanfront, Cheekye in Brackendale, Britannia Beach and many more.
With growth comes congestion. And extreme housing prices in Vancouver, now one of the most expensive real estate markets in the world, are pushing commuters farther afield into Squamish.
With more buildings going up, the highway will become busier and inadequate for the population and the thousands of tourists every day. A 2009 B.C. Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure fact sheet stated an average 13,800 vehicles travel between Horseshoe Bay and Squamish each day and estimated that by 2025, the number will rise to 22,000 vehicles per day – a 62 per cent increase.
It’s time to look at ways to ease congestion, perhaps through car-pooling initiatives and more buses or train service for Squamish daily commuters and Whistler vacationers. BC Transit recently released a commercial featuring the Stawamus Chief, a place to which they provide no service. Maybe it’s time for BC Transit to get serious about serving Squamish and the entire corridor with adequate bus routes to all major tourist attractions – and, more importantly, service for commuters to Vancouver and Whistler.
It’s also time for the District of Squamish to reinstate its economic development officer position. We need someone working full-time on bringing high-paying jobs here so fewer Squamish residents will need to use the highway to get to work.
– Editor Christine Endicott
