Quote:
Originally Posted by logicbomb
From Oct 6th, 2015
http://www.surreyleader.com/opinion/letters/330933751.html
Exactly my sentiments as well. I have witnessed a rollover on that right-turn before too. Furthermore, you have the usual occurrences of two trucks side-by-side blocking the general flow of traffic. There was rather bad congestion on Thursday, and I would say we are only a few years away from needing an extra lane in each direction. Piss poor planning. |
As many know here I support major roads in urban areas, but I do not support this style of thinking.
Not every highway needs to be 6 / 8 / 10 lanes.
In metro Van only the #1 and the 99 need to be wider than 4 lanes (excluding bridge decks which should be 6 lanes in most cases due to local add / drop traffic).
The SFPR is fine at 4 lanes, the problem is that it should have been built as free flow from the start. No traffic lights, all interchanges.
4 lane highways work fine throughout most urban areas in Japan. The widest extended span of a freeway I have ever seen here is 8 lanes (in cities far larger than Toronto). Of course these highways are complete free flow (all interchanges), but they are also tolled.
IMO the SFPR should have opened as a tolled freeway (maybe free for commercial and transport vehicles, but tolls for everyone else) with only interchanges for its entire length.
I would support all freeways in Metro-Van being tolled (but done so with upgrades, such as replacing the 91/72nd traffic light with an interchange, replacing the GMT and upgrading the 99, making the GEW full freeway from the SFPR to Lougheed (this would only require two intersections upgraded to interchanges), etc..)
My ultimate fantasy with the scenerio above would be a 4 laned tolled highway built along / under / above Knight Street to a new 6 lane bridge accross the Burrard Inlet (with a now closed Lions Gate to general Traffic). Seeing how this would be the most urban route of highway in the city, a design speed no higher than 70km would be used to allow it to be built around the urban fabric better, instead of demolishing too much existing structures.
I think that would complete Vancouvers road system well, without overbuilding and allowing heavy / through traffic freeflow routes off regular streets without encouraging congestion.
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