Quote:
Originally Posted by J81
Largely yes!
|
Couldn't disagree with you more.
I tend to be a fiscally conscious conservative, but even people such as myself realize the importance of divided highways in speeding interurban commerce, promoting road safety and even as an act of nation building.
There are sections of the TCH in NB that feel "unbusy", such as the segment between Havelock and the Canaan River, but it should be remembered that the highway doesn't exist for people in these two communities, it exists to allow easy commercial transport between Moncton/Halifax/PEI and the major population centres of central Canada. This is the reason why that segment of the TCH is twinned!
Did you know that current regulations prevent multi unit semis (road trains) from operating on non dual carriageways? Even now, road trains are not allowed on that short segment of the 185 in Quebec on their way to the Maritimes. These trucks have to decouple before entering the non divided portion of the highway and then individually ferry their trailers onto the next divided segment. There is a tremendous cost to doing this (I remember reading somewhere this is over $100M per year), and this is borne by the consumer on the other side of the non divided highway. Goods produced in the Maritimes are a little less economically competitive because of this requirement.
There are environmental factors in Atlantic Canada which can make road travel challenging in the winter time, especially our frequent snow storms. Divided highways are undeniably safer than their non divided cousins. The worst type of accidents are head on collisions (especially offset head on collisions). Divided highways (especially with wide medians) remove this peril. As a physician who as part of his daily work helps to manage trauma cases from the ER, I can absolutely 100% guarantee you that the volume of serious trauma from high velocity MVAs has decreased dramatically around greater Moncton since the TCH has been twinned. There is a cost to this carnage. A seriously injured patient requiring several weeks in the ICU and numerous operative interventions may cost the health care system $2-3 million in terms of immediate care, and if there is serious long term disability, maybe another $10M for long term care. Regardless of whether this cost is born by the health care system or by private insurance, the cost is eventually born by
you (increased taxes or increased insurance premiums). That $13M spent on caring for the victim of the above hypothetical MVA could instead have been spent on maybe 5 km of dual carriageway. Which is the better investment???
In terms of nation building, a divided highway system helps to bind the country (and the region) together. Travel is easier and safer. Commerce is expedited and tourism is easier to promote. Taxes from these activities will increase, helping to pay for the cost of building and maintaining the roadway. The more divided highways the better!!!
Having said this though, one should only build divided highways where they make sense. This includes between major national and regional cities, also serving larger suburban and exurban commuter watersheds and where commercial truck activity justifies it. I do not support dividing route 11 beyond Bouctouche, but I do think a valid case can be made for dividing the highway at least as far as Bouctouche (commuter watershed, tourism and winter travel conditions).