District of Sechelt council agreed last week to support the efforts of local cycling advocates and the Sunshine Coast Regional District by urging the province to fix a dangerous section of Highway 101 at Selma Park Road.
Described by the group Transportation Choices (TraC) as one of the worst sections of road on the Lower Sunshine Coast, the lack of shoulder on the northbound side forces cyclists into the traffic lane at a corner that limits visibility and poses a risk to all road users, TraC president Tim Howard said in a letter to Mayor Bruce Milne.
Last year, a cyclist was hospitalized after being involved in an accident at the location. “Action is required before a more serious event occurs,” Howard wrote.
Speaking at the March 18 council meeting, TraC director Joe Vechter asked council to write the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (MOTI) calling for a short-term and long-term resolution to the safety issue, first raised by the group in 2012.
“If we don’t act and start putting on pressure, the ministry of transport will tacitly accept our betrayal of our citizens,” Vechter said. “We have an obligation to provide safe transportation on the highway — it’s our only corridor.”
Although the area lies within the jurisdiction of the Sechelt Indian Government District, council agreed to TraC’s request.
Coun. Darren Inkster called the issue “a big deal” because of the severity of the erosion on the side of the highway and the presence of two or three large holes where the highway curves.
Last month, MOTI announced the construction of a 400-metre bike lane from the Lehigh Materials conveyer belt past Monkey Tree Lane, but Vechter said that stretch of highway was not considered a priority for TraC.
“I have a feeling that it was done for statistical purposes, because it was not a safety issue,” he told council.
At the time of the announcement, MOTI area manager Don Legault said his office was hoping to continue the work to Selma Park Road next year.
But Vechter, interviewed after the meeting, said the problem could not wait for a possible solution next year.
“The regional district and the transportation advisory committee, they’ve all asked for a short-term solution because of the safety issue — and that has not been addressed,” he said.
In his presentation, Vechter also asked council to assign a staff person to assist its Coastal Bike Route working committee, which is trying to revive a decade-old initiative.
Vechter said the group has worked with biking coalitions from Powell River, Comox and Nanaimo to have a bike tour loop that goes from Langdale up to Powell River and across to Vancouver Island.
“The opportunities for the economy to grow using bicycle tourism are almost endless,” he said. “The cyclists are slow, they spend a lot of money and they leave a small footprint.”
The request was referred to staff, with Milne noting the District’s planning department “is very stretched right now.”
