Accident HWY 101 Sunshine Coast Highway in Selma Park, BC

June 8, 2010 Duane Burnett
Accident HWY 101 Sunshine Coast Highway in Selma Park, BC


What do you think needs to be done about the aging highway? More transit? New highway? New types of vehicles? New bike paths? Get away from strip malls and urban sprawl? Skytrain? A ferry between Squamish and Langdale? Do tell......

"3 car accident involving some elderly people in a rear-ender resulted in minor injuries," Rob Stockwell, Training Officer, Sechelt Fire Department.

Selma Park, and the entire Sunshine Coast Highway has seen tremendous pressure placed on it in recent years from urban sprawl eating up the coastal forests. The increased population, vehicle traffic and strain on highways seems to result in more and more traffic woes.

LOL... Look at the great timing the guy on the motorized scooter thing makes in these pictures while the rest of the traffic crawls through Selma Park, just 3 minutes out of Sechelt, BC.

Ken Law
Motorized Scooters from MEDIchair will get you through all sorts of traffic Jams : )

What do you think?

Route 101 has become a danger, I think.
What was once a great wagon trail is now reached way past its capacity. At the same time, the Gulf Oil Spill ecocide reminds us that we have to get off the fossil fuel addiction.

I also worry that a new highway by-pass and urban sprawl will lack wildlife corridors and crossings, as well as paths, trails and cycling routes.

Everyone wants to live by the forest but we have to chop it down to live there! Then we complain about the displaced wild animals eating our gardens and knocking our garbage over. Maybe we could plant some fruit trees and natural food for them back in the mountain forests to replace all they have lost. Then make sure any new planning includes wildlife corridors.

Thanks so much for checking out my blog and all your comments and feedback. I really appreciate it! We have a tremendous and amazing community spirit, and I know we will get through this together.

COMMENTS/FEEDBACK

Susan Danvers-Robertson
50% yes and 50% no. but the way it is shaping up is so sad that it won't be our little town anymore. Been here over 30 years and it's changed so much already

Lorna McBride
It seems that the bring back the 4 lanes in Gibsons has been ignored by the politicians. So is that a non issue now? I still think the traffic problems start there.

Susan Danvers-Robertson
i totally agree with Lorna....stupid politicians

Geordie Harrower
Finish the by- pass to nowhere ffs!!

Powell River Books
We travel 101 frequently and it can be problematic, especially in bad weather. If the ferries didn't have such tight schedules it might be safer. We wouldn't have to hurry so much. - Margy

Chelsea Leech
I agree with Lorna. Gibsons is a mess you can't turn coming out of anything on the other side of the road going into Sechelt. Solid line of cars. Its ridiculous.

Marlene Toth
txs Duane, was wondering what all that traffic noise was about

Manuen Edwards
yep... it sucks when there's an accident on our lovely two lane highway!

Julie Kronlund
You dont really want a 4 lane trust me ....

Shelley Patrick
I think it would help if we stopped calling it a highway. Its a road with driveways onto it.

Debra Dee
I was right behind this accident with my broom and talking to the people in the 3 cars involved. One having heart pains another just coming out of heart surgery at the hospital, all shooken up pretty good. Since knowing at least 2 ambulances were coming I phoned CKAY immediately to advise people to go around or avoid. This is one reason I might not like all the music on our local station, but I have it on when I am driving this Coast. Did any of you listen and go around?

Julie Kronlund
YEP the sunshine coast needs to connect to Squamish ... the road %*%&$&%*%95 the ferry that's why the congestion .... I don't live there anymore but I did for a LONG time my daughter was born the .. AHHH just remember the good old days when you knew it was ferry traffic ...

Rob Thomson
What we do to resolve growing congestion and transportation issues here on the coast depends on what we are prepared to part with from our wallets and what we are prepared to give up in terms of lifestyle and the loss of more of the land corridor. The coast population is growing, available land is limited and we now have to make choices. We seem to want all the amenities of the Lower Mainland at no cost to us without sacrificing what makes the coast so wonderful.



Here is a facebook page on the subject of extending skytrain from Vancouver to Gibsons. Extend TransLink SkyTrain to Gibsons BC


Nick Proach, President, Route 101 Society tells me "The Route 101 Society is fully committed to seeing the development of a safer, more efficient transportation infrastructure built and maintained. That includes increased public transit as well as safe, usable bike lanes and pedestrian areas as well as a second new modern highway.

We can do this by building a new, modern highway north of the communities to take away major traffic on the current 101 first, then perform the necessary work to make the current 101 safer for bikes, pedestrians and the like."

PHOTOS (click a photo or link)
+ Traffic Protest Highway 101
http://www.flickr.com/photos/duaneburnett/sets/72157603248585546/
+ Gibsons Way Traffic Protest
http://www.flickr.com/photos/duaneburnett/sets/72157621999637007/
+ Nicholas Simons Meets with Cycling Community
http://www.flickr.com/photos/duaneburnett/2923181560/

Crashes spur call for road upgrade. By Glenda Luymes. Photo Duane Burnett. The Province. July 20, 2006 SUNSHINE COAST: Winding Hwy. 101 target of critics. Two Gibsons Teen Killed. The roadside memorial in west Sechelt yesterday where Hannah Anderson, 16 and Trina Borley, 17, were killed in a car accident last week. Duane Burnett -- For The Province




Route 101 Safety
http://www.101society.org/

"Highway" 101 was built in 1962
and is 50 miles in length taking into
account only the southern section of
the coast, from Langdale to
Egmont.

There are over 370 driveways that
enter onto Route 101.

There are 33 "S" curves on Route
101 between Madeira Park and
Egmont


There is not one passing lane on
Route 101 traveling north between
Gibsons and Sechelt, the busiest
portion of the highway.

In the last 5 years there have been
652 accidents.

Vancouver Sun, July 2006. Photos Duane Burnett



March 20, 2010. Duane Burnett.
Traffic lights go up and are installed at Highway 101 (route 101) on the Sunshine Coast, BC in Roberts Creek at an intersection overwhelmed by the increased strain of population growth, urbanization, and sprawl on transportation infrastructure and wildlife.






Top cycling pair seriously injured when struck by car. Story Jack Keating. Photos Duane Burnett. The Province Newspaper. July 6, 2006. Sunshine Coast: Duo flew through the air about six metres landed in shoulder. Sean Stanhope and Matt Cottrell were injured in a cycling accident near Halfmoon Bay prompting the Sunshine Coast Community to rally behind them and a safer Highway 101


Simons Meets with Cycling Community. Photo and Story Duane Burnett.
Mountain biker Harrison Duxbury-Sleep presented Sunshine Coast MLA Nicholas Simons with a petition calling for cycling paths along the entire length of Highway 101. 514 citizens of the Coast signed the petition. Also present in support of the petition were Paul Rudolph, Owner of Spin Cycles in Gibsons; Steve Sleep, from On The Edge Bike Team (now Sunshine Coast Cycling); Doug Detwiller who created the Sprockids Mountain Bike program in Gibsons; and Brad Proctor, Owner of On The Edge Bike Shop in Sechelt (now The Happily Traveler).

It's Always A Good Day on the Sunshine Coast! Duane

Best Wishes, Duane
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