Quote:
Originally Posted by Andy6
The new highway was initially a toll road, which was one reason the TCH designation didn't change. But I wouldn't doubt that it had as much or more to do with the wishes of the communities along the traditional route.
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Highways in BC are extremely political and frustrating. Instead of designing and building highways to advance the great good of the entire province, the government (both left and right) keeps catering to special interest groups.
Highway 1 remains highway 1 down the Canyon because of the Cache Creek lobby. But it's not just the naming that caters to special interest groups (namely whiny snively businesses in downtown communities). Highway 97 from Vernon to the US border at Osoyoos is 180km, and there are over 60 traffic lights (with more going in all the time). That's one traffic light every 3 km for 180km. It sucks donkey nuts. As soon as you cross the border, our average speed goes up by 20km/h.
Anyway, at Sicamous, there a massive sign telling travelers from Alberta that they can choose between highway 1 via Kamloops or highway 97 via Kelowna to get to Vancouver. What they don't tell you is that the s**t ton of lights via Kelowna makes the trip an extra hour longer. Plus, your carbon footprint goes up 10% from all the stop-go traffic.
If you go Kamloops, there's another sign for choosing between 5 or 1. The second option being an extra 1.5 hours.
The province will not bypass communities like Sorrento even though it would be far more cost effective, reduce GHG emissions, greatly reduce accidents and deaths, and improve the economy by reducing travel times. Nope, they don't care about that at all. They only care about following the existing route even if it means the potential of an fuel truck plunging into the pristine lake because the 500 people living in Sorrento might lose business from frustrated tourists forced to stop for 5 hours as the highway is closed because of yet another fatal crash.