Regarding the McTavish interchange.
The 10 commandments of road design.
• Thou shalt minimise the mixing of fast moving highway traffic with slow moving local traffic.
• Thou shalt provide for pavement widening and rapid transit in the future at minimum cost.
• Thou shalt not mix sightseeing traffic with commuter traffic.
• Thou shalt not mix automobile traffic with bicycles.
• Thou shalt not allow pedestrians alongside vehicular traffic.
• Thou shalt not rely on directional signs and pavement markings within an interchange.
• Thou shalt not introduce friction points leading to accidents.
• Thou shalt give priority to large volume directional traffic.
• Thou shalt not allow pedestrian overpasses and park and ride facilities within an interchange.
• Thou shalt analyse effect on the entire local road system.
In other words-keep it simple stupid. Who said that?
The recommended solution. (The authorities were given the lay outs more than five years go.)
• Simple high speed dedicated fly-over for Victoria-airport-Victoria traffic connecting to Willingdon Road.
• Close McTavish road at the highway.
• Route McTavish traffic via East Saanich Road to the airport round-a-bout on Willingdon Road, then via Willingdon to the highway.
• Cut connection to slow moving Lochside Drive.
• A new grade separation with simple cloverleaf at Ocean Avenue providing direct access to Sidney, Anacortes ferry terminal and the Lochside waterfront including hotels and restaurants.
• Route all bicycle traffic via Ocean Ave.
• Ocean Ave. to go under the highway in a split grade.
• Locate a park and ride on Eighth Street near Ocean Ave.
The result.
Safe, less costly solution with minimum of signs and no confusion, in particular to non resident drivers.
You can bring a horse to water, but you cannot make it drink. Who said that?
W. Zonnenberg P. Eng
Retired accredited Transportation Engineering Specialist,
Sidney