A bridge crossing the Saanich Inlet connecting the peninsula and the Cowichan Valley has long been mused. It surfaces every decade or so, usually after the Malahat is closed by an accident and people are frustrated by gridlock.
With increasing congestion on the Malahat and in Langford and Saanich, and the growth of southern Vancouver Island projected to add 100,000 more people in the coming decades, we have to find efficient solutions.
Aside from the convenience factor, the congested mountain pass and the notion of adding more people, cars and transport rigs, in the case of an emergency, we need better connectivity.
The big, extravagant bridge with eye-popping architecture makes for an awesome engineering feat and grand politics. But it would certainly leave a gaping black hole in the budget, or need to be added to the bulging capital-debt program.
A bridge adds more cars on the roads. The Pat Bay Highway is already straining at peak times, future commuters will bottleneck at Beacon, Mt. Newton, Keating and Seyward, Haliburton and Uptown. We will soon be talking about the cost of interchanges.
There are other options. Connecting North Saanich to Cowichan by ferry would relieve the immediate pressure and could be expanded over time.
We do not need to just move cars. There have been ideas percolating for passenger-only services. This would be positive for businesses on both sides of the inlet and precipitate much-needed better transit.
A rapid bus line on the Pat Bay Highway, with upgrades to the crossings for transit priority lanes, complemented by a better neighbourhood service, would greatly improve affordable transportation options while reducing congestion and emissions.
There are entrepreneurs right now who are willing to invest in a passenger service. Add a regular B.C. Ferries vehicle service, and we should be able to alleviate congestion on the Malahat, decrease emissions, save billions of dollars by investing in a flexible and scalable system, and help provide a solution for residents and businesses on the Saanich Peninsula.
It might not be as spectacular as a shiny new bridge, but it would be a welcome achievement. All it really needs is to be a priority of the provincial government. They can make this happen. Will they?
Adam Olsen is the B.C. Green Party MLA for Saanich North and the Islands and spokesman for transportation.
