A petition is calling for city and provincial officials to build an alternate route to the notorious Malahat Highway for motorists.
Duncan resident Paul Russell said he started as a place where people can voice their frustrations and hopefully call for changes along the route that connects the upper and lower Island.
The petition has more than 3,700 signatures as of Saturday.
ItB次元官网网址檚 not uncommon for motorists to find themselves stuck in stand-still traffic after a crash occurs along the busy corridor.
After WednesdayB次元官网网址檚 crash between a sewage truck and an SUV shut the highway down for seven hours in both directions, killing a father of a two-month-old baby, the discussion of alternate routes has circled back.
READ MORE: Malahat open in both directions after fatal sewage-truck crash
RELATED: Fatal Malahat crash causes significant traffic delays
Russell currently works in the movie industry in Vancouver and uses the Cowichan Valley as his home base, but prior to that he lived and worked on the Island and drove the Malahat every day for five years into Victoria for work.
About 23,000 people drove the Malahat every day in the first quarter of 2018, according to volume traffic data from the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure.
Russell said with the growth of the West Shore and the Island in general, this number is bound to increase.
B次元官网网址淏usiness and economy are driven by Victoria, what does this look like in five to 10 years when the community expandsB次元官网网址hen thereB次元官网网址檚 50,000 people commuting on it every day,B次元官网网址� he said.
Building another highway is a substantial financial commitment that heB次元官网网址檚 not sure would get off the ground.
Russel said he has no specific plans for the signatures yet. Right now heB次元官网网址檚 trying to accumulate a B次元官网网址渘umber significant enough to present it in an unofficial capacity to elected members.B次元官网网址�
This isnB次元官网网址檛 the first time public opinion on the busy highway has called on the province to act.
The ministry visited this issue in 2011 when a Victoria-bound fuel truck rolled and crashed into rock, closing the Malahat for nearly 24 hours and leaving hundreds of drivers stranded. It took nearly four hours to establish a detour route around the fuel truck.
Shortly after, a report was created that documented the ministryB次元官网网址檚 communication with the public during the closure. Premier John Horgan, who was the Juan de Fuca NDP MLA at the time, brought up alternate route possibilities B次元官网网址� including rail B次元官网网址� but none made the final draft.
READ MORE: Seven years later, whatB次元官网网址檚 changed since the 2011 Malahat fuel truck crash and closure?
The Tunnel Hill area is where the majority of accidents occur that cause the Malahat to shut down, a stretch of highway with no reasonable detour routes. Russell said the Pacific Marine Circle Route is a scenic 3.5 hour drive, and he wouldnB次元官网网址檛 classify that as a convenient detour.
With the influx of forest fires in B.C., Russell wonders what would happen if a fire in the upper Island forced people to leave their homes, and a crash on the Malahat prevented drivers from getting out.
B次元官网网址淚 donB次元官网网址檛 want to sound dramatic, but what if,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淚t was never conceived to be a route to have this many people on it.B次元官网网址�
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