What’s the best thing about living on Salt Spring? Many different things spring to mind, but right up there among them is the fact that you never have to worry about being stuck in a traffic jam. That would have been the case until a couple of weeks ago, but, alas, times have changed. With the recent Fulford-Ganges Road Improvements Project, our island has slipped reluctantly into a world where all forward motion is preceded by a total standstill.
Oh sure, for decades we’ve been inconvenienced by ferry overloads and long lineups spilling out of ferry parking lots and winding their way uphill from the Vesuvius and Fulford landings. We’ve cursed under our collective breath as we were forced to follow behind an overladen building supply flat-deck transport truck chugging along at 20 km/hr under the speed limit. As annoying, however, as these delays may seem, they pale in comparison to the helpless feeling we have had to experience from being “frozen in time” by the Fulford-Ganges Road traffic jam.
What exactly is the Fulford-Ganges Road Improvements Project? Simply put, the project calls for the resurfacing and grading of 1.6 kilometres of the two-lane road from Seaview Avenue up Ganges Hill to Cranberry Road. Other perks that islanders can expect once the project is completed in the fall of 2025 include paved shoulders on both sides of the road for pedestrians and cyclists, an underground stormwater drainage system, new pavement and refuge areas for cyclists. And all at a bargain basement cost of $22.9 million.
And that’s not all folks. The project also promises new signage, pavement markings, crosswalks and enhanced visibility. Another benefit would result from the pulverizing of the existing stretch of pavement to rebuild the road base and shoulders. Those of us who have become accustomed to driving on already existing pulverized roads, especially during wet winters, are not all that impressed with this particular objective.
If you’ve been caught in one of these road closures, you know the feeling we all experience. Often, as we sit in our vehicles stewing from our motionless frustration, we are overcome with the need to move in some direction —- any direction —- before we explode in this black hole of nothingness. We engage in internal arguments as to whether it would make more sense to just turn around and head back in the direction from which we came. Getting turned around, however, becomes a complex maneuver. It means waiting for there to be a break in the traffic navigating from the opposite direction while at the same time avoiding collision with all the other drivers in the lineup who have simultaneously made the same decision to turn their cars around and drive away. Inevitably, what would normally be a three-point turn morphs into a complex 21-point manipulation. To make matters worse, just as we have finally completed our turnaround, the line of vehicles that we were about to abandon starts to move forward. This is too much to bear! We slam our transmission into reverse and nudge our way back into the slow-moving line of cars even though we are now facing the wrong direction. If we have to drive through town in reverse, then so be it.
Then there’s the matter of line butting. Some of the more astute (as well as more egocentric) drivers on the island have figured out that by taking the Beddis Road route instead of the main road into Ganges, they can avoid a good part of the long lineup by squeezing their way in at the Beddis intersection. Those drivers who are stuck farther back up the hill can only watch helplessly as these Johnny-Come-Latelys sneak their way into much shorter wait times by taking advantage of polite motorists who are merely trying to show a little driving courtesy.
Sporting a long history of creative thinking here on the rock, islanders are reaching for unorthodox attempts to beat the jam. Here are some of the more harebrained methods that may or may not have been used thus far. Avoiding the roads altogether and bushwhacking a trail through the brush may be a possible answer, but is bound to cause some major wear and tear on your vehicle. Some of the old logging roads may still afford a usable bypass into Ganges, although there are some who have gone this route and have never been seen or heard from again. Likewise, remembering that our multi-opinioned Salt Spring has been defined as an argument surrounded by water, low tide offers a circuitous opportunity to avoid all roads and trails as you follow the shoreline towards your destination. Just be aware that the tide does turn regularly and that salt water can be very unfriendly to vehicle parts such as moving motor components.
Who says you have to circumvent the road blockage anyway? If you happen to own a monster truck with 10-foot-diametre wheels and tires, the kind of metal beast used in mud-filled stadiums and arenas during demolition derbies, then you can pretty well go over and through any obstacle that stands in your way.
Even more clever is the “path of least resistance” strategy wherein you simply get out of your vehicle that is stuck in the construction zone lineup, lock it and amble on foot down the hill to do your town chores and shopping. When these are complete, just return to your mid-road “special parking spot” where the planned construction will hopefully be over for the day and you can drive on into town for a cold beer.
Nobody asked me, but I’m willing to give the project the benefit of the doubt, at least for the time being. It is said that whenever a door closes in front of you, there’s a window that opens. With a big hole in the ground and single-lane alternating traffic being routed around it, it’s only natural that long lines of stalled traffic would result, especially after the ferries have dropped their loads. As a consequence, you can imagine the frustration boiling over inside each of the vehicle’s occupants.
What a perfect time for some ambitious entrepreneurs to weave their way from vehicle to vehicle as they offer hot coffee and delicious snacks to reduce the stress and help pass the time! I think I just might have to change careers and invest in a coffee wagon. Cappuccino anyone?
