The recent letter writer who complained about the changes made to Ravine Way, which was done many months ago, does have a point to be concerned about when the B.C. Ministry of Highways starts altering busy, key traffic routes. If he is heading to the Pat Bay Highway, he has several options to make a right turn from Douglas to get to Blanchard/Vernon via Saanich Road, Finlayson, Tolmie, Cloverdale, Hillside, or Bay, whichever is most convenient. I wouldn’t think sitting at 3 long lights to take his old way via Douglas, Carey, Ravine, to Vernon is any faster than the ones I mentioned. Taking away the left turn from Highway 1 to Carey was not a good idea, as many go to Uptown to shop, and given that we all know accidents happen most at intersections, adding more traffic is ridiculous. Ravine is slated for buses, and the new hub will make it easier for them to travel around. Too many cars were going down Vernon and turning left at Ravine, causing huge backups on Vernon just so drivers could avoid Highway 1 at Saanich/Boleskine. Now, cars from Saanich westbound must cross 4 lanes of traffic to get to Save On Foods, only a short block down the hill. This right turn onto Vernon backs up Saanich and Tattersal as many cars sit there until all 4 lanes of traffic are clear, instead of grabbing an open lane and merging left, left, and left again, which can be hard to do given the short distance. Any car wanting to get from Vernon to Douglas can just loop around in the left lane before the fire hall and get to the other portion of Ravine, and to Carey. The B.C. Ministry of Highways is well known for ruining neighbourhoods as they own the highways and ferry roads, and somehow don’t look at the big picture when designing or rerouting traffic. The Keating exit is a perfect example, still not done. All this money for bike lanes, which garners no tax revenue, and our main roads get entire lanes chopped or reduced. Go figure. Stuart Walker Central Saanich
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