Having read most of the letters in The Morning Star, this writer has been amazed by what has happened to a simple solution because the transportation ministry decreed that we cannot have a lighted intersection at the junction of Stickle Road and Highway 97.
This is an absolute bureaucratic, dictatorial decision by the ministry. It is supported by our provincial government and hence, our MLA.
Routing the traffic down 20th Street and 58th Avenue is silly in the least, and likely more dangerous than a controlled intersection.
There will be additional traffic of semi-trailer trucks, delivery vehicles and cars in an industrial area, on a residential street and in an already congested shopping area.
The most disturbing issue is that construction will damage or completely destroy the riparian area which cannot be replaced.
The blue herons nesting in close proximity will likely move on, possibly never to return, and the peaceful trail which crosses over BX Creek will be altered irreparably.
How can the Highways bureaucracy and a few elected officials make such an atrocious decision without an environmental review?
They are going to damage the environment, and that should not be allowed without an environmental review.
Otto Andersen
Vernon
