By Gagandeep Ghuman
Published: Oct. 19, 2012
It’s been talked about, discussed, and vigorously debated, but Squamish still lacks a viable truck route, says Ron Anderson, the Squamish Terminals president.
Anderson raised the issue yet again in the council chamber at a recent transit committee meeting.
“We are just looking for a safe, reliable truck route,” he said.
“I’m not sure what were the discussions around truck route when they were trying to make downtown dense,” he said.
Anderson said the Seventh Ave. connector seems like a reasonable solution, one that was originally proposed in the 1999 estuary management plant.
The provision of a Seventh Ave. connector is also included in the 2031 Transportation Plan.
The plan talks about the construction of the Seventh Ave connector to link Third Ave near the Terminals to the South with Government Road.
Anderson said there is a lot that needs to be revised and reconsidered about the present truck route for the terminal.
“I have never seen a truck route go through the university before,” he said, referring to the proposed Capilano University plans north of Vancouver Road.
He said he had gone to several councils over the past few years, but there has been no resolution of the issue.
“We are very concerned about not having a proper truck route in the community,” he said.
Industrial transportation in the core of the community isn’t just a strictly Squamish Terminals issue.
For anyone who has travelled during the day along Loggers Lane, this won’t be a surprising figure.
From April until now, there has been an average of 22 truckloads rumble on every day on Loggers Lane to the Garibaldi Ave log sort.
Peak times saw 40-45 truck-loads per day and slow times saw 10-15 truck-loads per day. This averages out to 475 truckloads every month.
There will be more trucks going down that road.
The forest industry is currently operating at about half capacity, said Bryan Shier of Garibaldi Forestry.
It can be expected that the anticipated market turn-around will result in increased log hauling activity.
Shier said the Sea to Sky Forestry Society has made the district aware that the multi-modal plan doesn’t even mention trucks travelling on Loggers Lane.
Coun. Susan Chapelle said the district supports the Seventh Ave connector.
“The current truck route is extremely dangerous, and we already have the preliminary work done on this,” she said.
Not everyone is as supportive.
Environmentalist John Buchannan has long held the view that building a road through the estuary is unacceptable.
“Even the rail spur line that services the terminals today should never have been located there in the 70s,” he said.
Don Patrick says
Discount Buchannan, never has had it together… forget the trucks, lets get the rail way tracks and services working to the good of the economy, rather than only the shareholders. Made my money on CN, so now its their turn to spend some and help out the old system… can’t just load and haul 3500 miles all the time.
Anonymous says
wow forget the trucks the trucks move the product to the rail. are you forgetting that. you do like your goods on the shelves at the local and any stores? may be I don’t see your point but can you elaborate on this?