Traffic lights needed at Alice Lake park and Sea to Sky Highway intersection

A local resident has written a letter expressing concern about the dangerous intersection of Highway 99 & Squamish Valley Rd and Alice Lake Road.

The resident urges for the intersection to be made safer to prevent fatalities, as it is unsafe for vehicles and pedestrians, and proposes that the intersection be turned into a four-way light-controlled intersection as soon as possible. This is not the first time a concerned citizen has written about this issue.

In 2021, a resident Kerry Gray, launched a petition asking the BC Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure to install traffic lights at the Alice Lake intersection. Nearly 1,500 people signed the petition, and former Mayor Karen Elliott even wrote to the Transportation Minister asking for improvements.

Below is the entire letter by resident Christopher Cann:

I am writing you out of great concern over the danger involved with Highway 99 & Squamish Valley Road intersection and the Alice Lake Rd.

As we know, this intersection has been at the center of countless motor vehicle accidents for as long as I can remember. With more and more traffic and drivers travelling at higher and higher speeds, what are we waiting for to make this a safer intersection for vehicles and pedestrians. The last thing we need to have is a fatality on our road ways. Still, anyone who has spent time travelling through that intersection, in any direction, knows that it is an inevitability in its current form.

Not only is it unsafe for vehicles attempting to join the Highway from either Alice Lake Rd or Squamish Valley Rd, but that area is home to many kid- and beginner-friendly outdoor trails for hiking or biking. Having pedestrians playing a literal real-world game of ‘Frogger’ to access these trails and cross the highway is extremely unsettling.

I propose turning this intersection into a four-way light-controlled intersection as soon as possible, and I don’t believe anything less is justified.