I am disturbed by the the planned light-controlled pedestrian crossing at Cooper Cove by the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure along with the Capital Regional District (CRD).
While it is evident that people utilizing the Galloping Goose Trail certainly need some form of safe crossing across Highway 14, this is not the solution and could lead to accidents at this part of the road.
I feel that it is folly to install this random-type control on what is a busy highway well away from the Sooke urban area and close to a commercial restaurant road entrance. The traffic delays may well be short lived but will probably be frequent especially on summer vacation periods. Why put a further burden on road traffic? Another more worrying feature is the difficult line-of-sight at this low part of the road: the descending grade going west from Langford, etc. has several sharp bends and the crossing will be difficult to see from a distance because of rock outcrops. Stopped traffic here may be vulnerable to rear-ending accidents. Advanced warning signs certainly should help but they are no guarantee to prevent possible accidents.
The overall cost of this venture is stated to be $130,000; this money would have been better put towards a permanent bridge with appropriate ramping, a better and safer solution for everyone concerned. Was there any invitation for public input on this proposal?
Perhaps Lloyd Rushton, CRD general manager of parks and community, could enlighten us as to how this decision was arrived at.
E.A. Anderson
Sooke