Vancouver 0 - Calgary 2

Okay, here is another one of those posts that just reflects my Calgarian sensibilities post-relocation to the Lower Mainland. Fortunately, I must say, I live in the wonderful city of Surrey. The Province will go ahead with a "controversial" plan to widen Highway 1 and twin the Port Mann bridge. So far, so good. Now, this might cost commuters a smacking $2.50 big ones for a one way trip . . . alright, I still need to think about that, but no serious red flags yet. The Province even tossed in recent survey data that put commuters at a whopping 70% support rating if tolls were either reduced or even eliminated during non-peak hours. Okay, that still sounds within the bounds of reasonable. THEN, we hear from the Dog Pound from Vancouver's city hall . . . "uh, duh, if we widen Highway 1 it will clog our Vancouver city streets with more cars . . . uh, duh." WHAT?!?! Click here for the article. Are you guys whack or WHAT? What gives with all the weirdness from Vancouver? Dudes, have you been on 1st Avenue during traffic hour? Or Hastings? HELLO doorknobs from Vancouver city council, are you budheads still puffing? I'm in no way claiming to be a professional civil engineer/planner by any stretch of the imagination, but it just might help the yaks at Van-city Hall to get with the program and make it less stressful for all the outer lying areas (e.g. Burnaby, Co, PoMo, PoCo, Surrey, Langley, etc.) traveling to and from work - who in turn put cash into the pockets of the Van-city regime!!! Gheesh, what kind of logic is that??? Widening Highway 1 JUST might relieve some of the traffic congestion that STARTS in the city of Vancouver and eventually bleeds east of the city! For a bunch of Granola loving, Eco-pushing, tree-hugging, try hards . . . you would think that they MIGHT or WOULD lean towards an initiative that would reduce greenhouse emissions . . . ARGH! Vancouver TRY HARDS!

Just for the record, here are the actual BC Stats for population of municipalities as of 2005 (also cities affected by the widening of Highway 1, not including Maple Ridge: 73,280; Mission: 34,742; Chilliwack: 70,522; etc.):

Burnaby: 204,324
New Westminster: 57,480
Coquitlam: 121,973
Surrey: 393,137
Langley: 25,716
Township of Langley: 97,125
Abbostford: 127,434

roughly: 1,027,189 people

VERSUS

Vancouver: 583,267 (guesstimate 1/3 of this for the east side affected areas)