Delta worries about spike in traffic with mega mall opening
Posted May 8, 2012 7:33 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
DELTA (NEWS1130) – Longer line-ups, longer travel times and a whole lot more traffic. Politicians in Delta are worried a mega mall to be built in Tsawwassen will have a big impact on your travels in the region.
Even with the Tsawwassen First Nation planning for significant road and pedestrian upgrades, there will be a big jump in traffic volume when their Tsawwassen Mills development opens in 2015.
Delta Councillor Scott Hamilton says a report for the city points out peak hours for the mall will attract thousands of vehicles, creating bottlenecks and problems.
“The sheer numbers are quite staggering. It’s somewhat unbelievable that we could even imagine 7,000 vehicles per hour on a Saturday afternoon as people access this shopping centre.”
The intersections of 52nd Street and 56th Street as they cross Highway 17 are both potential pinch points, and there are concerns about losses of agricultural land.
With line-ups on the major routes, especially when a ferry unloads at the nearby BC Ferry terminal, Hamilton expects drivers to look for shortcuts.
“A lot of this traffic will transit through our local communities and it’s going to be a considerable problem,” believes Hamilton. “We don’t want to improve our local roads to handle that traffic. If that traffic is going to be funneled anywhere, it should be right onto the highways directly and then the Ministry of Transportation can come to the table.”
Delta council wants the Tsawwassen First Nation to revise its traffic plans to make sure that happens.
