Province cracking down on Annacis Island ‘queue-jumpers’
Posted August 5, 2016 10:05 am.
Last Updated August 5, 2016 3:35 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
DELTA (NEWS 1130) – Relief should soon be on the way for people sick of getting stuck in traffic on Annacis Island. The province has stepped in to hash out a solution.
A working group consisting of transportation ministry staff, police, business owners and city representatives will brainstorm how to stop people from driving through the island to avoid Alex Fraser Bridge traffic. Some drivers have been taking the Annacis Island exit, driving through the industrial area, and merging back onto Highway 91 at the bridge deck.
There’s been some tinkering. The province tried to dissuade cheaters by putting up plastic pickets along the merge lane back onto the bridge to make the detour more trouble than it is worth, but that ended up making things worse for businesses.
Inspector Varun Naidu with Delta Police admits having officers there ticketing people every day won’t be practical long term. “It’s a little bit of enforcement, education and engineering as well. We’re hoping that this group that we’re apart of can come up with some viable solutions.”
Orville Nickel with the Delta Chamber of Commerce plans to suggest pausing tolls on the Port Mann.
“One of the things we’ve talked about some time ago is perhaps there might be a way of suspending the tolls on the Port Mann Bridge, which would perhaps draw some traffic to that particular bridge and then alleviating some of the pressure on the Alex Fraser and the Massey Tunnel… Nobody’s sure how much traffic that would attract if that was to happen at the Port Mann Bridge.”
There’s no word on when the group could come back with some ideas.
