A second fatal accident on Hwy. 101 last Saturday has continued the calls by the community and government officials to review the state of the highway to see if improvements should be made.
On July 29, just after 1 p.m., Sunshine Coast RCMP, along with paramedics and the Sechelt Fire Department, responded to the accident just north of Havies Road.
"Witnesses at the scene told police that a red 1987 Ford Tempo was travelling southbound on Hwy. 101 and veered into the oncoming lane and was struck by a white Sunshine Coast Regional District truck that was travelling northbound," said Const. Melissa Trzecak in a press release. "The driver of the Tempo was pronounced deceased at St. Mary's Hospital shortly after the collision occurred."
Police later identified the woman as Toinette Smart, 67, of Pender Harbour.
Hwy. 101 was closed in both directions at the collision site from shortly after the time of the crash until well after 6 p.m. "This was done to ensure a thorough investigation could be completed," added Trzecak. "The collision was investigated by Sunshine Coast RCMP and a forensic collision analysis/reconstructionist from the Lower Mainland District Traffic Services."
Rumours circulated on Sunday that Smart tried to do a U-turn on the highway, but police said Monday that wasn't the case."A vehicle was stopped attempting to make a left hand turn off the highway," said Sgt. Gerry Webb on Monday. "The driver, we believe, didn't see the other driver in time and, expecting a collision, veered to the left instead of the right and was struck by the truck.
"Traffic volume is higher and people need to be more diligent when travelling. Lower your speed and don't be passing cars on the right."
Sechelt Mayor Cam Reid was one of the many people stuck in the traffic on the highway Saturday.
Reid said it's time the Ministry of Transportation reviews the highway.
"With two tragedies in several weeks, the Ministry has to re-evaluate things. I think it's a case of us trying to elevate this in the provincial scheme," said Reid. "I would like to see us initiate a community meeting and get Transportation Minister Kevin Falcon or someone from his office here to meet with the community and hear our concerns."
Reid said the ministry needs to look at the plans for upgrades from the conveyor to Field Road and to "dust off" the bypass plans first initiated 14 years ago.
"At that time, there were lots of public meetings about this bypass issue for Sechelt," Reid said. "The safety issues and the congestion have to press the province to do something sooner rather than later. The loss of life is terrible, and in no way do I want to diminish that, but the other spin-offs, three weddings tied up, international flights missed, people can't get to work. When an accident like this happens on the highway, it creates frustration and chaos for many. A bypass would give us other transportation options and it's time the provincial government starts looking at this."
Last week, acting mayor Coun. Barry Poole submitted a letter to Falcon (printed in the July 28 edition of Coast Reporter) imploring the minister to take action.
On Tuesday night, Gibsons council members endorsed Sechelt's letter and planned to write Falcon themselves asking for a look at the highway.
West Vancouver - Sunshine Coast - Sea to Sky Country MP Blair Wilson is also getting involved.
"I was caught in the traffic tie-up myself. I know people are frustrated. We've heard that frustration," Wilson said. "I think from a federal level there is a role we can play by tying things to the 2010 Olympics. Here you have a provincial government that is expecting an increase in tourism, but not adequate roadways to meet that tourism demands. It's something where all three levels of government, municipal, provincial and federal need to work together. Whatever role I can play in that, I want to assist."
Powell River - Sunshine Coast MLA Nicholas Simons has requested a face-to-face meeting with Falcon to express the community's concerns.
On Tuesday, Simons met with members of the cycling community at his office in Davis Bay. A petition, started just after a recent accident involving two local mountain bikers in Sechelt, was presented to Simons with well over 600 signatures. Simons says he plans to present that to Falcon personally.
At the meeting were Laurie Short and Doug Detwiller from the Sprockids program, Brad Proctor from On The Edge Bike Shop and Paul Rudolph from Spin Cycles in Gibsons.
Everyone discussed their views on the state of the highway and the need for improvements including better signage, better maintenance of the highway and a possible cycling network.
After the 30-minute session, everyone went away with the idea of getting together more information for a follow-up meeting in early September.
One of the ideas floated around was the possible creation of a citizens' group with representatives from recreation, community groups, youth and adults to lobby the provincial government for highway improvements.
"I'm pleased that this is the start of something. What that is, I don't know quite yet," said Simons. "We need better signage, more public safety and awareness and to address the highway long term as well."
Simons hopes by the time the group reconvenes in September, he will have had his meeting with Falcon and will have a better handle on the situation.
Other citizens in the community are also frustrated. Coast Reporter has been flooded with letters to the editor, some of which appear in this week's edition (pages A11 to A14).
Following the accident that killed two Elphinstone Secondary School students two weeks ago, West Sechelt resident Doug Hockley contacted Coast Reporter.
Hockley said since March he's been lobbying Simons and the Ministry of Transportation, has made a presentation to the Sunshine Coast Regional District and has talked with other local politicians about the state of the highway, in particular, the curve on Hwy. 101 in the 6700/6800 block where that fatal accident occurred.
"I'm retired. At one time I was the fleet safety supervisor for BC Tel with accident investigation and adjudication responsibilities for the company's fleet of vehicles and drivers. I know the difference between driver error and unsafe road conditions," Hockley said. "The curve is a dangerous curve with a deplorable road surface, especially after a rainfall. I'm frustrated that despite this area being the scene of so many accidents and tragedies, nothing is being done. Here you have a provincial government that is pushing tourism and flooding the Sunshine Coast with more people and traffic, yet not maintaining the highway enough to accommodate that traffic. How many more people have to die before someone does something?"
Mike Lovecchio, spokesman with Ministry of Transportation, said in an interview Tuesday that the ministry is doing its part.
"You need to appreciate that we're talking about incidents in different spots of the highway," Lovecchio said. "There is lots of emotion out there and that's understandable. That said, upgrades where needed are being done. In the area where the high school girls were killed, the advised speed limit was lowered from 60 to 50 four years ago and additional signage was put up on that corner. Improvements have been made and are continuing to be made. "In Gibsons we have a $1.2 million project between Pratt Road and Mahan Road. We keep a close eye on traffic. Where improvements need to be made, they are made. Anytime there is an incident we take stock of things. I think maybe emotion is running ahead of fact here in some cases."
When asked by Coast Reporter about the possibility of better signage in the area or cycling network signage, Lovecchio said he didn't know if any requests have been made to look at that.
"Cycling signs and other signs could be done. I don't know if anyone has proposed that, but I will look into it," he said. "We're hearing the concerns and we're not downplaying any of them. I think it would be incorrect to characterize that Hwy. 101 is not being looked at. Discussions go on all the time between the ministry, SCRD, police and the highway workers. As improvements are needed, they are put forward and decisions are made."
