by Lyonel Doherty

Driver frustration is one of the terms cited in the Ministry of Transportation’s proposal to construct passing lanes in the McIntyre bluff area.

At first, the thought of spending $10 million on four-laning this small stretch of highway (1.5 kilometres) may seem unnecessary, perhaps even wasteful. The collision history on this stretch of road isn’t that alarming – only two injuries (in 12 collisions) between 2001 and 2010.

People just have to slow down, right? It’s all a matter of attitude, right? Yes, but it’s hard to reason with human nature sometimes, including my own

While driving home last week, my frustration level got the better of me. I was following a truck towing a trailer that was moseying along at 70 km/h in an 80 zone. It was on a straight stretch near McIntyre dam and nothing was coming, so I gunned it, thinking there was lots of room to pass safely. Of course, that’s when you see headlights suddenly appear and approaching fast. Well, my heart started racing nearly as fast as my small engine that could because I was at the point of no return. The approaching car had to slow down and pull over slightly to allow me to finish my manoeuvre, which left me shaken and angry at my risky stunt (that didn’t appear risky at the moment of execution).

I immediately thought of the open house where a ministry official said part of the reason behind the four-laning is to prevent risky passing behaviour due to driver frustration. Guilty as charged.

Passing lanes in this area would certainly ease congestion and address safety concerns, particularly when more than 8,400 vehicles per day traverse this section of highway in the summer time. Of the 12 collisions reported, eight per cent involved the act of passing. Furthermore, 68 per cent of motorists’ time on this stretch of road is spent following other vehicles, with the average travel speed being 72 km/h.

The passing lane proposal includes wider shoulders to accommodate cyclists, a paved median in the center, rumble strips and roadside barriers as required.

The only outstanding concern left to address is the environmental impacts of the project. The expansion will no doubt affect the sensitive ecosystem (antelope brush and wildlife habitat) in the area. But the ministry plans to conduct a complete environmental assessment and mitigation plan to reduce the impact.

Unfortunately, once again, human encroachment is compromising our ecosystem . . . all because people want to drive faster to get where they want to go.