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Does a loop road make sense?

Plan Z envisions a four-lane loop road through Crippen Park.

Plan Z envisions a four-lane loop road through Crippen Park. When a recommendation by councillor Tim Rhodes that council name choose plan Z as its desired solution was included in last Monday's council agenda, many islanders came out to speak about the loop road. They also expressed dismay about the lack of public process and staff consultation. Every seat in the council chambers was filled.

At the beginning of the meeting, councillor Tim Rhodes explained that no ferry marshalling plan has been chosen by council. He proposed to hold a public meeting on the subject on April 14.

Fitch Cady was one of the 13 islanders who had signed up to voice public comments. He urged council not to choose the loop road as the preferred option. He said. "A choice of one is not a choice." Cady brought along a photo of a painting by Ross Carter that shows Trunk Road with a green strip in the middle, north side angle parking and double lanes for ferry loading and offloading and used it to illustrate a ferry marshalling solution along the Trunk Road corridor.

Ellen Coburn spoke next. She said, "I think the number of people here today show us how important the issue is because the decision would have a big impact on Crippen Park." Coburn asked for an open public process and said, "I am aware that many people who voted against the national park did so because of concern for preserving and protecting parkland and not to put traffic through Crippen Park."

Jean Jamieson said, "I would like to state my opposition to plan Z that envisions a road of four lanes through a sensitive ecological area."

Aubin van Berckel thanked council for amending the original motion to include a public

hearing. She said, "All of you campaigned on a platform of trying to reach consensus. With that in mind, you should be working towards constructive solutions, what I see here is not based on best advice."

André Chollat drew attention to the fact that trucks and trailers require a minimum of 50 feet clearance and the sharp turns in option c would not pass the test of the highway planning department. Anne Franc de Ferrière-Chollat also pointed out flaws in the plan, for instance that it disregards the existing transport piping and septic field for the library. Will Husby expressed dismay that council was considering a proposal at this stage as he hasn't seen due process. He also posed a number of questions: "Why is council rejecting two years of the professional review that was done by James Tuer? And why would council choose a proposal by a non-professional?"

David Hill stated that he is an advocate for a different solution. "Council knows that there is a valid proposal for the ferry marshalling to be moved to the south side, freeing up Snug Cove for revitalization without ruining the north park or clogging the village," he said. "BC Ferries has indicated, despite the recent financial squeeze, that they can handle the financing and carry costs of implementing the south side option with a long term cost recovery."

Former mayor Bob Turner said, "Plan Z proposes a four-lane road through Crippen Park without presenting a substantive rationale and without staff review and reports. Is this transparent and accountable government?" Sue Ellen Fast said that she is part of the Bowen Heron Watch. "Coastal herons are blue-listed," she said. "This is mainly due to the loss of suitable nesting habitat." Fast explained that plan Z shows a road cutting straight through the nesting area. "There were only three nest sites active on Bowen Island last year, one at Deep Bay, a new one at Gailbraith Bay and the one at the old general store."

Rosemary Knight said that she found the fact that this resolution appeared on the agenda disturbing. "I am opposed to this road but even more opposed to the process by which it has been brought forward: a resolution like this, with no staff report, no public consultation, no public council discussion," she said.

Adam Holbrook is the chair of Bowen Island Municipal Ferry Advisory Committee. He explained that BC Ferries has told the committee that it would like to see two lanes for loading and two lanes for unloading. He added that BC Ferries operates on a cost recovery basis and whatever the corporation might spend [on improving ferry marshalling] will have to be paid for by the ferry ridership.

Rhodes apologized for writing "a clumsy original resolution." He said, "The current council was elected to affect change and that cannot happen without changes to the ferry marshalling. This plan will meet with opposition but council should make a decision based on its merit." Rhodes recommended that council receive plan Z and include it in a concept meant for public review and consultation.

Councillor Cro Lucas expressed agreement with many members of the public. "My concern is with the environment and the issue of big trucks and tractor trailers being able to navigate the road." He also said that he was in favour of Scheme C of the Tuer plan that included a version of the loop road. Councillor Alison Morse said that the plan Z is conceptual and right angle turns could be ironed out. She also recalled that the south side option was studied in 2003 and taken off the table because BC Ferries said that it works from an engineering perspective but it is not in the budget.

"The way this came about is seriously flawed," councillor Andrew Stone said. "There was a lack of due process but it was due to inexperience and an overwhelming urgency to get on with it." Stone apologized on council's behalf and added that he is not sold on plan Z. "My preference is to tread lightly on the land and I like the idea of a public forum where we look at all the plans calmly and rationally."

Mayor Jack Adelaar said that council is not trying to push through a concept without public consultation. He said that any development in the cove requires input from Metro Vancouver as well as private landowners. "From my discussions with landowners, I understand that they are willing to put money into a project as long as it works and as long as we are creating an inviting space when you come off the ferry," Adelaar said. "We realize that people are concerned about the environment, plants, trees and herons. But we also have to be concerned about people who are trying to make a living on the island."

Councillor Wolfgang Duntz said that he has been looking at ferry marshalling since 1981. He said, "That's when we started dreaming about Snug Cove as a village and I spent a fair bit of time on committees, task forces and groups trying to find the best solution." He said before judging different options, a set of criteria needs to be defined such as the speed of loading and unloading the ferry, environmental protection and a village core that is not dominated by ferry marshalling. He said, "For me, the value of a true village is at least as important as ferry marshalling and the environment." He added that council's decision will influence not only the ferry marshalling but also projects like the development of the community lands and the community centre. Addressing the members of the public, Duntz said, "You, by way of a poll or referendum, will have to make the decision. I don't want to be settled with 40 per cent of people being mad at me."