Political Horrors on 63

Smoky Lake Signal Article No. 220 (May 9, 2012) Whispering in the Wind In late March of this year MLA Rob Anderson viewed a major collision on Highway 2 that killed 4 and sent one to hospital in critical condition – the culprit (apparently uninjured) faces 14 charges including impaired driving causing death and failure to provide a breath test. Mr. Anderson opined his view on the crash: “We got to double, triple the check stops and if anybody kills people in a crash, they need to go to jail for a long time and not be able to drive, forever.” More recently, there was a horrific collision on Highway 63, killing 7 people – and generating an emotional uproar in Ft. McMurray and political chaos in Edmonton. Collision on Highway 63 – A Political “Hot Potato” or a “Bee’s Nest” The horrific collision on Highway 63 a week ago last Friday killed 7 people and has generated an emotional uproar in Ft. McMurray and elsewhere. The grief, anger and despair shown by the people of Ft. McMurray since the collision has definitely gained the attention of Premier Redford and the message from the grieved community is quite clear: We, the people of Ft. McMurray want Highway 63 twinned, and we want it twinned now! From my perspective, the political fallout from the collision on Highway 63 is going to be the first major test for the new Alison Redford government and also, in some ways the leader of the Official Opposition, Danielle Smith. In my mind what is clear, Albertans are going to see Premier Redford’s 3 year goals and one year budget estimates re-evaluated and re-addressed. The opposition parties and some well organized segments of the public in Ft. McMurray want the twinning of Highway 63 accelerated big time but have not offered any realistic opinion on the pace of development or a measure of just how much it will cost the Alberta Treasury. After some political fumbling on the part of Doug Horner just days after the accident, Premier Redford finally asked (late last week), the Department of Transport to review its priorities and see if the 63 twinning program could be moved forward at a faster pace. What I find unfortunate about the political “box” the Premier is in, the accident of two weeks back was a result of winter driving conditions and deadly, unsafe driving habits on the part of someone. In my view, the situation in Ft. McMurray is politically charged, so what has to happen first and foremost: the current road system has to be adequately and properly patrolled and the irresponsible speednicks, when caught, thrown into jail, their licenses suspended and those in violation of the speed laws, their vehicles immediately impounded – all that should be the first piece of legislation passed in the upcoming spring legislative session. The Department of Transportation can and must also do some things immediately like: putting up concrete barriers where appropriate; build more passing lanes and rest stop areas; put down more rumble strips; implement more effective regulation of wide load movements and yes, look at ways of twinning Highway 63 at a faster pace, at a pace that doesn’t compromise safety and the integrity of the final product. One further point for Premier Redford to consider: Grief and despair are formidable political forces that often cloud reality, where facts are ignored or just left off of the table. The Smoky Lake Connection, Highway 28 – For those that are claiming that Highway 63 is a “deadly” problem and the highway is just too busy for a two lane highway system, then those same people would have to include Highway 28 as being part of that same problem – after all Highway 28 is the traffic feed into 63 from Edmonton and from the east, through the Town of Smoky Lake. About a month ago I was driving up to St. Paul and encountered 5 wide-load convoys that I call spaghetti trees – for me, each encounter required that I slow down to pass the oncoming spaghetti trees, and I wondered about the frustration being experienced by the dozen vehicles trailing each of the wide-loads. I also wondered why these wide-load rigs and their pilot vehicles aren’t traveling at more appropriate times of the day or the night. Also, anyone traveling from Smoky Lake to Edmonton on a Friday or Sunday evening will invariably encounter major traffic flows coming from or going to Ft. McMurray. Yes, a realistic, safe, expanded transportation corridor has to be constructed between Ft. McMurray and Edmonton – for the government, don’t rush it because it is more than a “hot potato” its a “bee’s nest”.