Trisha Shanks
Arrow Lakes News
The B.C. Government is seeking planning input from the public for the next ten years in transportation. There is a live survey on the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure website that runs until 4:00 p.m. on December 12 (engage.gov.bc.ca/transportationplan).
According to the website, “Input gathered from this public engagement and from stakeholder meetings will be considered as government develops the new 10-year plan. The plan will be posted here in early 2015, and will set out a series of short, medium and longer-term priorities for government.”
As of press time, the site had more than 26,000 visits and almost 7000 completed surveys. The anonymous survey takes less than ten minutes and offers multiple choice questions as well as an opportunity to write specific short answers in the comments section. For those not internet-savvy, there is a booklet available for free at the Village office, with a tear-out survey that can be completed by hand.
Some readers may be interested to know that the Ministry visited Nakusp in October and presented several municipality representatives with information about the ten-year transportation plan, wherein the possibility of a fixed link between Nakusp and Revelstoke was touched on.
Mayor Karen Hamling said, “The fixed link was brought up but they were saying that they just don’t have that kind of money to spend because there is so much in the province that has to be done.”
Hamling mentioned additional issues such as improvements to the Monashee pass and structural concerns including drainage on the highways.
“There used to be a lot more culverts and they took them out when they were doing upgrades to the roads,” she said.
Ministry of Transportation also deals with airports. The Nakusp airport is only regulated for private use.
“You can’t bring in scheduled types of flights without a lot more infrastructure and the expense of making those improvements,” Hamling said.
“I think it’s important for people to let the ministry know what they are thinking and what they would like to see done, otherwise we will miss the boat,” she concluded.