Since the May 3 closure of SW Marine Drive from Granville Street to Camosun Street, vehicular traffic diverting through the Vancouver neighbourhoods has increased enormously. As I sit at my computer typing this, our previously quiet West 39th Avenue is an endless stream of cars and trucks racing to get through, sometimes going through stop signs, honking their horns in annoyance and forming long lines at West Boulevard to try and turn left or right. The noise is continuous from 5:30 am to about 10:30 pm.
When we first moved here about two years ago, you would see a car every few minutes and it was a quiet pleasant neighbourhood. What a change! And this is in addition to the huge garbage, recycling and organic waste trucks that are going through the streets and lanes - three for each apartment building each week, and of course each building has collection on a different day making these trucks a constant daily force on each street.
When walking in Kerrisdale Village along West 41st and East and West Boulevards to shop in our local neighbourhood stores, the insane noise from huge cement trucks, double length dump trucks, tractor trucks, double length articulated buses all of which have been diverted along 41st Avenue is absolutely overwhelming. Those merchants who leave their front doors open have told me the noise is endless all day long. I have occasionally seen truck drivers make rude signs at whoever is watching when they are inconvenienced by red lights for pedestrians or by other cars who happen to be in an intersection when the truck driver wants to get through. White walking along West 41st from West Boulevard to Yew Street (one block) which takes about 5 minutes, I counted 5 buses and 8 huge trucks.
Of course vehicles are trying to get where they are going fast and when they see long lines on main streets, they divert onto the side streets. I understand this, but I hope they realize what effect this has on neighbourhoods. I am feeling pessimistic that this will ever change. After work on SW Marine drive finishes, there will always be other street closures for major construction impacting our lives.
I can only imagine how dreadful it must be in the Marpole area where getting through 70th & Granville Streets is reportedly a nightmare. And Burrard Street and the Bridge! I won't go anywhere near it. Given that new rapid transit routes are years away from being operational, is there any solution to this chaos? It is making life miserable for many people. Summer of construction hell!
