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Behest of the West: Don’t fear a ferry, fear being trapped

A car ferry wouldn’t just benefit them, it would be good for us too.
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Highway 4’s traffic was halted in both directions for roughly 24 hours last week as commuters were blocked on both sides of a crashed fuel truck near Hydro Hill. (Photo - Andrew Bailey)

Worry kicks in eventually.

We all feel immortal until we don’t. It’s innate and the universe lets us come to it heuristically.

Those who aren’t here yet, can’t understand those who are. And those who’ve arrived, can’t remember what’s it like to not be here.

Neither side abides to the tune of the other.

A fuel truck flipped over on Thursday, locking some of us in and some of us out.

The immortals likely basked in the small reprieve the closure allowed. It’s tourist season after all. The worriers, as their team name suggests, panicked.

There are worse things to be than stuck in paradise; it’s not as if we were trapped in Nanaimo as we watched DriveBC’s estimates get pushed back later and later before finally conceding that our highway would be closed all night.

Still though, the sound of a key locking on the other side of the door is terrifying no matter how awesome the room you’re in is. As blissful as these surroundings we’re blessed to call home are, there’s stuff we need on the outside. Supplies and services not offered here are available there so we need to venture out from time to time. The ability to function past the junction isn’t necessarily paramount to thriving out here, but it’s necessary when it’s needed.

Emergencies happen.

Immortals won’t get this, but the mind of every worrier on this Coast ran straight to the land of worst case scenarios where their kids need out-of-town treatment everyday and everyone’s in ambulances scooting over Sutton Pass.

Whether you needed the highway that minute or not, if you’re a worrier, you worried. It was only 24 hours, but fear didn’t come to a close when the road reopened. It happened, and it’s happened twice now in the past six months. It’ll happen again. There’s only one way in and out and, when that artery clogs, the system shuts down.

I’m nestled firmly into the worried camp’s tent and I’m never going to leave.

I was in Victoria when December’s sink hole opened, blocking me from my kids. My daughters, my dog and I were on the right side of Sutton when the fuel truck flipped, but my son was stuck on the other end after an apparently terribly timed trip to his grandparents’. My beloved dog Sandy had a doctor’s appointment in Victoria Friday afternoon and it wasn’t a routine check up. Every minute that road stayed closed was painful and each one of DriveBC’s pushed back timelines twisted the knife.

We live in small communities and that means we all know someone who was stuck on either side. We live in caring communities and that means we empathized. Hearts broke. None of those broken hearts bled any love for this paradise.

Seeking alternative routes is not a ‘Big City’ mentality. Small town folk are allowed to fear being trapped, even when they’re trapped in the most beautiful setting this world has ever known.

A car ferry from Alberni to Ukee would be tourist-inducing. We’re wary of that because we heard all spring that our marketing success has us bursting at the seams. Housing has disappeared and we’ve blamed the same industry we blame for our lack of parking, congested roadways and steep sandwich prices. Their big city wallets outweigh our own and they’re investing where we’re trying to survive.

It’s as understandable as it is misguided to fear the ferry service Lady Rose Marine is proposing.

We need it. We could clamour for highway upgrades and hold our breath until that road somehow gets normalized, or we could support a car ferry that would bring more wallets our way and, more importantly, ease the minds of our local worriers who would have another route to take if they needed it.

That highway can’t be trusted and your toddler toting neighbours need an alternate way out of here without leaving their car behind.

Plus, at least some of our treasured and appreciated guests who ignore every pullout and slow to a crawl at every corner just to speed up on each straightaway would take it, which would leave more highway for us, when it’s open.

A car ferry wouldn’t just benefit them, it would be good for us too.



Andrew Bailey

About the Author: Andrew Bailey

I arrived at the Westerly News as a reporter and photographer in January 2012.
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