B.C. Ferries can’t solve Malahat jams

Re: “Malahat was closed; ferries were full,” letter, Aug. 23.

I returned home from the annual meeting of the chairs of the B.C. Ferry Advisory Committees to find a letter asking why B.C. Ferries doesn’t solve the problem created by accidents on the Malahat.

As the chair of the Brentwood Bay/Mill Bay advisory committee, I’ve been asked this many times. It’s not possible. The Malahat sees 22,000 cars a day. If Ferries built the largest ferry terminal in the province somewhere on the Peninsula, and an equally large one somewhere on the other side of Saanich Inlet, and put its four largest ferries on the route, running flat out, non-stop, all day long, they wouldn’t be able to carry all the Malahat traffic.

But I’ll tell you what would solve the problem. Tell the police to stop shutting down the Malahat for several hours every time there’s an accident. What good does all that investigation do?

There are only two possible positive outcomes from their investigations: The Malahat becomes safe, or the miscreants get punished, thereby causing others to drive more safely.

The first hasn’t happened. We know what has to be done: Divide the road with barriers, or bring back speed cameras. All the investigation they’ve done hasn’t caused either one to happen.

As to the second, headlines saying: “Driver gets 10-year sentence for Malahat tragedy” might get others to be more careful.

So what good are all those hours of highway closure?

B.C. Ferries can’t solve this problem. Stop asking.

Ian Cameron Brentwood Bay