Traffic on the North Shore ...... WTF ?

I only commute off the Shore a couple days every 6-8 months, once last week and again today. The difference between last week and this morning was shocking. I wonder if we'll see Seymour people go to Mtn Hwy to get onto Hwy? Either way it was sweet not crawling down the Cut at snails pace for 15 minutes.

Unlikely, there is still an onramp from the Loutit/Seymour/Keith/Fern overpass onto the Southbound lane.

Ah I thought that Fern access was now closed.

Shhhhh don't say it out loud - its like the dark-side trails... "nothing to see here".

Posted by: Taz123

Shhhhh don't say it out loud - its like the dark-side trails... "nothing to see here".

I think it has to stay open or Dollarton will turn into a parking lot and the north/south traffic on riverside and ellis/Plymouth will also explode.

Posted by: Kenny

Posted by: Taz123

Shhhhh don't say it out loud - its like the dark-side trails... "nothing to see here".

I think it has to stay open or Dollarton will turn into a parking lot and the north/south traffic on riverside and ellis/Plymouth will also explode.

Dollarton was a parking lot from the southbound on-ramp all the way up Dollarton and back up Riverside to Mt Seymour Pkwy. At 3pm.

Posted by: earleb

I only commute off the Shore a couple days every 6-8 months, once last week and again today. The difference between last week and this morning was shocking. I wonder if we'll see Seymour people go to Mtn Hwy to get onto Hwy? Either way it was sweet not crawling down the Cut at snails pace for 15 minutes.

I did that while the Fern access was closed to avoid the usual Dollarton mess, at 6:30 am southbound traffic was usually super quick. Glad to have Fern access back though

Posted by: craw

Dollarton was a parking lot from the southbound on-ramp all the way up Dollarton and back up Riverside to Mt Seymour Pkwy. At 3pm.

That's a taste of what life has been like from the west side for years.

Posted by: craw

Posted by: Kenny

Posted by: Taz123

Shhhhh don't say it out loud - its like the dark-side trails... "nothing to see here".

I think it has to stay open or Dollarton will turn into a parking lot and the north/south traffic on riverside and ellis/Plymouth will also explode.

Dollarton was a parking lot from the southbound on-ramp all the way up Dollarton and back up Riverside to Mt Seymour Pkwy. At 3pm.

There was a bridge accident at some point yesterday, don't know if that was before or after 3pm.

I used that onramp at 11:30am yesterday and got the new light structure.  I was curious how that system was going to pan out - I figured it would bugger up the west side traffic on Main more because of another light in the mix.

Posted by: Couch_Surfer

There was a bridge accident at some point yesterday, don't know if that was before or after 3pm.

I used that onramp at 11:30am yesterday and got the new light structure.  I was curious how that system was going to pan out - I figured it would bugger up the west side traffic on Main more because of another light in the mix.

Saw emergency vehicles at the north end of the eastbound entrance to the Cassiar on my commute home yesterday around 5:30.

Loved living in North Van from 1999 to 2009... traffic was pretty chill back then.  Usual commute delays on either side... but east/west travel across the Shore was a breeze.  Left to get away from the oncoming maw of people and congestion to Port Moody.  Really enjoyed Port Moody, but in 2015 we fully escaped the Metro Van  area  for the Island Life in Victoria.  Best two decisions of my life.  My now 20 min casual commute through lightly trafficked neighborhoods in Victoria is the stuff of dreams.  Not to mention the unpopulated riding zones are just s, so good... never-mind all the further afield stuff.  There's a reason why everyone's "shredd-its" are made in woods on the island.... no body gives a flying fuck, that's why.  

After moving to the island, at first it was like I had withdrawals from not listening to the traffic reports every morning... wasn't sure what to do with myself... listen to music??!  A podcast?!  WTF!!?  At least I was still able to get the Vancouver CBC radio station so that the traffic reports could rile up my nerves a little... whew... straight to the bloodstream...  Now I tune in every once in awhile, just for some warm and fuzzy nostalgic "STALLED VEHICLE IN THE LEFT LANE ON THE CUT" reports... gives me a pleasant little giggle.

So if anyone is Isle-curious, wants to enjoy the unique Olympic Mountains Rain Shadow and stop talking about traffic on a Mountain Bike website... let me know... have helped a few friends make the move... warning, once you move, complaining about the ferry traffic and prices to get back to the mainland is mandatory, it's all talk though, you can complain any time you like, but you can never leave.

Posted by: IslandLife

Loved living in North Van from 1999 to 2009... but in 2015 we fully escaped the Metro Van area for the Island Life in Victoria.

So if anyone is Isle-curious, wants to enjoy the unique Olympic Mountains Rain Shadow and stop talking about traffic on a Mountain Bike website... let me know.

I'm the opposite. Grew up in Victoria, cut my teeth on mtb in '99, and rode all over the South Island until I moved to N.Van in 2016. I've always had friends over here, and my eyes would bulge at all the crazy Sea-Sky riding every time I came to visit (also raced DH all over the province between '04-'08). Work in S.Van is what brought me here, but I didn't hesitate to settle on the Shore and I love living so close to the big 3 mountains (bikes and skis). One of the best things I love about the location is how quickly I can get North or East when it's road trip time, and the 10/10 riding is pretty much everywhere you go.

My commute is definitely tolerable, leaving home at 6am and leaving work at 3pm is just over an hour elapsed time. Probably the same if I were to live in Colwood and commute into Vic.

It's funny the things you appreciate less when you've become so accustomed to them, and the things that are super high-value when you're not. I'd also add that the cost of living is close to being on par in both metro areas, so that's a bit of a saw-off.

Traffic getting out of Victoria on a weekday is horrendous.  Best trails/access in the world = North Shore.

Posted by: craw

Dollarton was a parking lot from the southbound on-ramp all the way up Dollarton and back up Riverside to Mt Seymour Pkwy. At 3pm.

Tons of people complaining about this and the clog show on Main street on a few media pages on FB the past few days. I'd guess once people get used to the lights things will move a bit smoother. I think part of the problem is that after waiting a while people get subdued into going nowhere so when they actually get the light they don't hit the gas and are leaving huge gaps between cars so not as many cars are getting through on the green light as they should. It's kind of funny listening to all the people complaining about the "shitty" engineering job on this project when they seem to forget there are only two E/W routes and two rivers, a freeway and a number of N/S streets to get across. It's not like there are a lot of options. The priority was improving traffic flow on the freeway and that seems to have worked. I think the one thing that would have helped a ton for southbound traffic onto the bridge would have been adding an onramp at Fern. Probably the worst part of it all though is the light at Mtn Hwy and Keith, that thing takes forever.