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No closures planned for Vancouver-Whistler road, 2010 Olympic organizers say |
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Written by Stephanie Levitz, THE CANADIAN PRESS
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Wednesday, 23 July 2008 |
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VANCOUVER - A sensitive debate over whether to close a major B.C. highway to non-Olympic traffic during the 2010 Games flared up Wednesday with the public disclosure, for the first time, that traffic on the route linking Vancouver and Whistler could be restricted.
Vancouver Olympic organizers went into damage control to contradict a city engineer's repeated statements to a crowd earlier Wednesday that highway closures were a definite possibility for the Games.
"We do not anticipate closures on the Sea-to-Sky highway at this point in our planning," Irene Kerr, vice-president of services and transportation for the Games, said in a e-mailed statement to The Canadian Press.
The Sea-to-Sky highway is the lifeline linking the Nordic venue city of Whistler, B.C., to Vancouver. It is also the road to a major B.C. Ferries terminal from Vancouver Island.
The idea of closing it hits a nerve with people in Whistler, as hundreds commute for work each day and rely on the highway for supplies.
Many have expressed frustration that organizers are taking so long to reveal transportation plans, saying they need to start figuring out to how run their businesses and lives during the Games, now just over 18 months away.
Vancouver organizers exert government-level control over the details of Games planning and Wednesday's rare slip by the engineer caught them off guard.
They have been holding community meetings with residents living near venues for weeks and consistently have said no transportation plans had been finalized.
But earlier on Wednesday, Jerry Dobrovolny,a transportation engineer with the city of Vancouver, told a group of Canadian and American leaders that the road will be closed to cars during peak travel times.
He later reiterated that point, saying restrictions would likely be required to help move Olympic traffic along.
But hours later, Dobrovolny recanted, saying he misspoke.
"Are cars going to be banned from the corridor? No, that wouldn't be workable," he said. "If there are any times it will be closed, it will be released as part of the plan."
A preliminary traffic plan is expected to be released this fall.
Whistler residents have long been fearful that they'll be cut off from the rest of the Lower Mainland during the Olympics, though they realize some kind of control on the highway will be necessary.
"The goal is to transport as many people to the venues, to the locations, to Whistler, back and forth between Whistler and Vancouver as possible and they're going to try and make it as easy and seamless as possible," said Louise Lundy, the president of Whistler's Chamber of Commerce.
"And sometimes the easiest way during most hectic times might be to restrict vehicles at certain times."
In her statement, Kerr said Olympic organizers will be focusing on using buses to move people around during the Games.
"In keeping with our sustainability commitments and managing traffic demand, we're focusing on park and rides and bus service for spectators travelling the Sea-to-Sky," the statement said.
"Once in Whistler, an enhanced public bus system will move spectators, visitors and residents throughout the community."
The number of buses on the road in the greater Vancouver area during the Games will be double the existing public transit fleet, Dobrovolny said, as Olympic organizers are planning to use motor coaches to ferry media, athletes and Olympic officials to and from venues.
"Typically, the bus service will be working early in the morning to get up and later in the evening, so those peak hours will probably be restricted," he had told a gathering earlier on Wednesday.
"They are looking at significant bus movements up the corridor."
Downtown road closures, limited or no access to public parking and a concerted effort to get traffic not related to the Games off the streets are also part of the transportation and security plans now being hammered out.
Dobrovolny said people will be encouraged to use public transit or walk between venues and pedestrian corridors are being planned.
Dobrovolny acknowledged that it's not possible to keep the Sea-to-Sky closed entirely to private traffic.
"It's not buses only because there's a lot of transportation challenges. There are residents who live there and commute," he said, adding that people who have accommodation in Whistler and families won't find it convenient to take the bus.
"There will still be car travel but it may not be free flowing."
Vancouverites hoping to cash in the Olympics by selling their driveways as parking spots will also be out of luck.
Dobrovolny said rules banning the practice will be enforced.
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Last Updated ( Sunday, 07 September 2008 )
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