Dear Editor,
I’ve lived in Okotoks for over 25 years. Those of us who have been here that long have lived through countless water studies to justify whether we capped Okotoks’ population at 30,000. When Okotoks council decided to let the Walmarts, Home Depots and Costcos in, that ship sailed very quickly.
Let’s fast forward to today. I think most involved with travelling 32 Street would be appalled at knowing our council has no plans to twin it from the Best Western to 338 Avenue for another 10 to 20 years.
Here’s where the proactive comes in. With two new developments in the north end and two schools, and a third planned, along with a pickleball centre, baseball diamonds, soccer fields and a BMX facility, can you imagine merging in that 100-metre lane travelling north from the Best Western/Costco intersection?
Ten to 20 years is totally unacceptable. Being reactive and waiting for traffic to blow up in your face is not a compelling strategy.
I was contacted by a traffic engineer for the Town after filling out a survey. They said they can’t justify twinning 32 Street for a couple of busy times a day. I guess with that logic, they would’ve never built Deerfoot Trail back in 1980.
It’s more than a couple of times a day, let alone the steady stream of visitors and shoppers, sports tournaments using this artery on weekends. Has anyone ever taken a drive through Cochrane? What a disaster.
The Town had money left over from the initial 32 Street construction over the river. Why it didn’t do the second bridge crossings at that time is questionable. That money, I’m sure, has been used for some other pet project.
With an election coming up, it’s important to have the proper infrastructure in place to go along with all the great facilities that exist in Okotoks. Proactive and reactive, which one is more important for the growth of Okotoks?
This council can choose to bury its head in the sand or take the initiative before it’s too late, and 10 to 20 years is way too late. One doesn’t have to have an engineering degree to figure this out, just a degree in common sense.
I will be voting for the candidate who realizes the balance needed in road infrastructure.
Blair Cartwright
Okotoks
