Highway lines

[hockey dude]

Joe public i am a strong NDP supporter. But i do agree with what you say . The next government is in a pickle. Unfortunatly if its NDP and they raise the tax for anyone they will be called out on it thats politics.

[dirtguy]

In a couple months the regulations on what paint they are allowed to use changes,the new stuff will wear off even quicker but will be better for the environment,could always switch to thermo plastic at 500X the cost

[Joe Public]

hockey dude..

I agree and the liberals are already posturing that way, like they know they don't have a hope. Perhaps it's their scorched earth policy so that when they return in a decade, they can once again rattle on about the poor performance of the NDP. You can probably look forward to the Liberals selling off whatever they can in the next year to their friends...

I would assume that the NDP will be smart enough to conduct a commission into the state of the province soon after being elected so they can target all the issues and scandals that the liberals have committed in their reign of terror. It isn't going to be pretty.

[Rwede]

Regardless of what political stripe you wear, the next party that forms a government will be forced to raise taxes to support the province. If it is another Liberal government, you can be assured that personal taxes will go up far more than corporate taxes and if it is an NDP government, you can be assured that corporate taxes will go up far more than personal taxes.

Really? The Liberals lowered personal income taxes by close to 40% to be the second lowest in Canada. The NDP raised personal income taxes to be the highest of any province in Canada. And you actually think the NDP will be easier on your wallet than the Liberals? How misguided you are!

[hockey dude]

RWEDE Your not listening NDP will have no choice but to raise the tax. After the liberals had so many years to give , no hand this province to there friends, and sell all its resources off for pennies on the dollar. When you have some time google BC rail , google SNC LAVALIN google any ministry . transportation , health, education , forestry,and read. educate yourself then come talk. :hailjo:

[Popeye69]

Wow another political rant thread.

[Popeye69]

In a couple months the regulations on what paint they are allowed to use changes,the new stuff will wear off even quicker but will be better for the environment,could always switch to thermo plastic at 500X the cost

Ya its too funny. Lets save the environment the devastation of long lasting road paint, now we'll get that diesel truck towing the paint machine out three times as much and with the crew to run it getting nice O/T just to get the triple work load done that switching to "safe" road paint brings..
Good trade off. I wish the tree huggers could see the forest thru the trees. When you really scratch around most "green" initiatives end up polluting and cause more problems than what there trying to prevent.

[nepal]

Highway lines at the box canyon on hwy 97 and hwy 3 at Manning Park, are nonexistent. These areas are extremely dangerous at night with no lines and even more dangerous at night when raining. It can be nearly impossible to determine the lanes sometimes. What are they using for paint, the cheapest watercolors! WASHINGTON STATE MOUNTAIN PASSES HAVE EXCELLENT MARKINGS.

[John500]

This is a safety issue. As the previous contributer posted, going into Washington State, all roads and highways are marked clearly with reflecting paint, reflecting markers on both sides and reflecting markers in the pavement lanes dividing lines. The moment you cross the border into BC, espcially at night, you drive into one big black hole. The bottom line, budget over safety.

[Glacier]

It has very little to do with money. In Washington State they also use water based paints. HOWEVER, they do not salt their roads - salt is a killer on roadways. Not just because of its corrosive nature, but also it causes freezing and melting all winter long breaks up pavement and paint.

Additionally, BC roads (like hwy 3) are extremely windy compared to other industrialzed jurisdictions like Washington State, so cars drive over the centerlines all year long. This is the number one killer of road lines.

On top of all this, we live in a northern nation where plow and sand trucks are more frequent, which also scratches off paint.

There are two solutions. One is to use expensive thermosplastic inlaid lines. Some busy sections of roadway like highway 6 from Aberdeen Dr. to Ricardo has been "painted" with thermoplastic inlaid striping. This is the only type of road line that can handle repeated tyre traffic.

The second solution is to do away with lines all together, but this is not a viable solution for high traffic highways.

P.S. Ironically, the two highways in BC that aren't salted (112 km of Hwy 20 and 562 km of hwy 37) don't have painted lines.

[zzontar]

Last year in Kelowna they painted over the majority of broken white lines just prior to intersections so people were not allowed to cross before turning right. One year later many of these intersections look like they have a broken line again as the new paint has pretty well faded, leaving the old paint that's been there for years and years. Surely cheaping out on paint has got to be more expensive in the long run.

[westbanker]

I just got back from a trip to the Kootenays, the highways are rivaling a medieval road. These roads and highways have never ever EVER looked so bad (going back 30yrs). Free enterprise have failed them, ultimately US and our wallets. In a time where the population has never been larger, why is there no money for the primary mode of transportation of people, goods & services? The math doesn't add up, none of these roads have been twinned or re-pioneered, it's just maintainence costs drawn from a larger pool.

i'd rather have my tax dollars going back to an internal gov highways repair dept, as clearly the for profit buisness model proves there is a profit to be made that should be going back into the roads. (and no i'm not NDP)

[Joe Public]

Regardless of your political affiliation, over the past 10 years, the BC Liberals have reduced maintenance standards to the point that it has become a safety hazard. This is true for highway maintenance, hospital cleaning, health care, environmental protection, seniors care, education and just about every issue that government is responsible for. It isn't a matter for debate of right vs left, as you can see evidence in each of these cases. If you want to debate whether that is sound judgement, good fiscal management, or political posturing to keep the corporate tax rate down, start another thread.

This thread is about highway safety and the reduced standards of line painting that we all see and are concerned about. If you agree that the lines require improved maintenance, then call the MOT, your MLA, and the Premier to complain.

[Rwede]

Regardless of your political affiliation, over the past 10 years, the BC Liberals have reduced maintenance standards to the point that it has become a safety hazard.

Do you have comparative standards to validate your claim, or is this just hearsay in your lunchroom?

[Logitack]

once again, private business that has won the road maintenance contract cheaps out on paint products to meet the bottom line at the expense of road safety. liberals obviously do not care about road safety.