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So, it has come to this. After 51 years of delays, stalls and failed negotiations, Calgary is still without the complete ring road that is so crucial to its transportation network.
The shocking failure of the Tsuu T`ina Nation to endorse the vital southwest link of the Calgary ring road is the latest chapter in a five-decade circus of NIMBYism and politics. Calgarians deserve better. The ring road must, and will, be built. The question now is where and when.
Without a renegotiated deal with the Tsuu T`ina, there are two options left, both contentious and expensive-- the 37th Street route either under or over the Weaselhead natural area, or upgrading 14th Street to Deerfoot-level status.
Brent Johner knows as much about the ring road than anyone in this city. As past president of the Weaselhead Protection Society, he`s been near the centre of the issue for more than 10 years, running unsuccessfully for city council in a 2000 byelection.
On Wednesday, his perspective on the failed Tsuu T`ina deal was one of reasoned logic, and hope. He`s not a fan of crossing the Weaselhead natural area, but realizes without a Tsuu T`ina deal, it may be inevitable. Properly managing that route through an area that supplies one-fifth of Calgarians with their drinking water will be expensive and take years.
In the short-term, Johner says the most effective solution is to upgrade 14th Street S. W. as a downtown commuter route--a contentious option for community residents--coupled with an upgrading of Highways 22 and 22X as a truck-route bypass.
Ken Oakes, the Weaselhead Protection Society`s current president, says the province should continue negotiating with the Tsuu T`ina and that the city should pursue the 14th Street option immediately.
"My understanding is that they (the tribe) did not reject the concept entirely, just certain details," said Oakes.
Read the full article here.
The shocking failure of the Tsuu T`ina Nation to endorse the vital southwest link of the Calgary ring road is the latest chapter in a five-decade circus of NIMBYism and politics. Calgarians deserve better. The ring road must, and will, be built. The question now is where and when.
Without a renegotiated deal with the Tsuu T`ina, there are two options left, both contentious and expensive-- the 37th Street route either under or over the Weaselhead natural area, or upgrading 14th Street to Deerfoot-level status.
Brent Johner knows as much about the ring road than anyone in this city. As past president of the Weaselhead Protection Society, he`s been near the centre of the issue for more than 10 years, running unsuccessfully for city council in a 2000 byelection.
On Wednesday, his perspective on the failed Tsuu T`ina deal was one of reasoned logic, and hope. He`s not a fan of crossing the Weaselhead natural area, but realizes without a Tsuu T`ina deal, it may be inevitable. Properly managing that route through an area that supplies one-fifth of Calgarians with their drinking water will be expensive and take years.
In the short-term, Johner says the most effective solution is to upgrade 14th Street S. W. as a downtown commuter route--a contentious option for community residents--coupled with an upgrading of Highways 22 and 22X as a truck-route bypass.
Ken Oakes, the Weaselhead Protection Society`s current president, says the province should continue negotiating with the Tsuu T`ina and that the city should pursue the 14th Street option immediately.
"My understanding is that they (the tribe) did not reject the concept entirely, just certain details," said Oakes.
Read the full article here.
