|
Toll Information
and more....
| |
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The Cobequid Pass: Another View
In the March/April edition of this magazine, Debert-area community
activist Janet Maybee wrote an "Opinion" piece dealing with the
privately owned Cobequid Pass toll highway. Here, Wentworth resident Dianne
Powell takes exception to a number of the points Ms. Maybee raised in her
article.
Dear Editor:
It seems that some issues can never be put to rest. More than two years
after the opening of the Cobequid Pass, those who opposed it from 1992
onward seem to prefer to live in the past and continue to whine about the
route choice of the four-lane highway instead of looking ahead and being
positive about the possibilities for community development.
The same old stories and arguments that were made by most of the opponents
who gave presentations in Great Village in 1992 were trotted out once again
in Ms. Maybee's article. One particularly irritating argument the
weather conditions that force road closures was harped on yet again. It
seems that the Pass opponents only see the weather on the 45 kilometres of
the Pass. They fail to notice that the weather which forces Pass closures
invariably also closes the Tantramar Marsh section of the highway, and
frequently Route 102 beside Truro.
The most important point of the entire article is tucked inconspicuously
into a paragraph, making it almost unnoticeable. That is that "there
have been no fatal accidents
" This highway is safer. Safety was the
reason behind the construction of the four-lane route. Opponents tend to
overlook the fact that there have been no fatal accidents in more than two
years compared to 50 fatalities in the last ten years that the Trans-Canada
went through the Wentworth Valley, giving that beautiful area of Nova
Scotia the unfortunate label of "Death Valley," which,
mercifully, is no longer in use. We should be celebrating, not complaining,
and we should thank the good judgement shown by the RCMP in closing roads
when conditions are so severe. A few hours wait is a small price to pay for
safe travel.
Kathy Redmond echoes the feelings of practically every Wentworth resident
being able to wake up in the morning to hear the birds singing. No more
continuous rumble of eighteen-wheelers and all manner of traffic 24 hours a
day. Instead, a safe road for local residents, quiet classrooms in the
school, and children who can bike or walk to work along the road without
fearing for life and limb.
Most people realize that the Irvings do not maintain businesses that are
not profitable. The closure of the Lady Wentworth was indeed an economic
blow to the community, but it was an inevitable one even if the
opponents' favoured Tatamagouche route had been built. The Glenholme Loop
has good signage and the Masstown Market is booming: is there some problem
with this? If a Visitor Information Centre is built on land generously
donated by a community-minded Eric Jennings someone who has been
involved in the highway discussions from the start that would appear to
be a huge benefit to the entire area to Glenholme, Great Village, all
of western Colchester County, Parrsboro, Wentworth, and the North Shore
area. Councillor Gerald Langille makes a point that all the communities on
Route 4, and on Route 6 along the North Shore (the Sunrise Trail), have
been concerned about the lack of adequate signage. This is an issue
that must be and is being addressed. Perhaps more forceful voices on the
Community Liaison Committee during route construction would have resulted
in at least some signage for the Wentworth-North Shore area.
It does seem rather unfair that the Westchester Volunteer Fire Department
must bear the burden of responding to all the calls on the Pass. Perhaps
something could be worked out with the Great Village and Collingwood
Departments for sharing responsibilities. But, did the Wentworth Fire
Department receive any remuneration during all the years they attended to
accidents and emergencies when Route 104 passed through Wentworth?
Bully for the folks of Tatamagouche I am sure that in the long run they
will find the information highway infinitely superior to the "four
lanes of pavement" they were denied. But it is hard to be sympathetic
when they complain about having been denied a highway that would have run
near Tatamagouche: they only entered the highway debate at the last minute
and then fought to have a road that would have been eleven kilometres
longer than the Cobequid Pass. It is time now for people to accept that the
Cobequid Pass exists. Places like Wentworth can now re-discover the sense
of community that had been difficult to maintain while the TransCanada was
running right through it.
There is now a concerted effort among North Shore communities to develop
our tourism potential. In 1998, the Cumberland Regional Economic
Development Association helped fund a Tourism Development Study that
examined strengths and possibilities for the communities of Tidnish,
Pugwash, Wallace, Malagash, and Wentworth. Very positive and constructive
ideas have come from this study, and these communities are working toward
significant future development. These places have chosen to accept the
challenges of the future and are ambitiously seeking to develop their area
in ways that suit both the individual communities and the larger area. A
four-lane highway does not figure in these developments. We cannot change
the past, but we can influence the future in very positive, constructive
ways.
The Cobequid Pass is a fine highway doing exactly what it was intended to
move volumes of traffic efficiently and safely. The communities most
affected by the highway are looking forward to, and working positively
toward, future development. Let's all do that.
Dianne Powell
Wentworth, N.S.
==== end quote
For More Information Contact:
Highway 104 Western Alignment Corporation
1969 Upper Water Street, Suite 1905, Halifax NS B3J 3R7
Tel: 902-422-6764
FAX: 902-422-6764
Internet:
info@highway104.ns.ca
| |
|
Highway 104 Western Alignment Corporation