I live in an acceptably bucolic corner of the West Coast rainforest called the Sunshine Coast. I look out over Agamemnon Channel and live comfortably and well. Our community includes people of varying socio-economic means, but there are some things we all have in common; the infrastructure which supports our daily activities at all levels.
Now, to my mind, the primary role of provincial and regional government is to manage this infrastructure to the benefit of all its constituents. Transportation and communication form perhaps the most substantial part of this infrastructure, but its management seems to be of the lowest priority of our provincial government. One can speak of political vindictiveness on the part of our smug and narrow minded ruling elite, but that is not the bailiwick of this essay; rather I wish to outline a few concerns, and what might be (or should be) the consequences of inaction.
At the top of the peninsula one turns left from Highway 101 onto Egmont road. Approximately one kilometre later one drives high above Moccasin Bay, a steep drop into the salt water. Over the years, the road has slowly slumped toward the sea, and every few years, road crews slather additional asphalt on top of the receding roadway. Locals often cross themselves as they pass the 200 metre stretch at a high rate of speed, with hopes that there will not be a repeat of ‘M Creek’ and a deadly tumble into the briny.
Well,it seems to be analogous with the ‘big earthquake’ yet to come. We all think we are preparing for it but we have no idea when it will happen. One thing is certain: the issue is not IF the road will slide away, but WHEN. For those in the transportation ministry who doubt this, review your high school science texts (or Google it) and look up ‘hillside creep’. No, hillside creep does not refer to the dirty old man living up the hill from you but the (s)low gravity movement of rock and soil waste down a steep hillside. Also known as hillside creep. (McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright 2003)
Several times a week, many busloads of young people drive along this road to reach Malibu Landing to board ship for a week up the inlet to Camp Malibu, as well as locals, and the many tourists who frequent world famous Skookumchuck Rapids. The potential for tragedy on a large scale is ominously extant.
This missive is a statement of belief and a cautionary one at that; for when the road finally gives up the ghost there will arise questions of responsibility and perhaps legal culpability. If it comes to being assuaged by governmental reassurances, I prefer to believe my own eyes and experiences and professional advice from people I have grown to trust. It would be hard for the provincial government to deny responsibility for the inevitability of the road’s downfall, given that I am now going on public record and stating that once this happens certain of us will hold the appropriate agencies’ feet to the fire.