Waiting on the inevitable fatality at Highway 19A and Columbia is wrong.
Left turns are high-risk leaving Columbia Beach, as five-minute waits become more common awaiting a gap in two-way traffic. Frustration leading to taking chances are now the norm as the new subdivision traffic everywhere overloads 19A and we have no other exit south.
Block the straight over lane from Sunrise to Columbia, convert the left turn lane into Sunrise into to an exit/blend lane from Columbia to 19A south. Egress to Qualicum for Sandpiper residents is already there with the light at Johnson Road and the route to Parksville remains unchanged.
This high-risk area can’t be ignored any longer. It’s been done leaving San Pariel and Highway 4 and Bellevue, so where is the problem? No need for more traffic lights or roundabouts along 19A is it’s already a snail’s crawl.
Al Dewey
Columbia Beach