Spencer road interchange

There has been a lot of discussion about the new interchange being built out in Langford at Spencer Road.

There are several issues that come to mind for myself:

1) Why is there so much concern about this location and this construction? The interchange is one of the two next ones that are most likely to be built in the Greater Victoria. Any work on the Malahat would expect to get rid of the light at Spencer road.

The forest area is one that is not of core importance to much. The lands have been harvested in the past and are highly impacted by the urban areas around it. It is also a move away from agricultural lands.

2) Did not the people of Langford elect this council? As far as I can see the public in Langford chose the current council knowing full well that they are a council that favours more development for Langford.

3) If sprawl is the issue, why are we not seeing opposition to all the building in Sooke or on the other side of the Malahat or out on the peninsula? Bear Mountain is a fairly dense housing development that is close to almost all the shopping needs people have. It would seem to be a good fit for the region. It is being built on lands that are not available for use for agriculture.

The interchange is also important to the Westhills development. The primary outlet for the development for people working in the city will be via the new access to the highway or via Sooke Lake road. The Sooke Lake road access will require a new interchange at that location as well and will need the Spencer Road interchange to keep the traffic flowing. The plans for Sooke Lake Road are already in the works as are the Langford Parkway and the Westshore Parkway. The access to Bear Mountain is the smallest of issues as far as I can see.

4) First Nations - why were they not consulted with? It seems as if the developer and the local government spent almost no time talking with the Sencoten or Songhees about the lands in question. Why did they go ahead with archaeological work without the full partnership of the First Nations?