It's a slightly longer route but it will prove to be quicker because of the absence of traffic lights.
That was the line from Victoria when grumpy Tsawwassenites complained the shiny new South Fraser Perimeter Road would actually hinder, not help, their daily commute. I wasn't convinced a solitary signal light was enough to offset extending the route between Tsawwassen and the George Massey Tunnel by three kilometres, but I figured there was no better way to find out than drive it myself.
I conscripted my 15-year-old son and we set off, stopwatch and notepad in hand, on a Sunday morning to drive both routes to determine which one is the quicker option. I can now say the province was right - about it being a longer drive. As far as it being faster, well, I didn't find that to be true. In fact, it was just the opposite as I made better time on the old highway.
I drove from the south end of the tunnel to the lights at 56th Street, and then back again, using both Highway 17 (the South Fraser Perimeter Road) and Highway 17A (the old route). It's about 12 kilometres on the SFPR and it took me a little over eight minutes to traverse it each way. Using the old highway dropped the distance to about nine kilometres and cut my time to a hair under seven minutes. It should be noted I waited at the light at Ladner Trunk Road in both directions on Highway 17A, a roughly 30-second inconvenience that was included in the overall times.
At the end of our little experiment, I asked my son what he thought of the results. He answered the question with a question of his own: "Why would you take the new highway when it takes longer than the old one?" I had to laugh, although I suspect those in Tsawwassen who are expected to use the Perimeter Road on a daily basis wouldn't find such analysis terribly funny.
Not only is it longer in time and distance, but even accessing the billion-dollar SFPR could prove problematic during the afternoon rush. On southbound Highway 99, where five lanes merge into two immediately south of the tunnel, it creates a parking lot just before the exit for the new highway. I can't see many drivers sitting in that congestion when they could get off at 17A and avoid it.
The SFPR could be more attractive northbound given 17A has been reduced to one lane at the Highway 99 cloverleaf, but when traffic volume is not an issue, Tsawwassen drivers heading to and from the tunnel are likely better off sticking with what they know.
