Here is what the Raven Project says about transportation:
What they don’t say:
B-Train Coal Truck at Sparwood BC in early September 2010. Thank you Dennis
#1: According to official BC Ministry of Transportation data, 3 “B-Train” trucks per hour 24/7/365 represents anywhere between a 250%-1250% increase in that class of truck on Highway 19 north of Qualicum and a 15% increase in truck traffic overall (BC Gov. E&N Freight analysis). See following page for unofficial Highway 4 stats.
#2: 3 trucks per hour represents *one way* traffic. These trucks will of course be making their way back to the mine so one must consider both directions (6 trucks an hour) will be affected and double the congestion and emissions will actually occur.
#3: 3 trucks an hour represents a new lower estimate of trucks and annual production (0.7-1.1 million tonne a year). At the originally estimated 1.5 million tonnes of coal exported a year, the truck count would rise to closer to 5 trucks an hour, or one entering and exiting every 10-12 minutes, 365 days a year (see animation).
#4: The majority of the route through Port Alberni itself will be on municipal roads which are already under extreme pressure from existing truck traffic and are already rutted and require nearly annual maintenance at rising expense to a City already struggling to maintain its tax base. B-Trains would actually distribute their weight better than most trucks, but the sheer volume would still cause rutting of the roadways. Maintenance of Redford St., including grinding and paving, costs $60,000 per block.
#5: Alternative truck route options, such as the unbuilt “Haggard’s Highway” Horne Lake Connector, or the use of private forest company roads near Mt. Arrowsmith or Comox Lake have many problems themselves, such as high cost ($40 Million for Horne Lake in 2007), or lack of provincial oversight. And none of them address the major problems of increased traffic through their entire routes nor the increase in CO2 emissions and smog or public safety.
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