We can bet the photos of the Highway 99 slide are being studied by every country sending a team here for 2010. Try this. If the next winter Olympics were to be in the French Alps, and if the side of a mountain in France were to peel off and cover the highway with truck-sized boulders, BC folks would be bleating about the safety of our athletes and visitors.
If I were Gordo Carbo, I would pave the Duffy Lake Road and build the required bridges. Yep. Lots of money. But without a fully functional alternative highway, we look like idiots ploughing ahead on a one road plan.
VANOC has assured us that in the event of a slide. alternative air transportation will be found for athletes. Wonderful. So a family with 3rd degree burns could be stuck in Whistler, but the Luge team from Zimbabwe would have a chartered chopper at their disposal.
Remember, John Furlong's last job before being crowned as VANOC chief was as manager of the Arbutus Club. From Head waiter to Head Honcho of the Olympics.
As usual, BC has a competence problem.
4 comments:
Oh yes, we are the Best Place on Earth.
It really doesn't have much to do with the road to Whistler.
It has everything to do with the arrogance of thinking we are a world class city capable of holding an international event.
Let's turn the City upside down, go on a building frenzy.
In fact, why don't we put all the police out in the harbour on cruise ships and think they can get around easily. Oh, they are planning to do that! Silly me, I was just joking.
I think I will hide in my home during the Olympics.
If the inept folks (you know, the ones that don't pass Falcon's smell test) at Translink can manage a bus-bridge when SkyTrain frequently breaks down, why can't the Transportation ministry maintain a plan-B, such as emergency ferry service to Squamish from Horseshoe Bay.
Surely, when rock slides have happen and will happen on the route.
Certainly some sort of emergency service, using ferries, could be planned for?
Falcon has no plan-B; Campbell has no plan-B; VANOC has no plan-B. This rock slide has shown that Gordo and his pals have not thought two minutes into the future!
Remember also that CANADA is the host country...so Calgary has all the facilities very close by.
I think this is where the 'airlift' would come down.
Ah, Murdock I have been old by an IOC type the the city hosting the previous winter Olympic event is kept ready to host the event if the the present host city can't.
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