Most everyone loves a shortcut.
I could have spent hours researching why this is so, but instead I took a shortcut of my own by asking ChatGPT4.o to explain: “Overall, the tendency to like shortcuts is deeply rooted in human psychology and biology,” it told me. “It’s driven by the brain’s need for efficiency, the evolutionary advantages of conserving energy and minimizing risk, the reward system’s preference for quick gratification, and the desire to reduce cognitive effort and stress. This natural inclination toward shortcuts has helped humans navigate complex environments and make decisions quickly, which remains valuable in many contexts today.”
It actually sounds like taking shortcuts is good for us.
And where in our daily lives do we seek and savour shortcuts?
Yes, lineups. We want to get through the queue quickly. Think Canucks games, border crossings, the B-Line, airport security, the supermarket express counter.
But there’s an ever bigger one: traffic. If we can find a way to get from point A to point B more swiftly than the conventional path directs us, almost all of us are all-in.
And another question: where on the North Shore is there a traffic choke-point at certain times of the day where a shortcut would relieve the anxiety of drivers?
The roads around Park Royal, of course.
The back-up on Taylor Way and the logjam on Marine Drive toward Lions Gate Bridge make us late, make us shake our heads, make us say things that rolled-up windows thankfully suppress.
Let’s put aside the hill coming down Taylor Way. Nothing’s going to help that, nor dissuade loads of people from doing what the traffic scholars call “blocking the box,” turning but not getting through the intersection before the light turns red, and preventing other vehicles from proceeding.
But that brings me to The Ramp. Avid drivers around Park Royal will know it.
As traffic returned after Labour Day to its normal, heavy level, for the first time in decades drivers could not craftily use The Ramp to save time instead of waiting and waiting to turn left on Marine to head up Taylor Way.
The Ramp is every shortcutter’s dream, mainly because its navigation is diabolical but entirely legal.
Step 1: pull into the south parking lot of Park Royal.
Step 2: drive up to the second level.
Step 3: use the bridge to pull into the north parking lot.
Step 4: drive east over another bridge and then down on to The Ramp to northbound Taylor Way.
Step 5: watch out, it’s a bit hazardous, but drive happily up the hill, waving and smiling at the gridlocked folks on the other side of the street.
A friend told me it can save 10 to 15 minutes in the afternoon crush, easily.
Some months ago, though, with no particular warning or evident incident, a barrier arrived and The Ramp was taken out of commission. No reason given. No sign of repair or maintenance.
A reasonable person might have thought it was just time for a little tender loving construction.
But ... nothing. And no notice to say what was keeping it closed or when it might reopen.
I reached out to the person everyone reaches out to for all the answers on Park Royal, and wondered why there are now concrete barriers around what has been a brilliant local time-saver.
Rick Amantea, the vice president of community partnerships and development at Park Royal, explains the closure on “concrete delamination.” I looked up delamination, without asking ChatGPT4.o. It’s when layers or pieces of concrete separate, often leaving pockets that can further deteriorate.
Fair enough, but I haven’t seen anyone around to work at getting The Ramp up and running. Months have passed. Traffic is back and The Ramp isn’t.
On this point, Amantea cites the raft of phases – no shortcuts permitted there – required to build back: design, engineering, and the like. The province’s ministry of transport and infrastructure is involved, as per usual, and it wants a traffic management plan “due to the work being done above the highway.”
In short, it’ll take time. How much, who knows. I don’t. Rick doesn’t.
Drivers, sorry, it’s back to the roads that were meant for us not to dodge, the derring-do of The Ramp. No time to reflect on how and why The Ramp was introduced in the first place. Time to drive. Thanks for the ever-distant memory.
Kirk LaPointe is a West Vancouver columnist with an extensive background in journalism. His column on North Shore issues runs biweekly.
