ROTHENBURGER — Bridge cam is fun, but of little use

COLUMN — With a couple of exceptions, the much-anticipated traffic snafu at Overlanders Bridge has turned out to be a non-event.

(Please do note: the correct name of the bridge is Overlanders, not Overlander — the bridge is named for a group of gold seekers who traveled from Fort Garry over the Rockies and down the North Thompson River to Kamloops in 1862.)

The only major problem came Monday, and that was caused by an accident way over at the Halston Road-Yellowhead interchange that caught those trying to detour around the Overlanders work by surprise and backed up traffic all the way to the bypass.

Generally, though, traffic has been flowing through the work zone without a problem. One of the reasons is the feeling of comraderie among drivers. Almost everyone is being careful and oh-so-polite. A few Neanderthals are still speeding through the go-slow zones but most are stepping up to the challenge with an “after you, Gaston” attitude at merge points.

The flaggers have one of the less stimulating jobs on the face of the Earth — for the most part, it seems their function is to stand perfectly still holding a Slow sign. It would be cheaper and easier to just set down the signs by the side of the road, but I suppose a human face helps emphasize the need for caution. Maybe a little song and dance would help.

The bridge cam is a passing novelty. It was fun for the first day or two but who needs it? You can check out what’s going on at the bridge from four different angles, which is cool technology, but if somebody could tell me what it’s actually good for aside from momentary entertainment I’d appreciate it. It’s not going to change anybody’s mind about crossing the bridge.

Neither are the new Halston Bridge cameras promised by Transportation Minister Todd Stone on Friday. Stone tweeted that his ministry will install web cams at the Halston Bridge and Highway 5-Halston intersection so people can check out the traffic there.

The cameras, which will supplement the City’s bridge cam at Overlanders, are a priority, he says. Like the bridge cam, the additions will be the subject of curiosity for a couple of days before everyone starts ignoring them.

My commute to town is about 35 minutes. If I allow an extra few minutes at either bridge, I’m good to go. Sure, I could check out the bridge cams before I leave, but by the time I got there the entire situation would have changed anyway, and it’s not much different for someone with a five- or 10-minute commute.

As for the City’s #kammute initiative, that, too, is just good for a bit of fun. It’s informative in its own way, but not exactly news you can use. Sure, good to know there’s a pot hole on the offramp from Eighth Street onto Halston (thank you, @kamscan) or that someone took his or her bicycle to work this morning, but not a game changer.

No, the value of all this hype and technology isn’t that it gets you there any faster; it’s that it creates a feeling we’re all in it together and we may as well get what little entertainment we can out of it. When work starts on the Columbia Street widening project in a few weeks, we’re going to need it.

Oh, yeah, and if this inspires you to check out the bridge cam, click here.

Mel Rothenburger’s email is armchairmayor@gmail.com. He tweets @MelRothenburger and is on Facebook.com/mrothenburger.7.