VERNON – Critics of a controversial proposal for the intersection of Highway 97 and Stickle Road, north of Vernon, may be getting their wish.
MLA Eric Foster has been quoted in the Vernon Morning Star saying the original plan, which proposed to block left turns off of Stickle Road, has been shelved and will not be used.
Many who live and work in the area have complained that the intersection is unsafe.
“We tell our customers and our employees don’t go that way because it is so dangerous,” says Pat Loehndorf, general manager of Bannister Honda.
George Zimmerman, who can see the intersection from his home, says it is not uncommon for him to hear close calls.
“I hear screeching of tires, blowing of horns and then I wait for the bang,” he says. “I don’t hear a bang so I figure there is another lucky one that got away without having a serious accident.”
The province doesn’t deny there are safety problems.
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“This intersection has safety issues. The ratio of the collisions and the severity is quite a bit higher than provincial benchmarks,” said Rampaul Dulay with the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure in April.
At the end of April the province held an open house to discuss upgrades aimed at improving safety and mobility, but a proposal to block left turns off of Stickle Road was widely criticized by nearby businesses and residents. Some of those critics are welcoming Foster’s comments, but many who live and work in the area believe what is really needed to make the intersection safer is a traffic light.
“Anything less than a light at Stickle Road will be a failure,” says Loehndorf. “It is not just businesses, it is everybody that lives in that area, they want a safe route and an easy route to get in and out, so we will keep going hard to make sure that a light gets in there.”
But the ministry argues putting a signal light on a highway where the speed limit is 90 km/h could create its own issues.
“People think that a signal is a solution everywhere along the highway but a signal is a better solution for the city where the speed is close to 70 or less,” said Dulay.
A ministry spokesperson was unable to confirm Foster’s statement.
“The Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure is moving forward with planned improvements to the intersection of Highway 97 and Stickle Road,” wrote the spokesperson in a statement. “We are considering community feedback and are looking to incorporate suggested changes into our plans as we move forward.”
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