PENTICTON — Lakeside Road is a popular route between Penticton and Okanagan Falls, but drivers also describe it as a windy and narrow one. So far this month, there’s been at least three accidents on the road — one of them fatal, prompting those who live in the area to call for more action to discourage dangerous speeders.
“It’s so dangerous walking along the road,” says resident Christine Bade, who often takes her dog on walks. “People just cut the corner; they don’t give you enough room…they are all driving so fast.”
Bade would like to see more speed watches done in the area.
Another resident, Kieran McIntosh, would like to see the road widened or speed bumps added.
“Just the other day there was another accident just up here. I don’t know if that one was caused by excessive speed, but it’s just a narrow road with blind corners, and yeah, people speed down it,” he says.
The more serious crash, a head-on collison, claimed the life of a 67-year-old Penticton man on October 9.
RCMP are still conducting their investigation and a cause has not yet been determined, but police say motorists driving dangerously fast has been a common issue.
“The biggest concern we have out there is people are involved in speed-related accidents. They just get too fast for the conditions,” says Rick Dellebuur, a spokesperson for Penticton RCMP.
Penticton Mayor Andrew Jakubeit says after the investigation is complete, he is interested in learning if any safety measures will be recommended.
But he says there are other intersections in the city that have a higher accident rate than Lakeside Road.
There was another accident on October 16, where a 17-year-old driver went off the road and into Skaha Lake. He received minor injures.
Police believe the teenager may have been impaired at the time. The case is still under investigation.
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