Two major intersections along Highway 97 in West Kelowna will soon be equipped with advanced green lights to make left turns easier.
In the next few months the arrows will be put in place at the Bartley Road intersection and the intersection of Gellatly and Gossett Roads by the municipality and the Ministry of Transportation.
Both locations are considered high crash sites.
The new lights are what is called protected left turns which means drivers can only turn left when the green arrow is flashing.
While the district’s mayor says the advanced green lights are necessary for public safety, he admits there will likely be an impact on travel time.
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“I do anticipate it will make a straight through commute from West Kelowna Kelowna a little longer,” said West Kelowna Mayor Doug Findlater.
Rush hour traffic has been backing up in West Kelowna since a left turn light was installed at the Westlake and Hudson road intersection.
The mayor adds, “I think we need to look at the timing of those lights, the synchronizing, also the amount of green time they provide to the highway.”
But the plans don’t stop there.
Findlater says the district will also be looking at the intersections at Ross Road and at Daimler by Constable Neil Bruce School.
It was just two months ago that a 46-year old woman was killed.
She was the passenger in a car turning left off the highway and onto Ross Road.
Findlater is making no apologies for what will be a slower commute once the advanced greens are in place, he says safety must come first.
“We may have to think a little differently, that this is more like Harvey Avenue. It’s a highway running through a city as opposed to it’s a high speed highway running through the city. I think that day’s going to come.”
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