Peachland traffic bypass decision bypassed for now

An important decision regarding how traffic will move through a small Okanagan community has been pushed down the road.

Residents of Peachland have been waiting for five years for a formal decision about a preferred bypass option for their community.

The Highway 97 Peachland Transportation Study has been looking into the best way to move traffic through the town of 5,000 since 2015.

Unfortunately, residents already exhausted waiting for the discussion will have to continue to wait to find out what exactly will be done.

During Tuesday’s regular council meeting, the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure told Peachland council that because the existing route won’t reach capacity until 2040, any decision about a new route is off the table for now.

“What they came and said is, more or less, that they are not making a decision and that was really disappointing,” Peachland Mayor Cindy Fortin told Gobal News on Thursday.

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The decision the ministry did make was to open an online portal where residents can fill out forms with their thoughts on what should be done

But by failing to make a decision, the ministry made Fortin feel frustrated.

“Whether you support the bypass or you are a resident that supports a widening in line, it was just a real let down,” said Fortin.

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One downtown business owner, Tim Stubbert said “I’ve been here for 30 years and it’s been a discussion for as long as I can remember it.

“As far as I’m concerned, it could happen tomorrow.”

For now, at least, the ministry said it will focus on improving Highway 97 through Peachland.