Some residents along Westside Road are speaking out about the condition of the road, and the ongoing development along it.
It was once deemed one of the most dangerous roads in the province, and while some sections of roadway have seen improvements to the overall safety and traffic flow over the last several years, some residents say it’s still not enough.
“It’s very dangerous,” described Upper Fintry resident, Dave Dailly.
“Many people have died on this road, there’s numerous accidents every year, there’s crosses all over — it’s about time something has to be done with it.”
Dailly says his main concern is the development in the area — large trucks and heavy machinery on the road has made it even more difficult to navigate, especially in areas where the road narrows.
“A bigger dump truck or a wide load is coming through, and there’s no room for anybody to go,” explained Dailly.
“You’re forced to stop, and hopefully the driver can make it through, but they’ve got no room on the other side either.”
Several Upper Fintry residents met up on Friday morning, to express their frustration at what they describe as a lack of roadwork and neglect for overall safety. Long-time resident Barry Robinson was among the group – he’s had to rescue several people from their vehicles after going over the embankment towards Okanagan Lake in recent years.
“A girl came around the corner, her front tire caught the soft shoulder and over she went,” said Barry Robinson.
“She went down at least 100 feet, but if it wasn’t for a tree stopping her car, she would have continued to drop another 200 feet to the lake.”
The seven residents who all came out to voice their concerns told Global News they have all reached out to their local MLA’s and to the company responsible for maintaining the roads, but they feel like the problem is being pushed to the curb.
“We’re getting more and more residents along the Westside Road, and yet they have no plans for any kinds of repairs to the road, so I’m not sure what we’re supposed to do,” said Robinson.”
“Something has to change.”
Global News reached out to AIM Roads, the company that maintains Westside Road, but did not receive a response in time for publication.