by Dave Preston
Peachland will offer to pay the cost of installing traffic lights at the Clements Crescent intersection pending an agreement that the province will pay the cost back over time.
The Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (MOTI) told district staff earlier this month that its budget for traffic lights is used up for the time being. MOTI representatives said it would consider installing lights at the Peachland Centre Mall intersection if the district would up front the cost so that MOTI could pay the district back in the future.
CAO Elsie Lemke told council Tuesday that when MOTI was approached in February of 2009, a suggestion was made that left hand turns at the Clements/Hwy. 97 intersection could be restricted. MOTI was told at the time that idea wouldn’t be good for Peachland.
Lemke said she has had experience with the current MOTI proposal when she worked in Osoyoos. That town paid for traffic lights to be installed and had an agreement with MOTI for pay back. She said MOTI paid the town within two years.
Coun. Peter Schierbeck said he was in favour of expediting the installation of traffic lights at the intersection.
“For many years, this and prior councils have been trying to influence MOTI to put a traffic signal there,” said Coun. Terry Condon.
Coun. Charlette Broadoway noted it is difficult for people to turn left from Clements Crescent onto the highway when there are semi-trailers parked in front of the mall.
MOTI told staff earlier this month that the approximate cost of installing traffic lights at the intersection would be about $300,000 and that the district would have to pay one third the cost.
Council agreed to ask MOTI to proceed with detailed design work and a cost estimate for a traffic signal for Clements Crescent and Hwy. 97, and to ask MOTI to prepare an agreement whereby the district will pay up front the total cost and MOTI will reimburse two thirds of the project total in the future.
MOTI has indicated it will take three to four months to get design drawings and a cost estimate prepared.
- Excited
- Informed
- Amused
- Bored
- Sad
- Angry
I am very pleased that at least something is being done to save lives accessing Hwy 97. I do have to wonder though what happened to the planning of the frontage road from Clements to Ponderosa with the light being installed at 13th. Must we wait until someone dies making a left turn from Ponderosa for the change to be effected? I hope that the approved design of the light at Clements takes a lot less time than the design approval for the access to the Ponderosa Golf Club. Cudos to Council for making this decision at least.
Re Sanity’s post of early this morning (the 19th).
Although it would be nice to believe that all all our comments and PeachlandNews.com has been influential in swaying MOTI, I really believe that the truth is quite simply that MOTI makes decisions based purely on traffic accident statistics. And now that we have had the required death (after a number of other earlier near accidents or comparatively minor accidents not being sufficient), we now qualify for lights at the Clements Street corner.
It would seem to be as simple as that: lights are put in place AFTER death(s) have occurred and NOT before when the lights might have prevented deaths! Pathetic isn’t it?
Political will….
Well done Council for making a decision!
In my opinion, the correct decision; but what is important is that Council took ownership of this matter.
I can’t help but think that PeachlandNews.com (through their allowing comments) was instrumental in showing Council that this was a situation about which there was great interest.
Sanity?
(With great respect to Mayor Quimby’s question: I expect that the Mayor and Council is now aware that the first answer given them by bureaucrats is often not the only solution. In future, I expect this same level of inquiry, diligence, and follow-through from our Local Government. ) S?
“For many years, this and prior councils have been trying to influence MOTI to put a traffic signal there,” said Coun. Terry Condon.
It just took one more death and to much public pressure to get done. I would think that this proposal had been on the table before this. Our CAO has even done this before, I guess the real question is why wasn’t this done years ago? This has always been an option?
They didn’t know they could get most of the money back now ski is the limit.
How much is someones life worth? Now we know.
It would be nice to have this done before summer when the turn becomes nearly impossible at times.
Good news!