ROTHENBURGER: Please, let’s do away with the ridiculous Summit overpass idea

An obvious, economical answer is a fence down the middle of that section of Summit to prevent pedestrians from crossing where they shouldn’t. The fence idea has been around for a couple of decades and would cost pennies compared to an overpass which, by the way, was estimated at $2 million 10 years ago.

Since a fence makes too much sense, City staff have come up with other rationales for spending $10 million, such as the growth in traffic volume on Summit, the expansion of housing at the College Heights/ East Village dorm area, and “a growing interest in active transportation.”

It would, says a staff report, become “a landmark structure for those entering the Downtown or North Kamloops via Summit Drive.”

A landmark structure would be nice, if there was even an iota of a need for it. Since council appears more attracted to the possibility of federal money than to paying for the whole thing with local money, the best-case scenario would be for the feds to reject any involvement. Then maybe council would build the fence and forget the overpass idea once and for all.

I’m Mel Rothenburger, the Armchair Mayor.

Mel Rothenburger is a former mayor of Kamloops and a retired newspaper editor. He is a regular contributor to CFJC Today, publishes the ArmchairMayor.ca opinion website, and is a director on the Thompson-Nicola Regional District board. He can be reached at mrothenburger@armchairmayor.ca.

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Editor’s Note: This opinion piece reflects the views of its author and does not necessarily represent the views of CFJC Today or Pattison Media.

by Mel Rothenburger

ROTHENBURGER: Please, let’s do away with the ridiculous Summit overpass idea

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