KAMLOOPS — WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE worst crosswalk?
I have a couple.
The one on Columbia Street just outside the Broadcast Centre is one. It’s not hard to miss the flashing lights or the pedestrians crossing to the median.
The crosswalk on Eighth Street at the Dairy Queen is another. Pedestrians need to be at the top of their game.
Neither of them is on the immediate-action wish list under budgeting consideration. Engineering staff have identified 39 of the city’s 390 marked crosswalks as in need of upgrading to meet new national standards. The report isn’t light reading but criteria include things like accident rates, visibility and traffic volume.
Of the 39, eight on Westsyde Road top of the list, along with one at Summit ‘Drive and Freshfield Road. The presence of the Westsyde crosswalks — the one at Rue Chez Nous is Number One — as priorities makes sense due to speeding and high accident rates.
Tranquille Road and Summit Drive also figure prominently on the list.
Upgrades will involve a smorgasbord of signage, flashing lights and full traffic signals. Some crosswalks might be eliminated. The dual purposes, of course, are to reduce accidents and liability.
Assuming the work is approved, construction won’t begin until 2022 and the fix won’t be fast — 10 years at a cost of $6.5 million.
McGill Road, the subject of recent concern, is a separate discussion. Another pedestrian issue is long overdue for resolution, and that’s the situation on the Summit Connector at Thompson Rivers University.
Students continue to risk their lives crossing the connector between Upper College Heights and TRU, a hop, skip and a jump from a marked crosswalk. Watching it is just scary. The answer is simple and relatively economical — a fence.
Build it now.
I’m Mel Rothenburger, the Armchair Mayor.
Mel Rothenburger is a former mayor of Kamloops and newspaper editor. He writes five commentaries a week for 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.
Editor’s Note: This opinion piece reflects the views of its author, and does not necessarily represent the views of CFJC Today or the Jim Pattison Broadcast Group.
