By Adam Donnelly

South Kamloops residents want Columbia Street traffic to slow down

Jul 15, 2016 | 1:29 PM

KAMLOOPS — Columbia Street is an important thoroughfare for Kamloops residents. It connects the east side of the city to the hospital, the downtown core, and the southwest. Now, some residents of South Kamloops, who live along Columbia Street are concerned about traffic on that section of roadway. They say Columbia Street is being used like a highway, and want the City to do something to slow traffic down for the safety of residents, pedestrians, and other drivers, and before someone gets hurt.

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Since he’s lived on the Corner of Columbia and 11th Avenue, Glenn Hilke says he’s seen 8 significant Motor Vehicle Incidents at the intersection outside his house.

“The most recent was just two days ago,” Hilke told CFJC Today.

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Hilke, along with other residents in the South Kamloops neighbourhood, are calling on the city to slow down the traffic along the Columbia Street corridor

“This is not a highway, any longer,” Hilke said. “If you want the highway, take the road that was built as a bypass to Columbia Street.”

Doug Prentice, who lives on Dominion, one block up from Glenn, says he’s concerned about the safety of those heading to Prince Charles Park.

 “With that park, it’s only a matter of time… before a disaster with a child happens at this icorner,” said Prentice.

The city is aware of concerns residents have about the traffic in the area, ant hanks to a study done by a private consultant they hired to look at the Columbia St corridor. Late last year they installed a pedestrian controlled crosswalk with flashing amber lights, as a result of that consultant’s report.

“…But that doesn’t seem to have stopped the complaints and concerns about accidents on that corner,” said Councillor Denis Walsh.

Walsh says the issue has come before council several times, and believes the city could do more to address the safety of pedestrians and motorists in the area.

“We need to do something before a serious accident happens,” Walsh said. “I think slowing down the traffic, either with bulb-outs, or even roundabouts, but we have to slow down that traffic, because it’s moving too fast though the neighbourhood.”

Hike wants the traffic on Columbia Street addressed as soon as possible.

“You don’t want to wait until somebody is dead, at this intersection, or any other intersection in this city before we realize this problem is real and it’s greater than we ever imagined.”