Kelowna's Carmageddon

Photo: Trevor Rockliffe

Harvey the parking lot

People are furious! Kelowna became Gridlock City on Monday as Hwy. 97 became a parking lot and many side streets were plugged with traffic.

People tell castanet they were waiting for hours just to get to the start of the bridge at Harvey and Abbott.

@courtneyhaines tweeted it was Kelowna's Carmageddon, a take on the video game and the expected Los Angeles traffic jam in the summer. 

One person says they left the University of British Columbia, Okanagan around 4:30 p.m. and they did not get home until after 8 p.m.

Al Turner wrote, "Why are the Kelowna Police not out there directing traffic to stop the drivers from blocking the intersections? My wife left work (by the mall ) at 3 p.m. it is now 6:33 p.m. and she is still not home, we live in Glenrosa. From what I understand one of the reasons the traffic is so bad on Hwy 97 is because the vehicles coming on to Hwy 97 from the side streets are blocking the intersections, so the vehicles on Hwy 97 can't move."

Turner says his wife was at the same intersection for two hours and she did not move an inch. He says every time her light changed people from the side streets plugged the intersection.

"I like the comments the experts are making, 'DON'T DRIVE DURING THE BUSY TIMES'. What are people to do after work? Go to the mall! and wait until 6:00 and then drive home when there is more traffic."

B. Wood says, "This traffic jam is unacceptable. In the last half hour we've gone less than 10 car lengths.  Can you please give us an update?  Is there any further info on the progress of the repair?  Is there any police directing traffic?" 

RCMP were trying to block some of the side routes, but it was too late, the massive exodus out of Kelowna had already ground to a halt.

Click here to read the details of the partial collapse and the timeline to repair the damaged overpass.