Council to get update on safety concerns at Vernon intersection

Speed is a concern

Photo: Google Street View

At their regular meeting Monday, Vernon city council will get an update on a troublesome stretch of road.

The report will look at safety concerns at the intersection of 48th Avenue and Pleasant Valley Road.

“Administration collected data at this site and found that speeding is a concern,” the report says. “Speed limit signs were recently installed, which will be followed shortly by digital speed boards that display drivers’ operating speeds. This is a traffic calming method used to remind drivers of the speed limit and the actual speed they are going in an effort to slow traffic.”

There are additional traffic-calming and pedestrian-safety solutions that are being written into the new Transportation Plan as policies to address road safety more holistically across the city.

“As for the queuing concern at the Butcher Boys entrance, this is not an item that has previously been raised. The access location meets bylaw requirements, as it is more than 15 m from the intersection.” The report goes on to say, cars may “queue at this location due to pedestrians crossing on-site between the parking area and the front doors of the businesses” and is an on-site circulation concern that cannot be solved in the city’s road right-of-way.

“During busy shopping times, drivers can use the access at the back of the parking lot, which is further from the building entrances and less likely to cause queuing and turning issues.”