Bogus Comments On New Bridge

It is becoming obvious that all the discussion surrounding the traffic changes to accommodate the new bridge are bogus and are really just about preparing downtown Kelowna for further development. It is also obvious that when you squeeze five lanes of traffic into two (three lanes on S97 plus traffic from Abbott S&N) and then hold it up with a poorly timed light at Westside Road, you are going to have problems. North bound traffic is about the same, with two fast moving lanes on N97 plus traffic from Boucherie and Westside Rd squeezing down to one or two lanes and then being held up by slow moving downtown traffic is also a problem.

Having more lanes open all the time on the bridge will help, but not much. Having a second bridge is the most obvious and best solution because it would distribute traffic to more areas, quicker, but that's for the future. Getting traffic to clear once it crosses the bridge in either direction is the short term one. A light at Campbell won’t help North bound 97 so an overpass is the obvious solution and goes without saying for Westside Road.

Clearing traffic coming into Kelowna from the south requires more and longer left turning lanes to downtown, as well as quicker access to Springfield and to KLO. Direct access to Cadder from the bridge would be the best. Traffic could then flow on to Richter and Gordon to get to KLO. Obviously there would be much resistance to this. Going thru Lake to Pandosy to Cadder is even worse.

Longer turning lanes south at Pandosy and Richter and two lanes on the rest of Richter would help only if Richter goes over or under Hwy. 97 which is probably what we will end up with. It would be nice to do it at Burtch but it is probably too far out to help traffic coming from the bridge and going south as well as traffic coming from the mission to downtown. Two turning lanes at Spall going West would also help clear traffic further down 97.

Needless to say, city council has to make some tough decisions and not everyone will agree or be happy. But a decision will have to be made nonetheless. Such is the life of a growing city. Don’t wait too long.

W.C.