Top 10 election takeaways
'Build, baby, build'
Questions swirl for NDP
Voter turnout hit 68%
Falling short in Ontario
A short-lived government?
Trump marks 100 days
Billions for deportations
A new fighter jet mission
Industry strikes hopeful tone
Trump to help automakers
Estimating the impact 
Could Rose be reinstated?
Vees playoff series schedule
Vees heading to finals
Housewives reboot unlikely
Ramsay struggles fame
Alba 'wants to feel loved'
After reading about the City of Vernon spending $5 million on the PV/39 Avenue roundabout, I question the infrastructure priorities.
I thought the four-way stop improved the safety of that intersection and I wonder if that $5 million could be better spent on the goat trail called Eastside Road.
Eastside Road leads to six distinct parks and lake accesses that are wonderful trophies for the city. The problem is taking one's life into one’s hands for a simple excursion.
The dilemma is the city wants developers to fund the improvements and the entrepreneurs are balking at the cost. It’s a classic catch-22. In the meantime, every user is at risk.
No bike lane for a premier destination bike park or five beaches from Harbour Heights south makes the city liable for an unsafe route. Ellison Park is an international must-see for campers. I can only imagine the RVers’ conversation on the drive out, wondering if they'll make the next corner or plunge into the lake avoiding a cyclist.
On the plus side, campers can pick up some roadkill for their grill. If only pot (holes) were outlawed again. My friend Larry is worried about landslides. If a busload of kids crashes, well, expect to see me at the next council meeting.
The other beautiful drive around our jewel, Tronson Road, had a substantial upgrade more than 10 years ago. It has the highest property assessment in the city, as well as the preferred city contractor at the end of the road. It was quite a technical project with the rock faces and sewer (done twice) and completed as well as could be expected. Good on them.
The amount of money frittered away on Eastside Road’s seal coating, pot hole (repair) and refurbishing a few hundred yards of roadbed above Smith Road, on top of $5 million for a simple intersection, could go a long ways to actually fixing a serious hazard.
I have had the privilege to live on both roads and don't particularly want to be inconvenienced, nor do my neighbours advocate for more development out here.
The road is flat out dangerous and a liability. The solution is for Vernon to put the whole road to Ellison out for bid and have any future developers post DCCs for their section
Jay Langton, Vernon
