Fender-benders on the W.R. Bennett bridge cause unnecessarily long traffic delays throughout much of West Kelowna, a city councillor says.听
More thought should be given to clearing up minor accident scenes so many thousands of people aren鈥檛 stuck in tailbacks, Coun. Garrett Millsap says.
鈥淥ne little accident can disable our road network,鈥 Millsap said at this week鈥檚 council meeting.听
A current updating of the city鈥檚 transportation master plan should look at ways to ensure quicker travel times on Highway 97 and prevent the kind of traffic jams that routinely develop after relatively minor accidents along the corridor, Millsap suggested.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 the essence of our community - we鈥檙e basically held hostage by Highway 97,鈥 he said. 鈥淯ntil the provincial government fixes Highway 97, a rear-ender on the bridge affects an entire community.鈥
The Ministry of Transportation and Highways has jurisdiction over Highway 97, which is by far the busiest road in West Kelowna. About 66,000 vehicles a day cross the bridge, according to ministry statistics.听
Previous transportation surveys have shown many West Kelowna residents routinely travel into Kelowna not just for work, but for shopping, recreation, and various appointments. For example, 57 per cent of all driving trips that begin in West Kelowna are to destinations outside that city, the most common destination by far being Kelowna.听
A three-vehicle smash in which no one reported being seriously injured caused the closure of both Kelowna-bound bridge lanes on the morning of May 22, 2018 for 100 minutes. As a result, a drive to work which normally took about half an hour stretched past three hours for many drivers.听
The closure was necessary to allow for police to properly investigate the听crash, police said.听
鈥淭he RCMP do appreciate the public鈥檚 patience and understanding, especially those motorists who are impacted when the traffic flow of our roadways are affected by collisions,鈥 Kelowna RCMP said at the time.听
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