CITY OF VERNON'S TRANSPORTATION PLAN 2008

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
VERNON & DISTRICTS TAXPAYERS' ASSOCIATION
February 5, 2008

CITY OF VERNON'S TRANSPORTATION PLAN 2008

Vernon City council is allowing City Administration, WITHOUT real input from the general public, to ram through a bypass of Vernon which will cost over $600 million. Administration's Transportation Plan focuses on a western bypass and ignores vital issues.

It's business as usual with four 'open houses' in February to ram through a proposal that will be finalized in early March. These open houses will be an attempt to sell the Administration's favoured option. All the alternatives have not been put on the table. Staff are putting the pressure on citizens, in a tight time frame, to answer surveys that require a great deal of reading and consideration with a marked bias in favour of the western bypass. There will be NO REAL PUBLIC INPUT. It will be business as usual just as with the Civic Complex issue.

The western bypass as outlined is a development corridor. The Ministry of Transporation and the Provincial Agricultural Land Commission are on record as NOT endorsing the current western bypass proposal. This is a City of Vernon initiative. Truckers contacted are highly critical of such a bypass and will not use it due to the increased length and additional grades.

The Vernon & Districts Taxpayers' Association demands that Vernon Council--STOP. They must make available to the the public ALL the information and they must hold public hearings followed by a referendum.

We demand public hearings that will address ALL the options.
We call on Council and Administration to cease and desist immediately.
We call on Council to rein in Administration from imposing projects on citizens without the support of the taxpayers.
There must be real public consultations in this process and an appropriate length of time for this process to be concluded satisfactorily.

Contact:
Jane Weixl 545-4915 or 938-1297
Vernon & Districts Taxpayers' Association