Bypass remains on agenda

By Richard Rolke - Vernon Morning Star - May 25, 2008

A controversial transportation plan continues to generate divisions. After months of behind-the-scenes work and public consultation, city staff will present its proposed transportation plan to Vernon council Monday. “The plan we are sending to council will fundamentally address transportation options in the community,” said Kim Flick, manager of planning and building. While the document deals with a number of issues, much of the public focus has been on preserving the corridor for a western bypass through the Mission Hill, Okanagan Landing and Bella Vista areas. Jane Weixl, with the Western Corridor Impact Assessment Committee, isn’t surprised that the bypass is still staff’s preferred option. “They haven’t veered from it,” said Weixl, who is concerned that such a route will have a negative impact on neighborhoods, farm land and the environment. “Everywhere in the world is going away from more roads. If we are going there any how, why not do it now instead of wasting green space and agricultural land?”

But others are standing firmly behind staff’s recommendation. “I am pleased they are keeping the possibility of a bypass open,” said James Love, with the Western Bypass Now Committee. But Love believes the new route is needed sooner than later because traffic congestion is negatively impacting many areas such as downtown. “If we are going to have a vibrant downtown, we need to get much of the heavy traffic out so people can live down there,” he said. The western bypass is part of a 25-plus year strategy, and a recent survey indicated that 266 respondents were opposed to the bypass, while 237 were in favour and 58 preferred other options. “The consultation numbers were close,” said Flick, adding that based on public input, the proposed route has been shifted to preserve larger parcels of land. Flick defends the need for preserving a corridor, especially if driving habits don’t evolve. “Our street network, even with the changes proposed in the report, will fail when we reach a population of 67,000 (if traffic habits stay the same). We could reach that population in 40 or 50 years,” she said. Flick is also quick to point out that a bypass will not occur over night. “This (plan) isn’t about building a bypass. This is about protecting a corridor for the future and for such time as is needed,” she said, adding that construction would also depend on provincial funding being available.

Other parts of the proposed plan include a 10-year strategy that emphasizes alternate modes of transportation such as bike paths, walking trails and transit. “It includes preliminary budget allocations for those items,” said Flick. The 10-to-25-year strategy also calls for alternate forms of transportation, as well as extending 27th Street to Highway 97, near the army camp.
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Don Quixote Note: This suggested corridor protection of the western bypass has caused concern that the mere drawing of it on official documents will sterilize the land contained in its ultimate boundaries and reduce values to the property owners. The previous Council that passed the last OCP addressed this problem by attempting to find a way within Provincial legislation that would give property tax exemption relief to the affected Corridor properties. This would provide some mitigating relief for these owners. These efforts to find a way to provide this relief should be restated within the resolution and efforts should be made to find the correct solution.

Also left out of this plan is the true Westshore bypass along the West side of Okanagan Lake. If the Western Bypass Corridor is being shown to give protection to a possible route that may never happen if traffic patterns moderate etc. then the same acknowledgment that the Westside Bypass is a possible future solution must also be included in our OCP.