East Hill plan draws a crowd

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

East Hill residents are demanding that their safety become a priority. About 100 people crammed into city hall Thursday, and while opinions varied on plans for a roundabout at Pleasant Valley Road and closing Suicide Hill, the common theme was slowing traffic down and making it easier for pedestrians to navigate the residential area. “One day, someone’s child will be hit by a vehicle,” said resident Laurie-Anne Salvino of current problems with speed. City staff is proposing to install a roundabout at 32nd Avenue and Pleasant Valley Road and closing off the section of 30th Avenue commonly known as Suicide Hill. Many speakers, though, expressed concern that closing Suicide Hill would force traffic on to side streets. “We have so much traffic going on 26th Street already. It’s at capacity,” said resident Hope Ritchie.That was also the view of Chris Cooper.

“If you block Suicide Hill, everything will go over to 32nd Avenue,” she said. Others indicated that 30th Avenue is the easiest way for them to get home from other parts of the city. “Gas is going up in price and you want me to drive further to go to my home,” said Margaret Heater. However, others insisted that something must be done with Suicide Hill, especially with vehicles going beyond the posted 30-kilometre-an-hour limit. “It’s common to see it doubled and tripled, and it’s common to see motorcycles get 50 feet of air,” said Keith Anderson. Many pedestrians expressed fear about walking across the top of Suicide Hill because of vehicles coming up. “They’re always burning their tires on the hill,” said Dan Stark. Andrea Thorburn called for pedestrian safety to be included in any changes. “We need to make sure there are proper walking routes first,” she said. Many demanded that speed limits be enforced.

“The problem isn’t the road. The problem is it’s not being policed,” said Larry Guenther.The concept of a roundabout at Pleasant Valley Road and 32nd Avenue also fostered a lot of debate. “A traffic circle (downtown) has been an abysmal failure in our community. It’s a bird-brained idea,” said Gary Delgarno. Most speakers didn’t contest the need to make improvements at the intersection to reduce accidents. They just don’t want a roundabout. “The problem will be solved with a proper red-green stop light,” said Fred Hartley.

City staff, though, did receive some praise for the plans being considered.“The engineers have done something that will reduce traffic and increase sidewalks,” said Marta Green. Input from the meeting will now be considered by city staff and council before a final decision is made.“Nothing is written in stone and these are just proposals,” said Mayor Wayne Lippert.