After much debate, Vernon city council has decided to scrap the plan for a western highway bypass. The route was seen as a way to reduce traffic congestion 40 to 50 years from now, but council voted 3-2 on Monday to no longer protect the land for it. Mayor Wayne Lippert cast the deciding vote, concerned about residents along the route. "As soon as you put that protection in, you sterilize that property so any property owner down there does not have the opportunity for any benefit, for any development, to sell it or anything else. It kills it." Lippert was also concerned about the lack of any committment to theproject from the BC government which would provide the funding of the estimated $400 million project. Lippert says other options like the eastern bypass can be looked at for the future. Councillors Patrick Nicol and Pat Cochrane were also against the bypass, while councillors Barry Beardsell and Juliette Cunningham were in favour.
After the meeting, Beardsell was frustrated with council's decision. "I cannot believe some of the lack of logic and the excuses given, especially by the mayor as far as (suggesting) an eastern bypass and compensation (to the home owners along the route). It was getting away from the real issue of whether there should be a corridor should be preserved. "They were lame duck excuses. Not worthy of a mayor" Beardsell argued during the meeting that once the protection is removed, it's gone forever and leave no future options. He says without it, Vernon could turn into as he called it "a disaster like Kelowna." Councillor Buffy Baumbrough excused herself from the debate due to a conflict (her family owns land along the proposed route). Councillor Jack Gilroy left the council meeting partway through for a doctor's appointment and did not return.
3 comments:
Worst decision made by council, they just keep racking them up.
They must not drive in Vernon to see how bad the traffic is, there needs to be a bypass to get the highway traffic out of town, one-ways and widening 32 street are stop gap measures and the issue will be revisited in 5 years or less. What a bunch of dolts.
"Bunch of dolts" is a very mild description of this council. It is very interesting to note that senior staff were in firm agreement with preservation of the corridor-however,this time we heard nothing from Gous (the administrator)-but we certainly heard enough from him in the past supporting the infamous Civic Complex referendum. Why does the media or this blog site not question how he could support one thing and make no comment on the preservation of the bypass? Can you obtain the answer?
cool news
The ONLY bypass solution is through Westside road
A true bypass
Not a developer's bypass!
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