Richard Rolke - Vernon Morning Star Published: February 09, 2010 7:00 PM
Action is being taken to keep vehicles from colliding into homes in an East Hill neighbourhood. The City of Vernon is moving ahead with plans to reconstruct 24th Avenue at 23rd Street, largely because of ongoing safety concerns. “We recognize the issues of that intersection,” said Rob Dickinson, engineering manager. “It’s a big ashphalt jungle there.” On Jan. 31, a truck crashed into the front of a home shortly before 3 a.m.A piece of concrete was dislodged inside the home and caused considerable damage to the rear of the structure. The home was also hit by a vehicle in 1978, and another vehicle missed the residence by six inches a couple of years ago.
Coun. Bob Spiers, who lives nearby, isn’t surprised by the most recent accident. “A lot of guys like to race down that street because it’s so wide,” he said, adding that there is a need for traffic calming. One of the challenges with 23th Street is it ultimately narrows. “I’m sure we could come up with some method such as a median to make the transition into a smaller road better,” said Spiers. Coun. Shawn Lee also wants changes made there. “The house is a target when someone is out of control,” said Lee, who used to live in the neighbourhood. Among the possible improvements is a realignment on 23rd Street so traffic has to slow down when it’s turning on to 24th Avenue.
“A sidewalk would also give pedestrians somewhere to go and a refuge from vehicles,” said Dickinson.The project will go out for design in about three weeks and construction could begin in August.
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