Peachland bypass panned

By Wayne Moore - CASTANET Jun 10, 2016 / 1:35 pm

Peachland residents are being ask to weigh in on proposals to improve the Highway 97 corridor through the municipality. A public open house will be held at the Peachland Community Centre Tuesday, June 21, from 4:30 p.m. until 8 p.m. Over the past six months, the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure has been meeting with local stakeholders, collecting and analyzing data in order to get a better handle on current, and future conditions of the corridor. The province is now ready to share that information with the public. The ministry is looking for public input on those findings to help examine future improvement options. According to information released by the province, input and feedback will continue to "guide the ministry," to help identify and assess possible short, medium and long-term solutions. One option is an alternative Highway 97 alignment which would allow motorists to bypass the municipality. The bypass would come out near the foot of the Okanagan Connector. The open house is part of a two-year study announced by the ministry in December.

Highway safety addressed

http://www.castanet.net/edition/news-story-158896-11-.htm#158896
(Results at 7:00 AM Friday

Does Peachland need a Highway 97 bypass?

Total Votes:  3189
Yes	72.72%
No	20.76%
Not sure	6.52%

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Wayne Moore -CASTANET  Feb 18, 2016 / 3:56 pm
Changes could be coming to Highway 97 through Peachland following a second fatality in just 12 days. On Monday, a 33-year-old Sicamous man was killed in a head-on collision near Brent Road. On Feb. 3, a 47-year-old woman died from injuries suffered in a head-on crash near Buchanan Road, past Drought Hill. Since June of last year, four people have been killed in crashes on Highway 97 in and around Peachland. That's four too many for Mayor Cindy Fortin, who has spoken with the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure to see if something can be done. "They are going to look at making safety improvements along that stretch, and if there is anything they can do in the interim, they will do that as soon as possible," said Fortin. "What and when, I don't know. I just hope they take a serious look at it. It certainly got their attention (Monday) with this latest accident." While she doesn't profess to be an engineer, Fortin had a few suggestions that could improve safety. "Improved lighting would be good and possibly some of those concrete barriers. "I don't think reducing the speed limit is going to make a difference because people want to go the speed they want to go." Fortin said since concrete barriers were put in around Gorman Brothers mill, the number of accidents in that area seems to have gone down. Improved safety measures could be temporary, however, if the province agrees to construct a bypass through the municipality. In December, Minister Todd Stone announced the start of a two-year transportation study for the area including the possibility of an alternative route around Peachland. "Maybe a bypass is the answer and maybe this will spur them on to get the study done sooner than two years. We definitely need it. "It's a long time coming, and it can't happen soon enough." Regardless of what safety measures, if any, are taken in the short-term, Fortin does have a simple message to motorists: slow down and drive to the conditions.

Cop costs up in Peachland this year

by Alistair Waters - Kelowna Capital News posted Jan 21, 2016 at 3:00 PM
Fourteen people in Peachland will cost the municipality $651,600 this year. That's how much using the RCMP as its police force will cost the municipality in 2016 because the population is now 5,013 according to B.C. Stats, 14 more than the cutoff for having policing costs covered by the province. In B.C., municipalities with populations between 5,000 and 14,999 pay 70 per cent of RCMP contract costs while municipalities with populations larger than 15,000 pay 90 per cent. The remaining 30 per cent and 10 per cent respectively are paid by the federal government. Municipalities with less than 5,000 residents do contribute a small amount to policing when they use the RCMP but the province covers most of the cost. And to make matters worse for Peachland, 2016 marks the first year the full 70 per cent share will have to come out of the annual taxes collected. While Peachland's population has been over 5,000 for the last five years, the policing costs there have been offset by tapping into a reserve fund set prior to 2012 to help pay the bigger bill. "This is the first year that won't happen," said Doug Pryde, finance director for the municipality, adding the offset was set up to only be a five-year program. According to B.C. stats Peachland was only municipality in the Central Okanagan to see a decrease in its population in last year, dropping 1.5 per cent to 5,013 from 5,088 in 2014. Kelowna remains the largest city in Okanagan with a population of 124,378 (up 2.3 per cent from 121,529 in 2014—and the seventh largest city in B.C.— while West Kelowna is now the third largest city in the Valley with a population of 34,484, up 5.3 per cent from the previous year. Vernon with a population in 2015 of 40,497 is second and Penticton dropped to fourth in the Okanagan in 2015 with 33, 964 residents, the result of a with a 0.3 per cent drop. Overall, the greater Kelowna area —the Central Okanagan Regional District—grew 3.2 per cent last year to 189,480, keeping it the third largest metropolitan area in B.C after Greater Vancouver and the area around Victoria.

Peachland bypass goes to public this week

Posted: Sunday, January 10, 2016 4:18 pm RON SEYMOUR Special to the Herald
Advocates for a highway bypass around Peachland say the proposed new route would also be a significant travel benefit to communities south of the town. “We’ve kind of dubbed the bypass the South Okanagan Connector,” Peter Warner, president of the Highway 97 Task Force Society, said Sunday. “The bypass would obviously make Peachland a quieter and more pedestrian-friendly place, but it would also reduce the travel time for people in Penticton and Summerland who drive to the Coast,” Warner said. After years of lukewarm official response to calls for a bypass, the Ministry of Transportation agreed just before Christmas to formally study the idea. The first public meeting in what’s expected to be a two-year process will take place 7-9 p.m. Wednesday at Peachland’s community centre. “We’re so optimistic and very pleased the government is willing to do this study,” Warner said. Transportation Minister Todd Stone says the study of the feasibility of the bypass will involve public consultation, and will refer to traffic counts, growth projections, land-use priorities, and impacts on business and tourism. “The study will look into the options that will meet the transportation needs of Peachland including developing an alternate route or improving the existing highway,” Stone said in mid-December. The stretch of Highway 97 through Peachland is the only two-lane portion between south of Penticton and north of Vernon. More than 800 Peachlanders are members of the group promoting a bypass, making it the largest civic organization in the town of 5,200 people. Society members, who include retired engineers and road builders, say a viable bypass route would run from Greata Ranch Estate Winery south of town to the Okanagan Connector, about six kilometres west of the existing Highway 97-97 C interchange. Most the bypass route, they say, would be on Crown land, limiting the need to buy private property. A rough construction estimate for the 20-kilometre bypass, prepared a few years ago, was $160 million. By comparison, widening the existing 17-kilometre two-lane highway to four lanes was estimated to cost $130 million. Just when traffic counts would warrant either widening the existing route or building a bypass is, at present, an open question. “Some of our members think either option won’t be necessary for a few more years, and others think a bypass should already exist,” Warren says. “What we as a group are saying is that, whenever the decision is made, we hope the government follows the trend throughout the western world and builds a bypass, allowing Peachland to flourish on its own without having a four-lane highway, and six lanes at intersections, running right through the town.”

Peachland bypass studied

Wayne Moore - CASTANET Dec 15, 2015 / 2:55 pm

A transportation study launched by the province will look at Highway 97 improvements through and around Peachland. In making the announcement Tuesday, the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure says the study will look at both short-term and long-term issues. The two-year study will focus on Peachland and examine transportation alternatives, including the possibility of an alternative Highway 97 alignment around the municipality. "We are listening to the people of Peachland, and we want to open it up to public discussion," said Minister Todd Stone. "The study will look into the options that will meet the transportation needs of Peachland, including developing an alternative route, or improving the existing highway." The study will be carried out in concert with the ministry's Central Okanagan Planning Study, which was launched in the fall of 2014 and already has traffic counts and traffic growth projections to work with. Peachland Mayor Cindy Fortin said she's encouraged by the announcement. At the annual Union of British Columbia Municipalities convention, council met with Premier Christy Clark and Stone to discuss the possibility of a bypass study. "This is wonderful news for Peachland," said Fortin. "We have been anxiously waiting for a definitive study on the Highway 97 corridor though Peachland, so that residents can get some answers regarding a bypass verses four-laning, and so that developers can confidently move forward with their plans." The study will launch immediately, and public engagement is planned for this spring. The ministry will also consider input from the Highway 97 Task Force committee, chamber of commerce, local First Nations, environmental stakeholder groups and other groups. "This is the most important issue affecting the future of Peachland," said Peter Warner, president of the Highway 97 Task Force Society.

Proposed bypass divisive issue

Posted: Friday, March 27, 2015 9:51 pm | Updated: 9:57 pm, Fri Mar 27, 2015. Dorothy Brotherton Penticton Herald
A highway that would bypass Peachland does not sound like a good idea to Chief Robert Louie of the Westbank First Nation. He offered his initial assessment at a joint meeting of the WFN and Peachland councils recently. The difficulty with a bypass is the steep and rocky terrain, and the only possible solution would be right through the Ponderosa development. I just don’t think it’s feasible,” he said, referring to Ponderosa Pincushion Ridge, where 61.5 hectares of the 162-hectare project are owned by the WFN. e admitted the WFN council has not fully discussed the bypass concept and these ideas were his own, not an official council position. If I were a business owner in Peachland, I certainly would not want the traffic to circumvent me,” he added. e pointed out a bypass may not be feasible or even reasonable. Costs would be astronomical,” he said. Peachland Coun. Mario Vucinovic said that in a recent meeting of a Highway 97 group in Peachland, he asked how many favour a bypass and all hands went up. “Four-laning Highway 97 would split the community even more,” Vucinovic said. He pointed out the province has committed to upgrades of Westside Road and to a study for a second crossing of Okanagan Lake, so this may be the time to ramp up discussions on a bypass route. We want people to look at Peachland as more of a destination point, not a thoroughfare,” he added. Louie explained that the Ponderosa developer, Treegroup, has already invested a lot of money in the intersection at Thirteenth Street, on the Highway 97 corridor. Coun. Terry Condon pointed out the Highway 97 task force has engineers who have presented a path above Peachland that would miss the Ponderosa development, which meets the grade and turn radius requirements, from approximately Greata Ranch to the Okanagan Connector at Trepanier Road. Versions of the idea have been looked at for at least 10 years, he said. “It’s going to be enormously expensive, but without a decision, development along that corridor is absolutely stalled,” said Condon, referring to Highway 97 through Peachland. He suggested the Highway 97 society, with more than 700 members, is looking for the right kind of economic study and hopes it may come out of the second crossing study. By looking at strategic needs of the whole corridor from Osoyoos to Salmon Arm, “we might take a different view,” Condon added. From an economic viewpoint, Peachland is already pretty much bypassed, with most commerce in West Kelowna and on WFN land, he said. “We need to be able to develop our area near the water with motels and attractions for travellers to come there,” and waiting until 2025 when the province says a second crossing might be built is not appealing. Louie appeared surprised by the possibility of a bypass route above Ponderosa and more open to the idea. Condon added, “It would provide another exit in case of wildfire and would not dissect Ponderosa.” WFN Coun. Raf De Guevara said the province has promised consultation with the WFN all along the way through the Ministry of Transportation. No route for a second crossing or alternative transportation corridor to Highway 97 has been identified yet. Louie admitted that frustrates the WFN as much as it does Peachland.

Study to look at cost, benefits of Peachland bypass

by Wade Paterson - Kelowna Capital News posted Jun 2, 2014 at 4:00 PM
The District of Peachland and Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure are contributing funds to take a closer look at the possibility of a Highway 97 bypass around Peachland. The study is expected to cost about $50,000. Peachland will contribute $20,000 to the study, while MOTI covers the remaining cost. "The study is to consider the cost and benefits if the highway is either (rerouted) or left in place," said John Abernethy, chairman of the Highway 97 committee to Peachland council. "From my point of view, the benefits to Peachland are pretty obvious. The most valuable land in Peachland is the lake frontage land. Currently, a little over four kilometres of that land is kind of sterilized by the highway being right there." He added a Peachland bypass will enhance future developments, such as New Monaco: A proposed multi-use urban development that could double Peachland's population. Several years ago, Abernethy took it upon himself to study the topography of the terrain around Peachland and plot a "physically feasible route" where the highway could potentially bypass the town. When Premier and Westside-Kelowna MLA Christy Clark said she was in favour of looking into a second crossing over Okanagan Lake, Abernethy went back to the maps to check the contours for a potential connecting bypass behind West Kelowna. "Low and behold there is the potential for such a bypass," said Abernethy."When you look at the route possibilities, our bypass makes the bypass behind West Kelowna feasible." Abernethy added "short-term fixes" haven't solved the highway problems facing several communities throughout the valley. "When you do it that way, you never change the route of the highway, it ends up staying right where it always was: Right in the centre of town. "We need a long-term perspective here; the short-term (planning) has gotten us into this mess." Michael Trickey, general manager of community services with the District of West Kelowna, agreed the current Highway 97 situation isn't ideal for West Kelowna. "It just isn't working here," said Trickey. "We understand that Highway 97 is important to the province because it's a pretty good north-south trade route, but our residents also use it as a street and we have a lot of cross traffic on it." Trickey said the district would like to see MOTI undertake a corridor plan to look at several problems, such as travel times, safety and economic development. He added it's important to get Kelowna, West Kelowna, Westbank First Nation and Peachland agreeing on a common vision of what a future highway would look like. Public consultation would be a key part of that vision, he added.Abernethy is also a member and director of the Highway 97 Task Force: The original citizen's group that supported the concept of the highway being rerouted around Peachland. The group, which currently has about 650 members, will host its annual general meeting June 12, 7:15 p.m. at the Peachland Community Centre.Bruce Letendre, president of the task force, said Peachland residents, as well as those who travel through Peachland for work, are invited to attend the annual meeting and show their support for the Peachland bypass.

Drive for Peachland highway bypass now fueled by $70,000 transportation study

Posted: Sunday, June 1, 2014 11:06 am Ron Seymour The Daily Courier - Kelowna
Advocates of a highway bypass around Peachland hope for another big turnout when the group holds its annual general meeting June 12. “Last year, we were somewhat astounded when more than 60 people showed up,” Bruce Letendre, president of the Highway 97 Task Force, said Sunday.
“That definitely shows the interest there is in Peachland for a bypass around the town, rather than eventually widening the existing highway,” Letendre said. Those who attend the AGM will hear some particularly good news, Letendre says. “Just six weeks ago, we received official confirmation the the Ministry of Transportation has provided $70,000 to study the bypass option,” he said. Bypass advocates have been campaigning for close to a decade for a bypass around Peachland, but this is the first time the government has put money toward such a study. “I've been around a lot of political campaigns over the years, and I know a government will revisit an issue if there's a body that squeaks loud and long enough,” Letendre said. “Maybe we've just squeaked enough.” Peachland has the only two-lane stretch of Highway 97 from north of Vernon to south of Penticton. In recent years, new traffic lights have been installed along the corridor, raising concerns that rising traffic volumes are building pressure for four-laning of the highway. Opponents say widening the highway would increase the divide between lakeside and hillside neighborhoods, lead to more car-oriented commercial enterprises like those up the hill in nearby Westbank, and undermine Peachland's scenic and tourist charms. Bypass advocates have proposed a 17-kilometre long route, most of which could be built on Crown land west of the town. “It would be longer than the existing highway, but not that much longer, and travel could travel faster,” says John Abernathy, president of another Peachland group that's pushing for a bypass.
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Population: 2011 Census, 5,200
Peachland area in hectares: 1,575
Peachland elevation: 1,125 (343 m)