Council won't bypass issue

by Darren Handschuh | CASTANET - Jun 9, 2015 / 5:00 am
It may not happen for 25 or even 50 years, but now is the time to start planning for a bypass around the city of Vernon. Mayor Akbal Mund and councillors Juliette Cunningham and Brian Quiring said a provision for a bypass should be included in the city's transportation plan. In fact, the first-term mayor said it could be decades before anything is implemented. “If we're not going to consider where a bypass might go, we will have a hard time getting it in 25 years,” said Quiring at the regular council meeting Monday, adding Winnipeg has been “setting aside land for 50 years.” Cunningham wanted to make sure the Ministry of Transportation was on board with the long-term plans of the city. “I want to be assured our needs, and our future needs are being considered by the province,” she said. “We have to be planning into the future.” Mund agreed, saying planning must begin now. “You have to have a plan,” he said. “Once the land is gone, how are you going to get it back?” Mund knows the issue has raised the hackles of residents in the past, but that does not mean the idea should be shelved. “I agree 100 per cent we need a plan. You can't please everyone, but you have to do what's best for the community,” said Mund. When the bypass issue was brought up six years ago, it revved up many residents who feared their properties would be negatively impacted by the roadway. But Mund said just because the city is talking about it and planning for it does not mean it will happen any time soon.
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http://www.vernon.ca/transportation/docs/2015-Draft-Transportation-Plan.pdf

The above Link is the DRAFT Transportation Plan that is proposed to be updated in the existing OCP.  The proposed language re the bypass issue is at P.17-19 of this report.