Protected T open house

by Darren Handschuh CASTANET- Jul 27, 2015 / 5:39 pm

Vernon Mayor Akbal Mund was never too thrilled with any of the plans for the Stickle Road intersection, but after learning the fine details of the latest proposal he is even less so. Stickle Road has been a contentious issue for some time, with many people, including Mund and several council members, requesting a light at the intersection that has seen three fatal collisions in the last 10 years. The Ministry of Transportation flatly refuses the proposal, as well as suggestions of lowering the speed limit in the area from 90 km/h to 70 km/h. The ministry's latest proposal calls for a 'protected T' intersection that would allow motorists left turns onto the highway from the east side of Stickle Road, but not from the west, where there's an RV park. There would be a separate left turn with turn-around access for those motorists. However, Mund said Monday he just learned people turning south from Stickle Road will not be able to turn right onto 27th Street and anyone wanting to go to the mall, Wal-Mart or any of the businesses in the Anderson Subdivision would have to cross the overpass and double back. “They told us it's too close for people to jog over,” said Mund. Vernon-Monashee MLA Eric Foster has no problem with the plan and said going across the overpass and doubling back is not a concern. Mund also said the protected T does not address the safety issue of having to cross several lanes of high-speed traffic, but Foster again defended the plan saying with the protected T, motorists will only have to cross two lanes of traffic before entering a merge lane for southbound traffic. “There are controlled Ts all over the place and it works well,” said Foster. While Mund said “90 per cent” of the people he has talked to favour a light, Foster said he is hearing the opposite. “I have heard from a lot of people who travel that road every day and they don't want a light or slower traffic,” said the Liberal MLA. Foster also said the majority of accidents at the intersection are rear-end collisions from people trying to merge with southbound traffic and not T-bone collisions. North Okanagan residents will have an opportunity to give their input on the issue at an open house Wednesday from 4 to 8 p.m. at the Prestige Inn.