Council Reconsiders Bypass Issue

Posted on 8/10/2015 by Pete McIntyre 107.5 KISSFM
A change of direction for Vernon council on a controversial issue. Council has decided not to include a specific route for a future highway bypass in its 25 year transportation plan, although they still want the province to consider such a project. The issue was brought back for re-consideration after councillor Dalvir Nahal had a change of heart after last month's vote. "Until we get anything from the province confirming that's what we're going to do, why are we going to put restrictions on property owners? It doesn't make any sense. I actually changed my mind right after we voted (in July). It was like an after thought," Nahal told the media. Nahal -- who is a rookie councillor -- says she didn't fully understand what she was voting for last month. "And even with what's going on with Stickle Road right now, we can't even convince them for a light, so a bypass is a whole new ballgame and I don't think we can convince them to do that." Nahal says outlining a proposed route could affect development or someone who wants to upgrade their house. "They're going to put restrictions on what they can do and how far they can go out. and I don't think that's fair because we don't even know if that's the route the government is going to go." Councillor Scott Anderson says a bypass should be a priority. "The ministry has projected a doubling of vehicles going through Vernon in the next I think it's 20 years, so we have to be ready for it." Anderson says council has to do more than just "kick the issue down the road," which is what he feels they did on Monday. The reconsidered motion passed by a 5-2 margin with councillors Anderson and Bob Spiers opposed. The province would be responsible for planning and funding a future bypass, but has no plans for it as this point.
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Bypass back before council
by Darren Handschuh CASTANET - Aug 10, 2015 / 5:30 pm
The bypass issue took up more of Vernon city council's time Monday when it returned once again, stirring more debate. The issue has been off and on the council agenda since 2008, and last month council agree to include wording in the transportation master plan that would identify an area for the possible bypass and get the ball rolling to protect land in that area. However, council revisited the matter after Counc. Dalvir Nahal changed her initial vote after speaking to people about the bypass. Nahal said she had an after thought on the motion that she supported at the July council meeting and has talked to people about it since, prompting the first-time councillor to change her mind. One of the concerns property owners along the proposed route had was the impact it would have on their property values and resale, and Nahal felt it was not fair to keep them in limbo for a project that could be years down the road. She said after witnessing the Stickle Road debacle she realized how difficult it would be to get the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure to approve a bypass and she made a motion to return to the original wording in the transportation master plan that said a bypass should be included, but was not specific as to where it would go. Nahar said when it is so difficult to get a traffic light at Stickle Road, she wondered how much harder it would be to have the provincial agency approve a major road project. She did not feel it was fair to property owners to say the road is going in without provincial approval. Counc. Scott Anderson said traffic is only going to get heavier and the city must be forward thinking when it came to the bypass, adding the city reserves areas for possible future roads “as a matter of course.” Counc. Catherine Lord backed Nahar, saying the city needs to know if the MoTI will even approve the bypass plan. “It's up to the Ministry of Transportation as to where the bypass goes. Ultimately, they are the ones that are going to build it and pay for it,” said Lord, adding once that information is collected then they can move forward. Anderson said the proposal was reasonable, but it should be looked at sooner rather than later. Mayor Akbal Mund said he would contact the MoTI about the bypass.