Regarding the Penticton Western News front page article (Friday, June 15, Concerned parent driving traffic calming petition), I fully agree with Ms. Zumpano that this Johnson Road - Middle Bench - Alder intersection is very problematic (speeding being one).
On my usual route home I turn left off Johnson onto Middle Bench and, if there are vehicles following me, 90 per cent of the time they will pass through the intersection on my right. Several times I’ve seen vehicles nosing out from Alder have a close encounter. It’s coincidental that about two weeks earlier I had inquired to the RCMP about the legality of passing through this single lane intersection on the right. I was a bit surprised when told it was legal if it was clear to do so.
But this is just one of several problematic traffic areas in town. One that bothers me is why traffic on Martin from Wade on is not restricted to 30 kilometres per hour. This is especially so after Eckhardt on the ‘S’ curve as it joins Main. Here there are two marked crosswalks only metres apart. Several time as I’ve stopped there for pedestrians to cross and a vehicle in the adjacent lane has sped through. The last occurrence was only a few days ago when a lady in a light grey van, and a phone pressed to her ear, went through at speed. Fortunately the young man I had stopped for noticed she was not stopping and stayed in front of my car.
In any case, I would have thought it logical that at least this section of road would have been in a 30 km school zone seeing that it’s adjacent to the high school. If anyone can explain the rationale of having north bound Main Street into town and past the high school restricted to 30 km (although few obey it) and Martin going south through these crosswalks and also past the high school at 50 km I’d like it explained.
Surely putting that short distance of Martin, from Wade to the library, at 30 km would not cause much bother and would likely improve safety.
Jeff Bedard
Penticton