There was an article in the Western News by Simone Blais entitled “Commercial traffic causes concern for residents.”
The article stated that 140 people called on the city to put the brakes on commercial vehicles allowed down Warren Avenue. Toward the end of the article the councillors unanimously approved that the chief administrative officer work with ministry officials to relocate the sign which directs truck traffic to the industrial site.
My wife and I moved to Penticton in the fall of 2010 after living in Delta for some 38 years. Truck traffic was a common occurrence there, in fact drove right through the township of Ladner, serving Westham Island and many of the greenhouse businesses in the area. The truck route passed by school zones and crossings, playgrounds, single family dwellings, multi-family dwellings, shopping centers, etc. and I don’t recall there being an accident involving the trucking industry.
Since moving to Penticton, we have noted that it is a well-established community with talented people, great potential and the ability to flourish. However, for it to do so, it is important to remember that all of the components of a community are needed in order for long-term sustainability.
Roadways serve accessibility to all within the community and because industry and trucking is a major key to the health of any community, it is important that the community provide roadways that have safe access and departure to and from the respective destinations.
As a person who has been involved with “safety” over the course of years, Warren Avenue (with its upgrades) and Industrial Avenue (which should be upgraded) are important arteries to a very important sector of our community. Once that has been realized, there are ways to manage the movement of traffic (eg. time restrictions, no use of air brakes, weight restrictions, school zone/playground postings, fencing in areas of greater concern, pedestrian crossings with flashing lights, etc.).
In closing, I am confident that the people managing our community will make decisions based on sound reasoning by considering the current and future effects their decision will have on the entire community. Safety should be part of the discussion, but there is more to be considered here. Knee-jerk reactions should never dictate what should be done.
Mervin D. Jones
Penticton