Stop narrowing DT intersections

DEAR EDITOR:

It appears a safety consultation for the city’s lake-to-lake bike lane did not exist.

Were the fire department, bus drivers and delivery drivers consulted on the metal railings, concrete curbs and drastically-narrowed intersections?

The 200 block is an accident waiting to happen. I asked a bus driver about safety and they said if a car parked close to the road in the 200 block and opened their door, there was no place to swerve to. Hence, an accident.

The narrowed intersections are a nightmare for large vehicles. I have a Class 1 licence and it is very easy to foresee how these intersections and driveways are difficult and unsafe. How easy can a fire truck access every driveway and intersection along the route?

Planners must all drive small cars. They should have consulted, in detail, those who use these routes daily or in emergency situations.

Stop narrowing intersections.

The only safe way to fix this is to remove all metal railings and concrete curbs and grind in rumble strips and paint them red. At least then all vehicles, including fire trucks and delivery trucks, can safely access driveways, buses and trucks would have somewhere to safely swerve. It would also save a fortune in broken posts.

I’m not against the bike lane so much as I’m against the lack of consultation in planning and wasting the taxpayers’ dollars going overboard.

City planners will not stop their agenda to make Penticton into “PenSurrey” and remove everything that made Penticton a great place for all incomes.

Tax revenue ahead of preserving any heritage. It’s sad what Penticton has been turned into.

Put your bike lane in, but make it safe and vehicle-friendly first and do your homework and consultations to all involved before blasting ahead with eyes closed.

Clifford Martin Penticton