SLOW DOWN!

30 km/h limit to apply to entire area from Ellis to Winnipeg and Lakeshore to Wade

A move to expand the scope of slower speed limits throughout most of downtown Penticton has gained a green light from city council.

Council agreed Monday night with a recommendation from the city’s downtown revitalization committee to introduce 30-km/h speed limits over the entire area from Ellis Street west to Winnipeg Street, and Lakeshore Drive south to Wade Avenue.

The lower speed limit has been in place along Main Street and Lakeshore Drive for a number of years.

The proposal was first presented to council in September and was referred to a public consultation process, including input from those attending the weekly farmers market.

Coun. Judy Sentes said the plan has gained a lot of support from downtown business owners and some homeowners on Ellis. The speed of vehicles travelling down Ellis Street is of particular concern, especially south of the traffic roundabout at the bottom of the Vancouver Avenue hill.

“They come out of there like a chute at a rodeo and they just fire on down Ellis, which really is of concern,” she said.

Sentes said there are further safety and visibility concerns where the roadway narrows at the Ellis Street bridge over Penticton Creek. She pointed to fears expressed by nearby business owner Agnes Stayanovich and by Ellis Street residents Rick and Julie Valenti.

“They are terrified that the next step is somebody is going to be killed on that street,” she said. “They’re there every day and they see the violation of the speed zone.”

However, support for the proposal was not unanimous, with councillors Andrew Jakubeit and Katie Robinson opposed.

Robinson said she rejects the idea of lower speed limits on Winnipeg and Ellis.

“I think we’ve made our entire downtown a school zone,” she said. “If we really wanted to slow the traffic down, we should be enforcing the 30-k zone on Main Street first and then start worrying about all the other streets.”

Jakubeit, a Main Street business owner, said he’s not convinced the lower speed limit needs to be expanded onto other downtown streets.

The speed limit in the 200 block of Martin Street was reduced to 30 km/h as part of its recent $1.2million upgrade.

Council last March also voted to reduce the speed limit on Ellis to help improve bicycle safety rather than introduce a marked bike lane.

Penticton Herald Lower speed limits, such as this zone near Westminster Avenue and Martin Street, will now be expanded throughout much of downtown Penticton.