Highway or no way for truckers
West Kelowna limits truckers to Highway 97 or Westside Road
Truckers passing through West Kelowna must stick to Highway 97 or Westside Road, city council says.
Drivers of any big rigs that detour onto other streets to try to find a shortcut will be fined under a new bylaw approved by council.
“It’s to keep (truckers) from running through neighbourhoods,” Coun. Rusty Ensign said at Tuesday’s meeting.
Council passed the bylaw despite some misgivings that the new rule might prove to be unenforceable given the potential difficulty of catching truckers in the act of short-cutting.
“If there was ever a ticket given in the history of the bylaw, I would be shocked,” Coun. Rosalind Neis said.
West Kelowna staff will talk to the RCMP, ICBC and the provincial Commercial Vehicle Safety Unit to see about the possibility of random spot checks to identify and ticket short-cutting truckers.
As well, notice of the new restriction will be sent to trucking companies and industry representatives in hopes word will be passed down to individual drivers.
Despite the potential difficulties in enforcement, Coun. Duane Ophus said: “Having something is better than nothing, and this is certainly a step in some kind of positive direction.”
Truckers doing business in West Kelowna can use streets other than the highway and Westside Road, but they must take the highest-classification roads available to reach their destination.
Last year, West Kelowna staff proposed to develop a full truck route system, similar to those that exist in other communities, allowing heavy vehicles on certain roads and at specific times through the day.
But the idea encountered strong public opposition, mainly from people who live in residential neighbourhoods. They feared their streets would become noisy and busy roads.
The city received 35 letters in just a few days on the topic.
“I’m hearing from people that I’ve never heard from in my almost 10 years on council. They are absolutely enraged by this,” Coun. Carol Zanon said last August when the truck route proposal was considered.
Short-cutting truck traffic has been a particular concern in neighbourhoods that flank Boucherie Road, West Kelowna’s longest municipal street, Gellatly Road and Shannon Lake Road.
“Gellatly Road is narrow in many places with some very tight corners. It also passes four public parks and beaches with children playing, people walking dogs, and others cycling or hiking,” area resident John Appleby said last year.