Quick-build plan threatens parking

Vehicle parking could be eliminated on the west side of Abbott Street for a two-kilometre stretch south of Kelowna General Hospital.

Removal of the parking stalls would be required if the city is to go ahead with a plan to fast-track improvements for pedestrians and cyclists.

The so-called ‘Quick Build’ plan, using temporary infrastructure, would cost about $1 million. That’s well below the $14 million currently estimated for a full rebuild of Abbott Street to match the look of the road north of the hospital.

Eventually, the components used in the ‘Quick Build’ scheme, which still requires city approval, would be removed.

“We know we ultimately want the section of Abbott that’s south of the hospital to be as beautiful as the part that’s north of the hospital,” Chad Williams, a city engineer, said in an interview Thursday.

“So with the Quick Build idea, we’re looking at how cheap we can do it, because we don’t want to waste money,” he said.

Creating new protected bike lanes on Abbott between the hospital and Boyce Gyro Park could involve the placement of bollards, sidewalk extensions, new sidewalks, and the reconfiguration of some intersections.

To create the extra space needed for the two-directional bike lanes, dozens of parking spots on the west side of Abbott Street would be lost.

Fast-tracking the provision of enhanced cycling and walking facilities makes sense, the city says, given a 50% rise in public usage the last year of the Abbott Street recreation corridor.

Public comment on the plan is now being sought through a survey on the city website.