Residents demand action on traffic issues

Jul 2, 2019 | 5:45 AM

Residents on Mt. Ida Drive in Coldstream are fed up with traffic issues on their street.

They have presented a petition to the district council, and are demanding action to address high traffic volumes and speeders.

“Since the street was opened a few years ago at the Vernon/Coldstream boundary, the annual traffic volume has increased at an alarming rate,” a letter from residents to council said. “We have done some random traffic counts and can reliably conclude there are between 900 and 1,000 vehicles per weekday travelling along Mt. Ida Drive.”

As for the speeding, the letter said many residents have observed “close calls” regarding potential vehicle or pedestrian accidents.

The residents propose several actions including closing the street at the Vernon/Coldstream boundary which they say was the situation when most current homeowners built their home.

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They also call for a reduced speed limit to 30 or 40 km/h, traffic calming measures and more RCMP enforcement.

“The RCMP does not provide sufficient enforcement to curtail the speeding,” the letter stated.

Mayor Jim Garlick said council will be discussing ways to address the concerns.

“The petition was received for information, and the issue will be brought forward along with a report on a traffic calming policy to a committee of the whole (meeting) to discuss Mt. Ida Drive as well as others where traffic concerns have been expressed,” Garlick told Vernon Matters.

“We asked staff to gather traffic information on a number of streets. The RCMP will also be asked to set up on Mt. Ida Drive. A speed limit sign and Welcome to Coldstream sign will be installed at the Coldstream/Vernon boundary as this has not been done yet,” the mayor added.

New sign on Mt. Ida Drive in Coldstream (Pete McIntyre/Vernon Matters Staff)

by Pete McIntyre

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