A Vernon politician doesn’t believe it’s enough for crews to simply finish road work and then move on.
Coun. Patrick Nicol is demanding the city consult with residents after traffic patterns were changed on 20th Street, from 45th to 48th avenues.
“When we do projects, we should get the response of the neighbourhood after the fact,” he said of whether concerns exist once the project is done.
“I’d like to find out what they think.”
That portion of 20th Street was recently narrowed as a way of slowing motorists down and improving safety. On-street parking has been removed.
In a letter to council, resident Don Cowan points out that many of the multi-unit complexes on 20th Street don’t provide sufficient on-site parking.
“My kids have grown up and now have cars but still live with me, and there is no on-site parking available for them so they park on the street,” he said.
“The traffic generated by the BMX track during one of their weekly races in the summer is strong evidence that parking is necessary. Cars and trucks are lined up for two to three blocks during this time.”
Cowan adds that other Vernon neighbourhoods haven’t lost on-street parking because of through traffic on a collector road.
“Elimination of all parking is too great a disruption, particularly given that the neighbourhood density that is made allowable by city hall.”
Some city officials are defending the work on 20th Street.
Coun. Jack Gilroy says the changes were implemented after meetings with Harwood Elementary School.
“People with kids wanted safety improvements on 20th Street because it was a speedway,” he said.
“I’ve had calls and people are happy with 20th Street. People who aren’t happy are the ones who can’t park on the street any more.”
