We attended the most recent information meeting in Vernon.
We also visited the site of the intersection that you say you want to improve.
After attending the information meeting, we cannot see that this proposed intersection and the elongating of 20th street makes sense.
1. 20th Street is mostly residential and adding heavy traffic will disturb the residents with noise and air pollution. Only one block away is Pleasant Valley Road that is already mostly commercial. With little improvement, it would provide a traffic corridor that would be more appropriate.
2. The wetlands at the end of 20th Street would be almost all destroyed and some species that exist only there would become extinct. It is not only the road running through the area but the building of the road in that sensitive area. The huge machines would totally destroy the bulk of that area of wet lands. That cannot be replaced or rebuilt. You would cause the extinction of some species and try to replace them with bird nesting boxes and bat boxes.
3. Lower the speed limit starting around Swan Lake Nurseryland and install lights with warning lights at the appropriate distance so traffic is warned of impending red lights. There are several examples of this in the area.
There are lights like this at the intersection of Highway 6 and Middleton Way and Aberdeen Road and on Highway 97 between Vernon and Kelowna — the intersections of the highway and Oceola Road, Commonwealth Road, the Kelowna airport and University Road.
When we attended the information meeting, we asked why not lights at this intersection and we were told that these lights cause too many accidents (rear-enders).
How many accidents are there on Highway 97 between Vernon and Kelowna where the lights and warning lights are installed?
These type of lights are around many areas of our province and installing a set of these lights would be a fraction of the cost of the proposed improvements and not touch the wet lands at the end of 20th Street.
The problem at the present intersection of Highway 97 and Stickle Road is the left-hand turn towards the City of Vernon.
We can see that this is a problem but your proposal does not offer a solution except to destroy the wetlands at the end of 20th Street.
The project is a waste of taxpayers money, the destruction of valuable wetlands and species and creating air and noise pollution in a residential area.
Sharon and Richard Fausten
Vernon