FILE PHOTO - Pedestrians looking to cross 3 Avenue elected to walk across the tracks rather than climbing the stairs of the pedestrian bridge, constructed specifically to avoid the crossing entirely.
(GLYNN BROTHEN / iNFOnews.ca)
January 23, 2016 - 2:30 PM
KAMLOOPS - Crowds leaving hockey games and other events at the Sandman Centre will continue to be guided onto the pedestrian bridge above 3 Avenue as the City of Kamloops, Canadian Pacific Railway and Transport Canada tackle the pedestrian safety issues on the downtown railway tracks.
“We are monitoring it for a couple of more games and then see if there are issues at the roundabout with pedestrian safety,” the city's chief administrative officer David Trawin says via email. “Then we will work with CP and Transport Canada to see if there are other options.”
During the Kamloops Blazers last home game, as the arena emptied, city bylaw officers were on hand to guide hockey fans onto the pedestrian bridge and away from the more common route at street level, crossing the railway tracks. People unable to climb the stairs were allowed to cross at street level with the help of the officers.
Trawin says the bylaw officers were already working and were pulled from other duties to deal with the crowd. They replaced contract flaggers Transport Canada had ordered, which cost the city $850 a day.
Hockey fans weren’t alerted prior to the post game exit that there may be a bottleneck and more physical than expected walk ahead, as the Blazers weren’t notified about the change.
As they left, some fans took to social media to express frustration with the situation, and noting that 2 Avenue was still an option at street level.
“2 Avenue has not been a safety concern to Transport Canada,” Trawin said in the email.
To contact a reporter for this story, email Brendan Kergin at bkergin@infonews.ca or call 250-819-6089. To contact an editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.
News from © iNFOnews, 2016