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March 06, 2020 - 9:45 AM
Kelowna residents are telling city council that they need to put more money into roads overall but not to bother with a proposed extension of Clement Avenue to Highway 33.
Those are key findings of online surveys on the City’s transportation plan that will be presented to council on Monday, March 9.
It involved 1,600 people who used an online budget tool and 1,261 of those who participated in a follow-up survey. Those are considered high numbers in comparison to other City online surveys.
“As this is not a random sample the results may not accurately reflect the opinions of all Kelowna residents,” the report cautions.
Still, 75 per cent of those using the budget tool and 64 per cent in the follow-up survey said spending should be increased on “maintenance and renewal." In the follow-up group, 60 per cent wanted funding increased for transit and 57 per cent for biking with 64 per cent saying they are willing to pay more taxes to get these improvements.
In another section of the survey, extending Clement Avenue to Highway 33 was ranked as having the least importance at 24 per cent. That route has been proposed to basically follow the Okanagan Rail Trail corridor and would take traffic pressure mainly off Enterprise Way at a cost of about $57 million.
The survey was part of a broader public consultation that included open houses (that attracted 275 people) and Instagram postings. It will help shape transportation options that will be presented to city council in the spring.
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