As of Monday, Jan. 19, 2015 the HOV lanes on Harvey Avenue from Water Street to Highway 33 are no longer in effect 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The are in effect from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday to Friday.
Image Credit: Contributed
January 19, 2015 - 1:36 PM
KELOWNA – If the high-occupancy vehicle lanes in Kelowna rub you the wrong way, they will only be rubbing you the wrong way during the daytime on weekdays as of today, Jan. 19.
Instead of 24 hours a day, seven days a week, the HOV lanes are now only in effect between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. from Monday to Friday. The outside lanes can only be used by vehicles with two or more people inside, buses and motorcycles during those times.
The decision to change the hours came from monitoring, public feedback and discussion with the City the Kelowna, according to a media release from the Ministry of Transportation.
The Ministry says Kelowna RCMP plan to step-up enforcement of the HOV lanes between Water Street and south to Highway 33. Police have promised to be lenient at first, handing more warnings than actual tickets. The fine for not following the rules in the HOV lanes on Harvey Avenue is $109.
The lanes were originally implemented in 2009 to support the Rapid Transit project to allow buses to move efficiently along the highway, thereby encouraging public transit use to ease congestion and pollution, the Ministry says.
The government has created a website to explain Highway 97 HOV lanes.
Image Credit: Contributed
To contact the reporter for this story, email Howard Alexander at halexander@infonews.ca or call 250-491-0331. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.
News from © iNFOnews, 2015