A stretch for the Pelmewash Parkway is pictured in this photo posted to Facebook by the District of Lake Country.
Image Credit: FACEBOOK/District of Lake Country
July 31, 2019 - 3:00 PM
LAKE COUNTRY - Jamie Odland loves to see pedestrians and bikers using the Pelmewash Parkway in Lake Country.
Odland lives on Ponderosa Drive, which overlooks the route in Lake Country, and she spends a lot of her time sitting on her deck and enjoying the view. She's pleased to see so many people use the parkway, which officially opened for pedestrians last month.
"It's wonderful to see the amount of people using it," she said.
But Odland is also raising concerns. Since the stretch of road was converted from a highway to a multi-modal road last autumn, she's seen five vehicle accidents. She's worried the increased pedestrian traffic and continual accidents could be a dangerous combination.
"It's scary with people walking," she said.
Odland has lived in the area for years and she said there were several accidents on the road when it was a highway. She said the majority of accidents that occur now are single-vehicle mishaps that result from drivers speeding through the road's tight turns and crashing into walls. The parkway's speed limit is 50 km/h, but drivers often go much faster.
"There are lots of crazy speeders," she said. "People are impatient."
Cpl. Jesse O'Donaghey with the Kelowna RCMP confirmed that police have responded to a handful of collisions at the Parkway in 2019, although most were minor in nature and only involved single vehicles. He also noted that many vehicle collisions go unreported to police.
Odland is encouraging speedy drivers to take Highway 97 and leave the Pelmewash Parkway to pedestrians, bikers and slower vehicles.
"People have got to pay attention," she said.
Image Credit: FACEBOOK/Jamie Lynn
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News from © iNFOnews, 2019