Risky maneuvers are aplenty at the junction of Highway 97 and Highway 3A.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/Google Maps
December 11, 2021 - 10:26 AM
A petition with tens of thousands of signatures helped convince the province to install concrete barriers near Summerland last year, and now advocates are trying to accomplish something similar in Kaleden.
The petition, created by from the Kaleden Citizen Committee for Traffic Safety, has collected 2,500 signatures since it was launched on Dec. 7. While it doesn't specifically request concrete barriers, it asks for “immediate action to improve traffic safety along Highway 97 between Penticton and Okanagan Falls.”
READ MORE: Highway 97 south of Penticton reopens to single lane after collision, diesel spill
The junction of Highway 97 and Highway 3A is of particular concern as it has been faced with heavier commercial traffic since the closure of Highway 5, which the committee says has “aggravated the situation.”
Last year, to help mitigate the severity of car accidents near Summerland, the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure built about 4.2 kilometres of barrier to the north of town and about 7.5 km to the south. That happened after a petition was delivered to B.C. Legislature in February 2020 which collected more than 27,000 signatures.
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