Three fatal crashes on West Kelowna road has resident calling for change
A West Kelowna resident wants to see a change in her community after three vehicle fatalities occurred on her street within the last month.
A cyclist died after being hit by a vehicle on Horizon Drive in West Kelowna earlier this month. Then on Aug. 19, a single-vehicle accident led to a fatality. A man died the following day, Aug. 19, after a motorcycle accident. Speed is suspected to be a major factor in that crash.
Heather Miller has been living on Horizon Drive since 2006. A year after she moved to the street, a car ended up on its roof in her yard, she said.
Her son is legally blind and when he attended Mt. Boucherie Secondary, crossing the street was always a concern for her because of drivers speeding, she said.
“There have been times where I’ve had to yell at drivers to slow down,” she said. “Me backing out of my driveway is a very fearful event.”
From 2017 to 2021, ICBC recorded 13 crashes along Horizon Drive, and 255 were reported at the Highway 97, Horizon Drive, Boucherie Road and Hayman Road intersection.
Miller's Facebook post has gained some attention in a Rose Valley community Facebook group and she hopes it will spark change.
Neighbours are considering putting together a petition to the city to have additional safety measures put in place, she said.
Miller would like to see more signage for residents to reduce speed.
“When I have my grandkids over I tell them not to play in the front yard because I don’t what them anywhere near (the road,)” she said.
West Kelowna's CAO Paul Gipps said they will begin an immediate slow-down campaign to raise awareness about public safety on the road in light of the recent accidents.
A traffic engineer will also be re-examining the roadway, Gipps said, adding an analysis was done previously. The city has also been committed to creating pathways and sidewalks to separate traffic and pedestrians.
Three new officers have been approved for West Kelowna’s budget this year to ensure there’s a designated traffic management division, Gipps said.
"We haven't seen anything like this that I'm aware of previously," he said.
The fatalities are not related and are still under investigation. They took place at three different locations along the road, said Rob Pikola, operations officer with the Kelowna regional RCMP detachment.
West Kelowna police officers are also aware of Horizon Drive and are being asked to provide proactive traffic work in the area.
In the last year, the RCMP has been increasing manpower to ensure there’s a designated traffic unit on the Westside, he said. These incidents are not normal for the road.
“We want to make sure people obey those speed signs,” he said.
The investigations into the accidents will be concluded once the RCMP determines whether criminality is involved, said Staff Sgt. Duncan Dixon, non-commissioned officer in charge of the West Kelowna detachment.
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