No changes planned for city traffic system in spite of increased volume

PENTICTON – Penticton motorists don’t have much to complain about when it comes to traffic issues in the city but with summer here, traffic on city streets is on the rise.

The influx of summer visitors and the corresponding increase in vehicles on local highways, combined with traffic changes in the city’s south end this summer due to the closure of Channel Parkway access at Green Avenue is resulting in more congestion — relative to what is normal — on the city’s main streets, but no plans are in place to alter exisitng conditions, City of Penticton Communications Officer Simone Blais says.

She says the city has a basic traffic management system — 'small city basic' — with 34 full traffic signals, four pedestrian activated half signals and three pedestrian crossing signals.

“Most of our signals are not coordinated with each other, they are triggered by vehicle detection systems like underground loops and intersection cameras,” she says.

In downtown Penticton things are a little more sophisticated, as traffic signals are coordinated in a north-south direction, based on the posted speed of 30 kilometres an hour. There are no pedestrian operated lights downtown; the lights are programmed to change at certain intervals, including pedestrian signals.

The city doesn’t currently have any statistics with respect to the most congested intersections in the city are, nor do they track complaints from the public regarding congested intersections or poorly timed stoplights.

To contact the reporter for this story, email Steve Arstad at sarstad@infonews.ca or call 250-488-3065. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.