Push for traffic light at Stickle Road in Vernon continues

VERNON – There continues to be widespread disagreement over what to do with Stickle Road.

While the Ministry of Transportation scrapped it’s original plan and is now touting the idea of a protected T intersection, local government officials remain unimpressed. The ministry presented its revised plan to the North Okanagan Regional District board of directors Wednesday, July 22, and like Vernon city councillors when they heard about the concept recently, weren’t happy with it.

Director Mike Macnabb for one still wonders why a traffic light is not on the table.

“They’re extremely reluctant to listen to comments. They don’t want to listen to people about traffic lights,” Macnabb says.

The ministry has said a traffic light would only increase rear-end accidents, disrupt traffic flow and lead to more greenhouse gas emissions.

The protected T concept would allow for lefthand, southbound turns off Stickle Road towards Vernon, but force northbound drivers headed to the Silver Star RV Park to go past it, and then backtrack using a turnaround lane with no acceleration lane to merge southbound. Macnabb says that creates an unnecessary hindrance, and also questions the impact on emergency vehicles, like fire trucks, trying to navigate the road.

An open house is set for Wednesday, July 29 at the Prestige Hotel in Vernon to give members of the public a chance to look over the ministry’s new plan. The open house is also an opportunity for the community to provide feedback.

“I just hope the ministry is open enough to say it’s a local issue, we should have a local solution, not something out of a manual,” Macnabb says.

You can view the current proposal here.

To contact the reporter for this story, email Charlotte Helston at chelston@infonews.ca or call 250-309-5230. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.