PENTICTON – Speeding problems on Smythe Drive will not increase due to a winery expansion city council explains — it's been a problem for years.

Painted Rock's winery expansion, to include a lounge area so patrons can have whole glasses of wine instead of just sips in the tasting area, got the nod at Monday's council meeting. With this approval the winery can now make an application to the B.C. Liquor Control and Licensing Branch for further approval.

Several residents objected at the meeting saying an expansion will increase business which will lead to increased traffic flow on an already busy street.

Painted Rock proprietor John Skinner says increased traffic on Smythe Drive is not due to his operation and he doesn't expect his expansion to contribute to the problem.

Coun. Judy Sentes agrees. She says road conditions need fixing.

"I think we have every road sign imaginable on that (portion)," Coun. Katie Robinson says and adds even going as slow as 30 km/h around one corner on that road is problematic.

Mayor Garry Litke says he avoids biking in that area in the morning and after work-hours. "In some ways we are victims of our success," he says. The area continues to be a hotbed of development and more and more people are accessing the road.

To contact a reporter for this story, to send photos or videos, email Shannon Quesnel at squesnel@infotelnews.ca, call 250-488-3065, tweet @shannonquesnel1 or @InfoNewsPentict