Kelowna City Council permanently close Ellis to heavy trucks

[oneh2obabe]

Doesn't matter what the city wants or voted on to appease a select few, the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure has final say.

[cv23]

Change is good.

So "change" is good no matter what that change may be?

[maxx]

Change is good.

So "change" is good no matter what that change may be?

Yes. There is always an upside if you're willing to look for it.

[LordEd]

What group?

The lofts would be the group who created the online petition. Build a condo on a truck route, then complain that it's noisy. Why don't we build by the airport and close it down for noise too?

The citizens that actually want Kelowna's downtown to be worth visiting?

Based on the attitude, I'd recommend against it, at least on that street. Ellis is the edge, not the middle.

People that want Kelowna to the place it can be?

Kelowna extends much further than the cultural district.

Would you rather see the downtown shutter itself for good?

Would you like all industry and the associated jobs to leave?

Change is good. Embrace the change.

Trucks from the bridge will have to drive a much longer circle route through a long-established residential area. Why is this good?

[LoneWolf_53]

Yes. There is always an upside if you're willing to look for it.

Or if you happen to live on Ellis and don't give a hoot about anyone else in town.

[maxx]

The city implements a temporary closure to the Ellis Street intersection on Bernard and suspends the heavy truck traffic while the work on Bernard Avenue is being done. The reaction? Cool. Great. Whatever. The heavy truck traffic is routed down Gordon Drive as a result. Again the reaction? Cool. Great. Whatever. The benefit to the no trucks thing is immediately felt along Ellis Street by businesses from Harvey Avenue to Clement Avenue. The city sees (and I'm sure hears) how a permanent re-routing of the heavy truck traffic fits the 'new' downtown plan - especially when all that is required is extending a left-hand turn lane and installing a left-hand turn light ate Gordon Drive. Along comes a group of people who just happen to live in The Lofts start a petition to make the temporary closure permanent. This is where you (ED and LW) seem to be missing something. What if the petition was started by the owner of Dunn Enzie's Pizza or The Lakehouse or any of the other businesses along Ellis Street? From the people I've talked to downtown, not one has said they missed the heavy truck traffic......

[grammafreddy]

I think there's a HUGE difference between a temporary closure and a permanent closure. Temp we understood because of the work on Bernard. That was acceptable and the expectation was that when feasible, the truck route would resume.

I doubt too many saw this as a foothold or lead-in to a permanent ban. If it had been perceived to be permanent I think you may have heard more opposition at the get-go - especially from the truckers and from the industries they serve.

Kinda reminds me of the Feds and the implementation of a "temporary tax on personal incomes" in support of the war effort in 1917 (or thereabouts). Nobody ever imagined or expected that this many years later, we'd still be paying this temporary income tax.

Beware of "temporary" when any level of government says that word. What they really mean is they are gonna play us for suckers.

[normaM]

The trucks can use Clement or go back to rumbling and shaking Raegan outta her bed. Cultural district. And if Lakehouse lasts another 6 months I'll be surprised. They can tart DT up as much as they want - ppl don't go and ppl won't start going because of fancy light posts and few trucks. Appears no one bothered to see what happened in other Cities that started to gentrify, people still didn't go. Calgary is a good example, DT Edmonton another. Plus side I guess the street people will have nicer streets.

[theyeti]

norma hit it bang on


whats downtown i go to the old barber down there because i like the cheap haircuts and friendly small town feel of the place
other than that maybe if i go take a cab so i can drink like a rock star for the night . i might do that once every two years .


oh wait i can go buy a really good meal at tonics for a decent price and get a cold beer too !

also i can get my bongs and papers at a number of shops down there lol

seriously tho what else is downtown

[Gixxer]

They should consider renaming it from ELLIS Street to ELITIST Street to suit the new changes

[johnhenry]

The trucks can use Clement or go back to rumbling and shaking Raegan outta her bed. Cultural district. And if Lakehouse lasts another 6 months I'll be surprised. They can tart DT up as much as they want - ppl don't go and ppl won't start going because of fancy light posts and few trucks. Appears no one bothered to see what happened in other Cities that started to gentrify, people still didn't go. Calgary is a good example, DT Edmonton another. Plus side I guess the street people will have nicer streets.

I agree, you can polish a t*rd as much as you want, but it still remains a t*rd.

[Fancy]

They should consider renaming it from ELLIS Street to ELITIST Street to suit the new changes

Only if the trucks are moved off.

[normaM]

Seriously, what is located downtown? ( and heavens knows I try to support it) Shoppers ( uhhuh, most of the staff is on break) Tripke bakery, 2 customers and the staff falls to fainting ( did you want what kind of bun again.. hey, write it down) stroll further along.. TC, the lil Mall time forgot. A few coffee shops, couple of clothing stores who get their stock from what seems like sample sales in Vegas, a couple of " gem" shops that have been in the News, and then you are at the water.
Stroll down Ellis - a great Italian place that few ppl are in, some hair salons, some shops that never seem to be open and that's about it.
Thank God for eBay
I'd rather been on Leon, at least it is interesting at times
but I'm a cranky woman so ignore me, Madison will have quieter roads ( don't know why the average age is like 130 and they have to be deaf)
oh yes, I nearly forgot POSH ( like the Mall sell those annoying Pandora beads now, so wave goodbye to that custom base)
Darn, I'm even crankier than I realized. We had the chance to make the downtown a really fun and exciting place, instead we just paid for fancy lights and newer concrete

[Bsuds]

instead we just paid for fancy lights and newer concrete

Don't forget less parking spots too!

[normaM]

darn! I did forget that.. not that they are needed since no-one goes downtown