Castanet

Reflective paint would be a good start. When it rains lane visilibility is ZERO.

Oneh2obabe, like said already, the government takes the lowest cost possible, so they aren't going to spend that kind of money on the roadway.

FC, the pain is reflective, but the environmental regulations don't allow oil based paints to be used (even though the salt used on roads is worse for the environment), and thus the lines wear off over winter. The alternative is to use thermoplastic inlaid lines such as were installed on highway 6 around the Coldstream Ranch. However, the cost is 5 times the price of conventional paint (even though it last 10 times longer), so conventional paint is used 95% of the time.

Glacier wrote:FC, the pain is reflective, but the environmental regulations don't allow oil based paints to be used (even though the salt used on roads is worse for the environment),

Thanks Glacier for the info. What a pain. Then they're talking about building a pipeline them environementalist my dunkey yes. Money before safety..

Glacier wrote:Oneh2obabe, like said already, the government takes the lowest cost possible, so they aren't going to spend that kind of money on the roadway.

Typical even though the initial cost would be expensive it pays for itself in the long run with better visibility, fewer accidents, etc.

The 97 hill from the Connector interchange down to Peachland is a nightmare in bad weather at night. Not only is the speed limit way too high at 90 km/h (which means yahoo pickemuptruck drivers do 120+) but the road is very tight in some curves. No reason to not have lights there and drop the limit to 80 or 70.

Also... while I'm on the subject... can anyone tell me why the speed limit stays at 90 all the way through Trepanier? That's way too fast for that stretch, especially since vehicles pulling out of the crossing streets tend to cut right in front of speeding traffic.

Isn't there someone/somewhere to address this issue to? I'm just thinking if we send our concerns on a regular basis, maybe they will begin to see where we might like some of our tax dollars going to? If anyone has information on who to contact please let me know...thanks.

this is a good portion of what i was saying in one of the threads i started a while back . that stretch of road is scary .

theyeti wrote:this is a good portion of what i was saying in one of the threads i started a while back . that stretch of road is scary .

I agree completely. However, I think that as long as the delusion persists that there's going to be a bypass in Peachland to glue both sides of the town together there's going to be paralysis when it comes to making any serious changes in that road and that's going to continue to cost lives.

ive done lines on the road they use a plastic and it gets ground into the ashphalt then poured hot . tiny beads of crushed glass or silica r spread over it to give it a reflective shine . i have no idea why they dont try doing that in westbank it works.

i know the hwy they do it different and they spray from a moving vehicle . they do not grind the road and lay in hot plastic . however they could probably mix the silica beads into the paint and spray that with minimal changes to paint spraying gear

I thought I was the only one that noticed this. The whole Okanagan seems to be plagued with these ultra black roads. I was driving to Kelowna from Vernon last night and noticed vehicles swerving all over the place like drunk drivers. Even I had issues trying to keep a straight line right after cleaning my headlights.

I agree we need better road markings in the area, anyone who has been to Mauii will se very bright road markings everywhere.
Regarding the comments about Drought hill (h 97 down to Peachland) I strongly disagree that 90k is to high. I travel it every day and so long as the conditions are good 90k is fine, you should never need to touch your brakes. (obviously if conditions are bad you adjust your speed accordingly) What I see is a lot of elderly people slowing down and going just 60 or 70k because they are nervous. It sounds harsh but if they are that nervous maybe they should not be driving.

Try the highways department. The same people responsible for that stupid HOV lane. They always know better. One does not have to go to Hawai to see how proper road markings are done for summer and winter driving. Just drive into Washington state.

mhumber wrote:I agree we need better road markings in the area, anyone who has been to Mauii will se very bright road markings everywhere.
Regarding the comments about Drought hill (h 97 down to Peachland) I strongly disagree that 90k is to high. I travel it every day and so long as the conditions are good 90k is fine, you should never need to touch your brakes. (obviously if conditions are bad you adjust your speed accordingly) What I see is a lot of elderly people slowing down and going just 60 or 70k because they are nervous. It sounds harsh but if they are that nervous maybe they should not be driving.

I couldn't disagree with you more. About half of that hill, especially on the downhill side, is absolutely treacherous. There is no shoulder to speak of and not even a single car width between the lane and sheer rock cliffs. Then when it levels out at the bottom there are cross streets where idiot drivers pull right in front of speeding traffic and it's a wonder that there isn't a fatality a day there. No reason whatsoever to have the speed limit over 70 all the way up to the Connector junction. Public roads are not racetracks so if you want to get your jollies behind the wheel, head a bit north to Moto Plex in Vernon and have at 'er.

speed limit is too low if anything the road needs massive improvement .. should be 2 lanes each way . hwy 97 is a parking lot .. it is aweful to have to drive . so many bad drivers

Spocky wrote:I couldn't disagree with you more. About half of that hill, especially on the downhill side, is absolutely treacherous. There is no shoulder to speak of and not even a single car width between the lane and sheer rock cliffs. Then when it levels out at the bottom there are cross streets where idiot drivers pull right in front of speeding traffic and it's a wonder that there isn't a fatality a day there. No reason whatsoever to have the speed limit over 70 all the way up to the Connector junction. Public roads are not racetracks so if you want to get your jollies behind the wheel, head a bit north to Moto Plex in Vernon and have at 'er.

I would not call it treacherous. I drove it today downhill in a commercial vehicle (not a huge one) and it is no problem whatsoever to do the speed limit. Please remember 90km/hr is only 55mph it should not be difficult for drivers to steer their vehicles around the bends at these speeds.
I do agree that those cross streets at the bottom of the hill are a problem and of course not everyone does 90, some do much more.