Highway 97 Kelowna to Peachland

[waynetyea]

red light to red light to red light to red light to red light almost the whole freeking way... come on somebody has got to be able to do away better job than this.... whoever is in charge should be ashamed of themselves and must surly be laughing at how bad a job of syncronizing them they are getting away with... whos responsible get rid of them or make them do something about it.sincerley a *bleep* off regular user whom does not speed. and furthermore this mpv lain seems to be a private lain for most the people in it and there is only one of em in the car most of the time...what a joke that is

[Bpeep]

Yup. From Edwards to Princeton.
Aggravating.

[stuphoto]

I was thinking the same thing.

Edmonton also has a main highway going right through the city and has built several overpasses and underpasses to eliminate most of the lights.
Although they still have a few lights to eliminate the highway flows quite nicely along the other sections.

[dirtybiker]

The Okanagan's lack of highway system is the biggest joke in
North America.
One can get around or through any City/Region with twice the population in less time
and in more safety than here.

[dodgerdodge]

Will never change enough to keep pace with growth. The odd intersection modification and light removal will not help keep pace with the influx of people and vehicles. Cost alone will mean we will never see a freeflowing, traffic light free highway in our lifetime, but we might spend a few million considering some options!

[GordonH]

It's only going to get worse, back before development happen along hwy97 from YLW to just past Gorman. They should put into place under or over passes in as many location as possible.

[WalterWhite]

Over/underpasses are great - but will never be an option for most of the intersections as the surrounding areas are already far past providing enough space to construct them. Look at the latest one on WFN land at the top of bridge hill and the amount of real estate needed to construct. Timing of the lights is also a big misconception that simply will not work through an urban area with block after block of additional lights running at right angles. Take a minute and witness the ridiculous backups created at cross streets like Richter and Ellis any weekday. No amount of mathematical calculations will permit lights to sequence in such a manner as to relieve the volumes we have created simply by the timing of lights. Running major arterial routes through urban centers was a concept popular back in the late 50's and 60's. Hwy 97 through Kelowna and West Kelowna is a joke, and anyone not from this area that travels through here for the first time will tell you exactly that.

This valley is turning into everything that people used to come here to get away from. Traffic congestion, lights at every block, some of the worst drivers in the country coupled with the most "me,me,me" attitude you'll find anywhere. Other than wine tours coupled with golf retreats, the lake is the only remaining major draw - and it's clearly on a limited life span now with the demand that's being placed on it. Aside from the flotillas of Malibu, Centurion, Supra wakeboats et al, the overall drop in water clarity and quality from what I remember it being even just 30 years ago is insane. Milfoil and algae now obliterate what used to be easily 30' of visibility. Wade into the "water" up to your knees at Gyro and I defy you to say you can see your feet.

I used to think they actually had their heads screwed on straight, having watched the non-stop mistakes made across the bridge with regard to development. However, one drive through the strip mall wonderland the WFN has created lining the entire highway corridor through West Kelowna clearly says different. It seems to have become an unofficial game of one up man-ship in who can create the longest strip mall with the most vacancies. The only thing West Kelowna is missing is the acres of automalls and accompanying antenna balloons and inflatable wiggling tube men. Of course they definitely have cornered the market on billboards so they'll always have that advantage.

The best part, aside from my sunny outlook, is we're only a month or so away from the months long doom and gloom of yet another winter of what has become non-stop inversion largely due to the effect on the valley micro-climate all this wonderful development and thousands of idling cars at every block has created.

[GordonH]

It's only going to get worse, back before development happen along hwy97 from YLW to just past Gorman. They should put into place under or over passes in as many location as possible.

Let me clarify, its far to late to do any of this now.

Here a post by grammafreddy (posted Thu Sep 12, 2013), it would be great to actual find that article from Courier.

Many years ago, my mother used to have a clipping from the Courier that had the route of a new highway that bypassed Kelowna. The highway took off just north of Reid's Corner, up onto the benches, around to East Kelowna and south Kelowna and tagged into Chute Lake Road then down into Penticton, which was widened to six lanes, 3 in each direction. No new bridge. There were off-shoot roads down into various parts of Kelowna for those who wanted to get there but otherwise it created a great truck route and kept Highway 97 through town free for local traffic and people who were actually coming to Kelowna.

As can be predicted, local businesses screamed bloody murder and so it was ditched. It made good sense to me.

Sometimes, its all in a name. Call it a "bypass" and everyone yells. Call it a "truck route" and it becomes more acceptable. Why do we need all the semis going through the middle of town and over the one bridge?

Thing is if this actual took place a 2nd crossing could have been hooked up to the Connector

[voice of reason]

we already have a couple overpasses on the westside.too bad they dont go anywhere

[WalterWhite]

Eventually they will. Does seem odd having infrastructure in place before the development - but only because around here it’s such a foreign concept.

[GordonH]

we already have a couple overpasses on the westside.too bad they dont go anywhere

If you think things are backed up now, just imagine if those overpasses was traffic lights instead.

[dodgerdodge]

we already have a couple overpasses on the westside.too bad they dont go anywhere

I don't think this is technically true. We have one overpass which was created when they removed the light controlled intersection at Westside road. There are no other overpasses that connect to the highway from any intersection. There is an underpass but this is at the same intersection and adds no real benefit to that shopping area that the overpass doesn't already offer.

[Ken7]

red light to red light to red light to red light to red light almost the whole freeking way... come on somebody has got to be able to do away better job than this.... whoever is in charge should be ashamed of themselves and must surly be laughing at how bad a job of syncronizing them they are getting away with... whos responsible get rid of them or make them do something about it.sincerley a *bleep* off regular user whom does not speed. and furthermore this mpv lain seems to be a private lain for most the people in it and there is only one of em in the car most of the time...what a joke that is

If you hammer on it and exceed the speed limit you likely can get three in a row. Not how lights should be set up. it is pathetic!!

[Omnitheo]

Has anyone seen the community plans? There are several proposals for improvements to all these stretches of highway.

They seem great. The only problem is that they’re decades out...

[vinnied]

and yet theres no shortage of new building permits, whats even better is now there just going towards the sky. even more people, with no new infrastructure to handle the influx.
Oh well as long as the city cashing in