Council orders school zone signs replaced
Town council exerted its authority Monday over the placement of school zone traffic signs that were moved following a signage review from Opus consulting of Kelowna.
In a note to operations director Shawn Goodsell, Councillor Larry Schwartzenberger suggested moving a school zone sign closer to the high school from its location on Fairview just east of Nicola makes little sense.
If the signs are located in the original location, he said, “People will slow down.”
The report from Opus indicated that the further such signs are from the actual school, the less likely drivers are to obey them.
But council disagreed and voted to move the school zone sign back to its original location.
At the suggestion of Councillor Petra Veitimilla, a similar relocation was ordered for a school zone sign on School Avenue east of Gala on the hill leading toward Oliver Elementary.
Kootenay Street top pick for new bus stop
The first choice for a second bus stop in Oliver is the area just south of Kootenay Street between Main Street and Co-op Avenue.
BC Transit has agreed to a second stop in Oliver for its Osoyoos to Penticton weekday bus. It currently has just one official stop, at the hospital.
Council decided Monday to recommend the Kootenay stop to BC Transit. If that stop is rejected, council’s second choice is the alley at the back of the town hall.
The South Okanagan Transit System currently operates an Osoyoos to Kelowna and back run on Monday and twice-a-day trips to Penticton on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.
An expansion of the service to include a Friday run to Penticton is expected to be added in September 2017.
Station Street to remain open
A direction from the town council to close Station Street behind the Legion and the OK Tire store turns out to be more complicated than at first thought and will be put off.
Following complaints about speeding and pedestrian safety on the roadway that intersects with Highway 97 at an acute angle, council instructed staff to close it.
However, a report from operations director Shawn Goodsell points out that that while council has the authority to temporarily restrict or prohibit traffic, closing a road takes a closure bylaw along with various notices and approvals from the transport ministry.
An email from a transport ministry official threw further cold water on the idea, suggesting that Station Street “provides a great outlet for vehicles traveling north from Oliver. If Station Street were closed, it would seriously impact the intersection of Veterans Avenue and Highway 97.”
Council decided to put off an action on Station Street until staff finishes the “traffic calming measures study” sometime next year.