The District of 100 Mile House has received funding to address safety concerns with the intersection of Birch Street and First Avenue.
100 Mile House has received $14,000 from the BC government through the Vision Zero program, which is a community-based grant program that aims to improve road safety and protect pedestrians. The grants are provided through the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure.
Maureen Pinkney, the mayor of 100 Mile House, said it is “fantastic” that the District is getting this money, noting the total projected cost of the project is $100,000. The district will use the $14,000 to design the improvements that will be installed at the intersection in the coming years.
“We couldn’t do these kinds of improvements, even, you know, this one here, being $100,000. I’m sure we could probably squeeze that out of the budget, but it means something else is not getting done,” Pinkney noted.
The intersection has seen several close calls between pedestrians and motorists over the year. However, in 2015, a fatal multi-vehicle incident occurred where a pedestrian was killed by a pickup truck making the issue more pressing. The district’s current Active Transportation Network Plan has identified it as a high priority for the district.
“I think the problem with that corner is that it gets a lot of shading from the building that’s very close to the corner where the health food store is,” Maureen Pinkney said, speculating as to why the intersection is so dangerous.
Pinkney stated that the improvements that will be installed at the intersection include “better markings” as well as improved ways pedestrians can signal to motorists that they are going to cross the street.
“The design will probably incorporate a lit LED signal that people can also hit to cross - and then getting the pedestrians a little bit further distance from where a vehicle will be turning around that corner should make these people more visible.”
The group assisting the district with the improvements is TRUE Consulting - a Kamloops-based consulting team that previously worked on helping the district award tenders for sidewalk project construction in 2016. Pinkney says that they have retained TRUE for fiscal reasons.
“They already have a lot of our information, so thereby it saves the taxpayers money than going out to bid for a brand new consultant who would have to come here and start all over again.”
Adrian Dix, the Minister of Health, said, in a press release announcing the grant, that grants such as the one given to 100 Mile House prioritize the safety and well-being of British Columbia’s roads.
“By investing in innovative solutions and community-driven initiatives, we not only aim to prevent collisions but also cultivate a culture of responsibility and care.”
