The City will be making traffic safety improvements along Lawrence Avenue next week designed to slow vehicles and make it safer for pedestrians to cross the road. The goal is to complete this work before the return to the school year.
Anyone driving through the area starting next week should anticipate delays and detours as crews complete the installation of speed bumps, plastic bollards and paint new lines.
This work is being conducted in response to concerns throughout the neighbourhood about speeding along Lawrence Avenue, in an area where many children walk to school en route to Columbia Elementary.
In addition to the plastic bollards and two sets of speed humps, the City will reduce the speed of Lawrence Avenue between Sunset Place and Duncan Avenue to 30km/hour. Design drawings can be viewed at penticton.ca/roadwork.
The City will be monitoring the results and will seek feedback from the community at a later date to determine whether the methods are effective at slowing drivers down.
Also, as a related project, a new four-way stop is being installed at the intersection of Duncan Avenue E and Columbia Street as a means to improve pedestrian safety at that crossing.
The City is also planning to work with Columbia Elementary on a ‘Safe Routes to School’ study. This will involve analyzing traffic patterns in the area and making recommendations to improve safety for those walking, riding or rolling to and from school.