If you've ever had a close call on Hwy 97 between Summerland and Peachland, you know it's dangerous stretch of road. Last Thursday, a person was killed in a crash between a car and a semi. After hearing that news, Mick Harper started a petition to have safety barriers installed along that stretch of road. The response was immediate.
"Yeah, it was a bit overwhelming," says Harper. "I didn't expect it to resonate the way it has. That's a good thing. So it's obviously struck a chord with many people. Thousands of people have responded which to me represents only a fraction of the number of drivers who take that road."
Harper says he has also received messages from those who have lost loved ones another stretch of Highway 97 that didn't have safety barriers, but does now.
"One of the messages I received was from a woman who lost a son and his friend along the section of Highway 97 from the Gorman Brothers Mill and the turnoff to the Connector," he says. "And they successfully petitioned the government to install barriers there, and lo and behold there are barriers there right now. So, I know that this request is not outrageous, it's not unheard of. Why hasn't it been done already and what's it going to take to get it done."
He adds he has also been talking with emergency first-responders who are on the highway every day.
"I've been asking them to write letters as well," says Harper. "Because they would be able to share a story that not everyone could share that experience. Let's take it a step further. Let's not just sign a petition. Let's write letters and send them to our MLAs and the minister of transportation and infrastructure. Let's ask the question. Why aren't there barriers there now and what's it going to take to put them in?"
The petition is available at change.org.