To the editor:
West Kelowna City Council is recommending putting a roundabout at Hudson and Boucherie which requires expropriation of land(s).
They are also considering a roundabout at Anders and Boucherie along with a possible one at Ogden and Boucherie.
More expropriation of land(s).
The taxpayers should be aware that the cost of a roundabout in two of these locations is around the $800,000 to $1 million range each.
The cost of a traffic light (based on costs reported by the City of Surrey) is around the $225,000 mark.
So should we be wasting $750,000 per intersection when we could use that money to build more roadways past the Ogden mark?
Of course the city will tell you that they have to maintain light systems and eventually the cost of maintenance will outweigh the savings of not building a roundabout.
So assuming it costs $10,000 per year to maintain a traffic light, that will buy us around 75 years of maintenance.
The city will also have to maintain a roundabout should that be chosen.
The city will also tell you that roundabouts are safer than traffic lights.
Apparently people run traffic lights causing greater accidents than roundabouts that only cause sideswipe accidents.
So why are the good drivers that follow the rules having to pay for the few that do not?
If it is so much of a benefit, perhaps ICBC should pay for all intersection roundabouts and charge those causing accidents at red lights more so they can fund roundabouts.
I, for one, am tired of having my increasing taxation pay for the few that are causing the problems.
On the same project, the city is planning on accepting boulevards between the auto traffic and the bike lane/sidewalk lane.
If they are going to put in a boulevard separation, should it not be between the sidewalk and the bike lane; meaning there would be vehicle (bicycle and auto) traffic on one side of the boulevard and a sidewalk on the other.
Can you imagine a bicycle person heading downhill on Boucherie at 40km per hour next to a pedestrian walking with their children or a dog?
Not only that, but there are no bicycle riders during the winter months which means the city could use that bicycle lane to plow snow upon keeping the roadway clear.
City council, project costs appear to be accepted instead of investigated for best utilization.
Please use taxpayer money wisely and stretch those project dollars as far as possible.
$5 million for only one kilometer of road really seems excessive.
R. Mcleod, West Kelowna