Traffic study slated for Columbia Avenue near First Street
By Kyra Hoggan
The City of Castlegar will be undertaking a traffic study for the stretch of Columbia Avenue near First Street after an application for a temporary work permit opened a largely-unrelated can of worms.
City councillor Kirk Duff said visibility issues along that thoroughfare have long been problematic, but the permit application mobilized residents who feared even more congestions and who, in turn, mobilized city council to look at remedial options.
“Residents have always had an issue with the access onto Columbia Avenue off First,” he said. “When you’re pulling out, drivers have to pull a fair ways into the right-of-way to be able to see.”
Compounding the problem, he said, are drivers who routinely misuse the road.
“I know when I’m turning left (off of Columbia Avenue) onto Crescent Street, people pass me on the right, when there isn’t actually two lanes there.”
He said the traffic study will likely take abour four weeks, and will look at visibility and gradation issues. The next step is for the city to request proposals for the study to be conducted.
Most residents approaching council over the issue said they did not object to the business permit per se, but were just concerned that a potential need for more parking might exascerbate existing problems.
Duff added the business owners applying for the permit have indicated the wait won’t cause them undue hardship, allowing the city to address resident safety concerns that have now been expressed, via delegation and letter, to council in the weeks since the permit application was originally forwarded.
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