Locals have only to cast their eyes down south to the central Okanagan for a glimpse of what’s possible when it comes to improving traffic flow.
For years Boucherie Road in the newer-municipality of West Kelowna, right across Okanagan Lake from Kelowna proper, was a narrow two-lane road curving off from Highway 97 and then rising to the top of the area known as Lakeview Heights.
If that sounds a lot like Lanfear Hill (or even the hill leading up from lower Thornhill) read on.
After spending $2.6 million, the District of West Kelowna has created, thanks to combining work with other projects in that area, wider vehicle paths, sewers, water works, drainage upgrades, sidewalks, cycling lanes, retaining walls and landscaped medians.
Sharp-eyed readers might wonder about its financing given that West Kelowna is within the riding of Premier Christy Clark. But no, $2.03 million came from the municipality’s reserves and the rest from development charges.
Of course, geographic parallels are one thing as West Kelowna is substantially larger than Terrace with more population and a much larger tax base.
But as the city contemplates future traffic flow issues on Lanfear Hill, those who encounter school buses and other large vehicles along the narrower portions of the hill might be allowed a bit of wishful thinking.