Traffic congestion and road conditions top concerns for Lake Country residents

Complaints from Lake Country residents to the district’s councillors were made tangible in the June 2019 community survey when Discovery Research principal Cale Lewis addressed council on Aug. 20.

The report showed that the top five responses for the most important transportation issue in Lake Country were traffic congestion on Highway 97 (39 per cent), road condition and maintenance (26 per cent), lack of sidewalks (eight per cent), Glenmore speeding and congestion (seven per cent) and speeding on Highway 97 (five per cent).

The survey was randomly sent to 1500 households in Lake Country in May 2019. Discovery Research said they received 637 surveys back, a 42 per cent response rate.

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Coun. Penny Gambell took a moment before the meeting was adjourned to address these concerns, calling them a huge issue.

“There’s been a lot of concerns raised to me,” Coun. Gambell said, singling out Hebert Road.

“Driving up that road made me embarrassed, it was actually dangerous.”

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On June 19, the Ministry of Transportation held a workshop for residents to voice their opinions on new safety measures for Highway 97 and Glenmore Road.

But no results have been released since.

The Lakes roundabout project has been completed, which pleased Gambell, who said she wished it had been finished by its intended deadline in July.

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And until Aug. 23, Berry Road will be closed from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. for repairs and maintenance.

The most recent of the resolutions on council’s agenda addressed road conditions and safety in the form of policy.

Presented by the director of engineering Matthew Salmon in conjunction with Watt Consulting Group, the Traffic Calming and Road Safety Policy is an 11-step process that will help bring a guiding vision of road safety in Lake Country to fruition.

Gambell said she is pleased to see the work that has been done, but would like to see more presented to council by city staff.