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West Kelowna  

Area resident wants traffic mirror at Horizon Drive corner after cyclist was struck and killed

Could traffic mirror help?

A West Kelowna woman says a recent deadly bicycle collision highlights the traffic dangers in her neighbourhood.

A man in his 60s was struck by an SUV on Horizon Drive near Westview Way on Aug. 1, and died of his injuries.

While it didn’t happen right at the corner, Cindy, who lives on Westview Way, says the intersection is scary. She wants the City of West Kelowna to install a mirror so that drivers turning left off Westview Way can better see the vehicles coming around what she calls a blind corner on Horizon Dr.

She called the city when she moved to the neighbourhood nearly four years ago to request the mirror but says she was brushed off.

“Maybe this will wake the city up,” said Cindy. “Because that’s an awful corner and honestly, seriously, people know it’s a hill and they literally pound it to start flying up that hill.

“I don’t know how many times I’ve even gone to go out on Horizon from Westview Way and I’m slowly going out and this vehicle whips around.”

However, despite her insistence that it’s a blind corner, more than one report by city engineers has suggested there is no need for a mirror.

“We’re deeply saddened and feel terrible for the family and friends of this gentleman. What a horrible thing to happen,” said Paul Gipps, chief administrative officer, City of West Kelowna.

Gipps adds the collision did not happen at the corner.

“I know people are worried about that corner as people are accelerating coming up the hill, or coming down the hill, people trying to turn on that.”

He points out the city’s traffic engineer has reviewed the intersection more than once, including twice since 2019.

“A mirror was not considered by the traffic engineer as doing what this lady thinks it will do at this intersection," Gipps says.

He says the city will see what comes back from the RCMP investigation and review it for any safety concerns.



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